Hua Hin Railway Station

Hua Hin became a royal resort in the 1920s when Rama VI and Rama VII built summer palaces here and the railway from Bangkok made it reachable, and the station was rebuilt in 1926 in the Thai style the era favoured for public buildings - timber, red and cream paint, carved bargeboards and a covered platform. Beside the platform stands the Royal Waiting Room, a small ornate pavilion originally built at Sanam Chan Palace in Nakhon Pathom for Rama VI and moved here, which is the building on every photograph of the station. It is a working station on the southern line, so trains come and go through the day and the platforms are in use rather than preserved. The visit is fifteen or twenty minutes unless you are catching a train. Renovation work and elevated-track construction on the southern line have affected the setting at times.

What you actually see

• The Royal Waiting Room - the ornate pavilion moved here from Sanam Chan.
• The 1926 station - red and cream timber with carved detailing.
• The working platforms - trains on the southern line through the day.
• The resort history - the railway that made Hua Hin a royal retreat.

When to go

November to February. Any time of day; it takes fifteen to twenty minutes. Southern line construction has affected the surroundings at times.

Honest expectations

It is one building and a platform - a short stop, not a visit. It is a working station with normal railway operations. Railway construction work in the area has periodically disrupted the setting.

Nearby

Hua Hin town centre and the night market are a short walk; Khao Takiab is south.