Penang -> Hat Yai – Recommended Tips and Travel Timings
I always feel the need to share my experiences as i know many budget travelers out there have lots of questions like HOW to get to Hat Yai from Penang but don’t have adequate information.
Well, i have spent hours searching on the internet before this trip and there are no proper resources to show tourists like us , where to board the vehicle and the timings of the van .
These are the timings and place to board the van . Yes, it’s a van for 12 person including 1 driver , as there’s no coach to Hat Yai (guess there shouldn’t be a demand for that ) .
Price [Per person ] :
RM30 FROM PENANG TO HAT YAI
THB 300 FROM HAT YAI TO PENANG
I’m still puzzled till now why we need to pay RM1 at Thai Border ?! Anyone can tell me why ?
Timing:
PENANG TO HAT YAI : 5:30AM , 9AM , 12PM , 4PM
Hat Yai to PENANG : 11AM , 1PM , 4PM , 5 PM
All timing are based on GMT +8:00 including Hat Yai to Penang Route . 
Boarding :
PENANG : KOMTAR , E & A BUDGET HOTEL , TUNEHOTELS PENANG
Hat Yai : Near Lee Garden Plaza Hotel , Golden Crown Plaza Hotel
Total Travelling time (4 hours ):
PENANG -> THAI IMMIGRATION : 3 HOURS
THAI IMMIGRATION -> HAT YAI : 1 HOUR
PENANG TO HAT YAI : 4 HOURS
Singapore to Hat Yai : 14 Hours
Kuala Lumpur to Hat Yai : 10 Hours
Ipoh to Hat Yai : 6 Hours
In fact, Langkawi is quite near from the border , about an hour drive .
In fact, you can take the van too at selected coach agencies at Butterworth as all vans towards Hat Yai has to go through Butterworth to get to the expressway .
The van is quite spacious for the front row and it’s like a coach , only that there’s no entertainment on board.
You can also ask the driver to send you to the hotel , but be prepared to know the address and hotel name , as most of them only understand malay and thai , hence if you don’t know how to speak malay and thai , ask someone who knows to help you translate !
Getting around Hat Yai :
Hat Yai is a small tourist destination that is famous for its food and goodies . It takes about 14 hours by bus from Singapore to Hat Yai and usually operates at 9pm – 10pm at night as Thai Immigration only opens at 6am daily.
To get around Hat Yai, take a tuk-tuk which is rather expensive than Bangkok as they count PER HEAD of 20 BAHT per pax to anywhere near , but its uncommon to see taxis at the street .
Take a walk rather which is recommended as you won’t get lost in Hat Yai , as there are maps around tourists location which serve a good purpose.
Recommended Accommodations :
- Lee Garden Plaza :: Lee Garden Shopping Centre is just below Lee Garden Plaza Hotel and has many international restaurants like Swensons, Macdonalds and many more .
- Golden Crown Plaza Hotel :: This is the hotel i stayed in and it’s fantastic big and near to Kim Yong Market and just a stone away from Lee Garden plaza Hotel . In fact, it’s not like a 3 star hotel, rather a 4 star hotel because the design is beautiful and comfortable for your stay . FREE WIFI
- J.B. Hotel :: Provides free transport to and fro tourists attractions, though might be a little long in tuk tuks but nice hotel.
- Novotel Centara Hat Yai Hotel :: Located just opposite Lee Garden Plaza hotel , great location with night markets below. 4 Star Hotel in Hat Yai with nice accommodations and great comfort. If compared with Golden Crown Plaza Hotel , if you don’t think you need to fork out too much in Hat Yai, Golden Crown plaza will be suitable for you .
Hope all these info helps and do bookmark our webpage as MORE of Hat Yai journey and shopping and FOOD will be up shortly this week !
Stay Tuned !
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Thanks. I am staying at a hotel in Penang for three days after which I will go to Hat Yai.
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The $1 is coffee money for thai custom officers.
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Sy Reply:
August 20th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
Hey CT ,
Yeah , i think so too . hahahha . Well , what can we do
We are foreign visitors , have to pay lah . hahahhaa
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Hi, Nice blog as dos and don’ts to Hatyai. am going this 26th with my family. Where is Wat Che Chang? we will staying at New Seasons Hotel. Can pls share. Thanks
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Sy Reply:
August 20th, 2010 at 6:13 pm
New Seasons Hotel is near to the LEE GARDEN PLAZA Hotel – but i dont quite like the hotel though
haha .
Wat Che Chang is an area near the temple on Phetkasem Road, near Khlong U Taphao Bridge, is the site of a large reclining Buddha measuring 35 meters long, 15 meters tall, and 10 meters wide, named Phra Phuttha Hattha Mongkhon, believed to be the third largest reclining Buddha in the world – revered by both Thai and foreign tourists. There is always a large display of food selections , onsite too .
