Songkhla

Songkhla is a compact, historic coastal city in southern Thailand, set on a narrow peninsula between the Gulf of Thailand and the brackish waters of Songkhla Lake. Once an important regional port known as Singora, it keeps a slower, more local character than nearby Hat Yai while serving as the administrative centre of Songkhla Province.

The city's layered past shows most clearly in Songkhla Old Town, where two centuries of trading history survive in Sino-Portuguese shophouses, clan houses and small temples along Nakhon Nok, Nakhon Nai and Nang Ngam roads. Wat Matchimawat, the Songkhla National Museum in a former governor's residence, and remnants of the old city walls give the heritage district a tangible sense of place.

Beyond the old streets, Samila Beach is the city's best-known coastal landmark, with its Golden Mermaid statue gazing toward the small islands of Ko Nu and Ko Maew. Nearby, Khao Tang Kuan hill offers wide views over the city, lake and gulf from its pagodas, while the restored Red Rice Mill recalls the area's rice-trading prosperity.

Songkhla was named a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2025, a reflection of a food culture shaped by Thai, Malay and Chinese influences. Southern rice salad (khao yam), fresh Gulf seafood, Muslim-style roti and curries, and lively night markets such as Tae Raek give visitors plenty to explore between sights.

As a fishing port, university town and gateway to the deep south, Songkhla combines working waterfront energy with heritage tourism. Its compact size, coastal setting and proximity to Hat Yai International Airport make it an easy base for both leisure travellers and business visitors to southern Thailand.