All you need to know to visit Cha Am

ชะอำ
Southern Thailand
176 km from Bangkok
Province of Petchaburi

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Practical guide to go and visit Cha Am

25 km in the North of Hua Hin, Cha-Am has a long white sand beach (about 7km). The sea is not turquoise and really suitable for swimming at high tide, otherwise it may take a long walk before you have enough water to swim, but it is the case on all this region of Thailand. Less hipe destination than its neighbor, it is also very popular with Thai people who arrive very numerous on weekends and holidays. If you want a taste of partyng and enjoying holidays in thai style, a few days in Cha Am will do surely be a good idea. Backpackers will probably feel more in their element here than in Hua Hin. Their wallets too. Especially around Ruamjit Road where cheap accommodation, restaurants and bars abound. No hotel, except the one in the luxury hotels area, has direct access to the sea, they all are separated by a small road. For the points of interest near the waterfront, Wat Neranchararam and its Buddha with multiple arms covering his ears and eyes is interesting to see, the harbor, a good place to stroll and eat very good seafood and fish for cheap. Cha-Am fresh market is impressive too if you like markets.
Outside the city you can go visit, the Phra Ratchaniwet Mrigadayavan, wooden summer Royal Palace and see all the attractions in the Phetchaburi and Hua Hin area (Tham Khao Luang, Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park, the huge Kaeng Krachan National Park or Wat Huay Mongkol and its gigantic statue of the monk Luang Phor Thuad).

Hotel in Cha Am

Practical information about Cha Am

All buses from Bangkok to Hua Hin go to Cha Am. From Hua Hin, bus 420 to Phetchaburi can drop you there in 30 minutes on Phetkasem Road about one kilometer from the seafront. Most hotels and cheap guesthouses are on Ruamjit Road or in the small perpendicular sois. Here, in comparison with Hua Hin, you will not have any trouble to find rooms for 300-400 THB a night. Of course there are also accommodation a little more upscale in this area. Prices are especillay low on week days and often rise on the weekends and holidays because of the large crowd coming from Bangkok. The luxury hotel are a little remote, further in the South. At night, hte most animated area is Soi Bus Station.
To go around you can easily rent bikes everywhere along the beach. And you can also take a shower without returning to your hotel room. There are paying toilets and showers (shower 10THB) at regular intervals, often also offering bicycle rental.