Songkhla Old Town

Songkhla was a significant trading port under Chinese and Malay influence long before Bangkok mattered, and the old town preserves three parallel streets of it: Sino-Portuguese shophouses with arcaded fronts, older Chinese buildings with tiled roofs and internal courtyards, a few colonial-influenced facades, temples, shrines and a mosque. From the 2010s a local conservation movement restored a substantial number of buildings and commissioned murals along the streets, and the old town has since been put forward for UNESCO World Heritage listing as part of a serial nomination with Singora and the surrounding sites. Cafes, small hotels and shops occupy the restored buildings; others remain family homes and businesses that have been there for generations. Songkhla is in the deep south and receives very few foreign visitors, so the streets are largely local. The Songkhla National Museum, in a nineteenth-century Chinese mansion, is at one end.

What to look for

• The three streets - Sino-Portuguese and Chinese shophouses in the old grid.
• The murals - painted along the streets during the conservation push.
• The national museum - in a nineteenth-century Chinese mansion.
• The mixed community - temples, shrines and a mosque within the same quarter.

When to go

December to April; the southern rains fall October to December. Half a day to walk the streets and the museum. Weekends are busier with Thai visitors from Hat Yai.

Practical notes

Many buildings are private homes and businesses. Restoration is partial and some structures remain derelict. The deep south sees few foreign visitors and English is limited. The museum closes on some weekdays.

Nearby

Samila Beach and the mermaid are north-east; Ko Yo is across the lake.