Cha-am is a small resort town in Southern Thailand just 25 km north of Hua Hin. It is one of favorite holiday and weekend destinations for Thais. This resort town is quieter and more laid back than its southern neighbor. Planning a trip to Cha-am in Thailand? This detailed Cha-am travel guide with travel tips will help you discover the town and its best things to do.
Things to Do in Cha-am
Cha-am town itself has very limited tourist attractions as most of tourists here come just for its long and beautiful beach and peaceful atmosphere.
Cha-am Beach
Cha-Am Beach is really long, wide and sandy so you won’t have a problem to find a place for laying your towel to enjoy the sun.
During the week the beach is usually very quiet but during weekends and public holidays it can get really busy as many locals flock here from Bangkok.
However, most of them choose to hide under umbrellas lined up by the beach under Casuarina trees.
Beach chairs are for rent and usually cost about 50 THB per person for few hours. You can get drinks and food from any vendors by the beach or convenience stores found on the other side of the beach road.
Water sports are quite popular here too as you can ride the banana boat or rent a jetski right on the beach. However, renting a jetski isn’t recommended unless you’re experienced as too many incidents happen.
Night Market
When the sun sets, vendors line up their stalls along the beach road in Cha-am.
Don't expect the atmosphere here to be like in Hua Hin Night Market or Cicada Market as this market is more local. However, it's a really good place to get some reasonably priced seafood.
Maruekatayawan Palace
Maruekatayawan Palace - the old Royal summer palace is a great example of Thai architecture as this nice raised-floor wooden palace has been beautifully restored (located about 8 km south of the town).
Forest Park
Cha-am Forest Park – is a quiet and relaxing park where locals like to go for a picnic or exercise surrounded by nature (open from 6:00 to 19:00).
Other Attractions in the Area
More attractions can be found in Hua Hin that can be reached in 20 minutes. Discover the most interesting Hua Hin Attrractions.
Where to Stay in Cha-am
Budget accommodation options are centered in the town of Cha-am.
However, most of the tourists prefer staying in one of the resorts out of town. There are plenty of great resorts to choose from in the area, as they are scattered on the coast all the way from Cha-am to Hua Hin.
Some of the best rated beachfront resorts in the area:
Devasom Hua Hin Resort - small luxury resort with 23 sea view hotel rooms and villas, offering a unique beachfront relaxing retreat on a peaceful private beach between Cha-am and Hua Hin
Baba Beach Club - luxury beachfront hotel, comprised of larger luxury pool villas and beachfront pool suites with an undeniable home-away-from-home feel perfect for a true vacation escape by the beach
VALA Hua Hin - 5-star luxury resort between Hua Hin and Cha-am, built on expansive, generous space with endless greenery, with direct access to a well-preserved beachfront
The Palayana - spacious accommodation boasting a fusion of Thai and contemporary architecture style alongside the shimmering Gulf of Thailand waters
SO Sofitel Hua Hin - 5-star resort on the beach, offering chic luxury with 100 imaginative rooms and 9 lavish villas, including private pool villas
Explore a wider choice of the most luxurious accommodations in the area, as some of the best Hua Hin private pool villa resorts are also located in Cha-am.
Discover the best rated accommodations in the area by exploring the list of the best Cha-am hotels & resorts.
To get the best deal on accommodation, make sure to compare hotel deals on Booking.com with often better special offers on Agoda.
How to get to Cha-am?
Cha-am is located just about 200 km south of Bangkok and can be easily accessed from there by bus or by train.
Bus to Cha-am
Most of the buses going to Hua Hin stop at Cha-am so there are plenty of routes to choose from if you're planning to go there from Bangkok.
There is a bus service running to Hua Hin from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport daily every 1-1.5 hours from 07:30 to 18:30. These buses also stop at Cha-am when informed in advance. Current schedule can be found and bus tickets can be booked here: Bus from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Hua Hin.
Buses to Hua Hin from Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal depart few times a day and it takes about 3 hours to get there, depending on the class of a bus and the traffic.
There are also minivans available at all 3 main Bangkok bus stations.
Vans departing from Sai Tai Mai Bus Terminal are the most frequent and the journey is shorter. At Ekkamai Bus Terminal minivans to Cha-am are less frequent and leave every hour or two from 06:00 to 19:00. Minivans to the seaside town also leave from Mochit New Van Terminal. It normally takes a bit less than 3 hours to get to there from Sai Tai Mai and up to one hour longer when leaving from Ekkamai or Mochit.
Tickets for various buses and minivans on this route can be found here: Buses and minivans from Bangkok to Cha-am
Train to Cha-am
Taking a train to Cha-am from Bangkok is by far the cheapest way to get to there from the capital city.
Trains to Cha-am leave 5 times a day from different railway stations in Bangkok.
Hua Lamphong Railway Station has an ordinary train departing at 09:20.
Ordinary trains from Thonburi Railway Station depart at 07:20 and 13:10.
All the ordinary trains take about 4 hours to get to the seaside town. In addition, trains are rarely coming on time in Thailand so be ready for delays.
For the most convenient train travel on this route, you can take one of 2 rapid trains that depart from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal at 17:30 and 20:30. These trains are faster and more comfortable. Contrary to the ordinary trains, for these departures you can also book train tickets online here: Train from Bangkok to Cha-am.
For getting from Cha-am Railway Station to your accommodation you can take a motorbike taxi or just walk as from there the distance to the beach is just 2 km.
Private Transfer to Cha-am
If you will be flying to one of Bangkok airports and will want to travel to Cha-am directly from there, the most convenient way to cover this route is by private airport transfer as it's faster and much more comfortable than taking public transportation and transferring several. You can book private airport transfer here: Airport Transfer to Cha-am.
Other transportation options
Various transportation options can also be found and transport tickets can be booked by using this search form.
Weather in Cha-am
Cha-am has only two seasons - the wet and the dry. Between November and May the weather is mostly dry with little rain expected for much of this time.
Wet season in the area occurs between May and October. Despite being on the Gulf of Thailand coastline, Cha-am experiences slightly different rain patterns than other east coast destinations with serious rainfall only occurring in September and October.
For the best time to visit Cha-am check our weather ratings chart.
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After visiting Cha-am you are planning to continue your trip up north or down south? Check when is the best time to visit Thailand's other destinations and choose your next destination.
Next Destination after Cha-am?
Bangkok is the capital of Thailand and the largest city of the country with tons of things to do and see, so you can easily spend days or weeks there and not get bored. The nearby Hua Hin is a resort town offering livelier atmosphere as it's a well-developed beach destination. Kanchanaburi is known for its WWII history and beautiful nature, while Ayutthaya is home to ancient temples. Travel more south and visit the island of Koh Tao, which is a worldwide famous diving and snorkeling destination.