Nakhon Si Thammarat Travel & Hotel Guide

Compare Hotel Room Rates from different Booking Sites

City wall, Nakhon Si Thammarat (8 April 2005)
© Timothy Tye using this photo

Nakhon Si Thammarat is a city in southern Thailand. Tourists often pass through it without stopping on their way between Koh Samui and Hat Yai. As it is still not a popular tourist destination, not many foreign visitors come here. For that reason I am writing this guide so that it can become better known.

Guide to Nakhon Si Thammarat Hotels

It's never easy finding the hotel that's just right for your stay. Still, by taking a little time to do your research, you increase your chance of getting a good hotel at the best price. Go through the list of hotels in Nakhon Si Thammarat which we've put together, arranged city by city, with full description, star rating, address, location map and evaluation. Pick the hotel of your choice and view the rates offered by different booking sites. Yes, we show you prices from different websites, so you don't have to visit them one by one.

Chedi Phra Baromathat, Wat Mahathat, Nakhon Si Thammarat
Author: Ahoerstemeier (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)

More about Nakhon Si Thammarat

Nakhon Si Thammarat is the capital of a Thai province of the same name. This lengthy name comes from the Pali-Sanskrit name, which reads "Negara Sri Dhammaraja", which means "City of the Sacred Dharma King". The name becomes Nakhon Si Thammarat in Thai. Incidentally, the same word "negara" becomes "Angkor" in Khmer.

Scholars believe that Nakhon Si Thammarat was the centre of the Srivijaya kingdom, an ancient kingdom that flourished in southern Thailand since the 3rd century AD. According to the Ramkamhaeng stele in Sukhothai, it fell under the realm of the Sukhothai kingdom, and later was absorbed as a tributary kingdom to Ayutthaya.

According to the chronicles of Nakhon Si Thammarat, the city itself was in the receiving end of tributes from twelve cities on the Malay peninsula, represented by twelve animals of the zodiac. The twelve cities are Saiburi (represented by the mouse), Pattani (ox), Kelantan (tiger), Pahang - most likely Kota Gelanggi (rabbit), Kedah (dragon), Phatthalung (snake), Trang (horse), Chumphon (goat), Baytaysamer or Chaiya (monkey), Saulau - may be Songkhla or Kanchanadit or Pla Tha (cock), Takua Pa (dog) and Kraburi (pig).

City wall, Nakhon Si Thammarat (8 April 2005)
© Timothy Tye using this photo

Budget Travel to Nakhon Si Thammarat

Most visitors arrive by road from Hat Yai. It is about one to two hours from Hat Yai. Alternatively, you can also fly to Nakhon Si Thammarat from Bangkok on Thai AirAsia.

Budget Travel within Nakhon Si Thammarat

As with most small towns in Thailand, you are better off with your own transport. Otherwise, look for tuk tuk and hire them by the hour to take you to the places of interest.

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Places of Interest in Nakhon Si Thammarat

Bovorn Bazaar
A courtyard with cafés and restaurants.
City Wall
Ancient wall encircling Nakhon Si Thammarat.
Ho Phra Buddha Sihing
Temple housing a replica of the Phra Buddha Sing, one of the most revered Buddha images in Thailand.
Ho Phra I-suan
Shrine dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva, represented by by a shivalinga, the phallic.
Ho Phra Narai
Shrine where five lingas dating to AD 1,000 were discovered.
Nakhon Si Thammarat National Museum
Museum with ancient artifacts found in southern Thailand, including a 9th century Vishnu statue in the south Indian style.
Suchart House
Shadow puppet practitioner still engaged in this dying form of performing arts.
Tha Chang Road
Road in Nakhon Si Thammarat famous for its gold and silversmiths. Traditionally only the best artisans were allowed to locate there.
Wat Phra Mahathat
One of the most sacred Buddhist temples in Thailand, believed to be 1,500 years old.
Wat Sao Thong Tong
Temple with an intricate Thai wooden house from the late 19th century in its compound.