Sino-Portuguese houses
Colourful facades and shutters.
This Photo was taken by Supanut Arunoprayote. Feel free to use any of my images, but please mention me as the author and may send me a message. (สามารถใช้ภาพได้อิสระ แต่กรุณาใส่เครดิตผู้ถ่ายและอาจส่ — CC BY 4.0 · Chanchai Thongnok — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Slleong — CC0 · This Photo was taken by Supanut Arunoprayote. Feel free to use any of my images, but please mention me as the author and may send me a message. (สามารถใช้ภาพได้อิสระ แต่กรุณาใส่เครดิตผู้ถ่ายและอาจส่ — CC BY 4.0 · This Photo was taken by Supanut Arunoprayote. Feel free to use any of my images, but please mention me as the author and may send me a message. (สามารถใช้ภาพได้อิสระ แต่กรุณาใส่เครดิตผู้ถ่ายและอาจส่ — CC BY 4.0
A quiet historic quarter of Songkhla city, between sea and lake, preserving whole streets of old Sino-Portuguese houses with colourful facades and wooden shutters, built by Chinese, Muslim and Thai merchants when Songkhla was an important trading port in the nineteenth century. Visitors wander Nakhon Nai, Nakhon Nok and Nang Ngam streets among murals telling the city's life, cafes in restored old houses, traditional sweet shops, Chinese shrines and old mosques that reflect its mixed population. The quarter also holds the Songkhla National Museum in an old Chinese mansion, and remains of the old city walls. Wandering is free; the quarter is quiet by day, loveliest in the morning or late afternoon, and comes alive at weekends. Some shops and cafes keep limited hours. Rains are heaviest in the south-east from October to December, and the city can flood. Combine it with nearby Samila Beach on a half-day trip from Hat Yai. Halal restaurants are easy to find in town, including long-established Muslim eateries known for southern dishes.
Colourful facades and shutters.
The city's stories on the walls.
Chinese shrines and old mosques.
Nakhon Nai and Nakhon Nok roads, Songkhla, about 30 km from Hat Yai
Half a day covers the old town, Samila Beach and Tang Kuan hill; a full day if you want the museum and cafes at leisure.