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SY,
Thanks for your good info.
Continue writing your travel articles. I have subscribed. You know when one is desperate for some reviews of places of interest information, we have to spend so many days and hours checking for it. Some lack info. Some drag you to nowhere and etc.
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Sy Reply:
August 20th, 2010 at 10:21 pm
Hello Callie ,
Thanks for the compliments !
We’re glad you want to stay with us and great to have you here as our reader
We promise that more informative contents will be up – with the target audience of budget travelers and travelers – if you notice , we have hot topics like Budget Air Comparison as well as tunehotels and more .
We hope that our content proves to be useful for you for your future trips and dont hesitate to ask us any questions here , if you have any !
All the best to your trip in Hat Yai !
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Hi SY! Why do you get to go on so many trips? Are these sponsored, and by who? I know for one that the genting trip was sponsored by corus and awana hotel.. how about the rest?
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Sy Reply:
August 21st, 2010 at 11:04 pm
Hello Janet !
Nice receiving your response here !
Well, we got sponsored on 80% of our trips here – its by many airline companies , as well as tourism boards , but only those with the disclosed tags like Chengdu , MACAU ( Coming Soon ) and more events .
For the latest on Corus and Awana Hotel – We’ll be blogging about it pretty soon – in 1 month time , So keep yourself active here always and hope you love our contents and blog posts , targetted at travelers especially backpackers
Thanks for dropping by , and do keep in touch soon
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Hi SY, thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful article. My friends and I are going to Penang, end of April. We will be staying overnight at TuneHotels, and leaving for Hatyai the next day. How do we board van (we prefer 5:30am) from our hotel? Can you please provide us their contact? Thanks.
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Hi JJ Jong ,
Great U’re heading to Penang !
As for Hat Yai , Tunehotels provide a service for the transport too , but it’s a little more priced than the one at Komtar or E & A BUDGET HOTEL ( Any Travel Agencies will provide the similar service – they’ll just combine all the passengers into a van ) .
To get to E & A BUDGET HOTEL , take a cab because it’s too early in the morning and i took a cab from the E & A budget hotel to Tunehotels and it costs about RM 10-15 !
If you want to get to Komtar , just a short distance walk about 10 minutes ( walk straight all the way until you reach the bridge and cross the bridge to get to OldTown Cafe and Komtar ) .
For the phone number , I’ll get back to you by this evening , ok ?
Thanks for dropping by once again !
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how do i make a reservation thru online for the hotel golden crown plaza hotel? when i go in their website i dont see any reservation for rooms, please advice
thanks
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Sy Reply:
March 5th, 2011 at 10:45 pm
Hello Chai ,
Pls email the frontdesk at any of the following emails below :
E-mail :goldencrownplaza@live.com
GM.goldencrownplaza@live.com
Front Office :FO.goldencrownplaza@live.com
They should reply you in a couple of hours like what i had previously , else please ring them up at ( +66 ) 74-262909-13 or ( +66 ) 74-352298-9 . However , their english is not so fluent , so email might be a better choice .
Enjoy your stay in Hat Yai ! =)
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means that they dont provide any online reservation? how about the website that work as a agent that help ppl to make reservation,is it trustable?
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Sy Reply:
March 5th, 2011 at 11:00 pm
Hello chai ,
Nope they dont accept online reservation ( no booking engine ) but pay only when you reach the hotel .
It depends on what agent you mean . Of course the reputable ones like asiarooms , hotelclub and some thai asiatravel and more could be trusted but still , i think the prices are a little higher than what the hotel could offer for this hotel especially .
So , the choice is up to yours !
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hi,so great to saw ur blog abt travel information at hatyai..i will go to hatyai at sept.at here,i got some question want to ask..hope u can help me. at hatyai got minivan can get me to some place like samila beach,songkha zoo and etc…what the price….and then ..i will from penang go to hatyai,the problem is how to get transport to hatyai…thank..
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Sy Reply:
August 2nd, 2011 at 9:46 am
Hello Chua ,
Thanks for dropping by .
You can either get the van from the hotels ( the vans pick up and drop you off at your hotel ) by simply booking it at the concierge ( depending on your hotel ) or simply visit any travel agency along the road in Hat Yai and ask if it provides such tour to the places like you’ve mentioned .
As for getting to Hat Yai from Penang , it’s simply just going to KOMTAR in PENANG and visit any travel agencies like Konsoritum or Grassland and the companies will combine the passengers all in a 12 seater van to Hat Yai . Do bear in mind the timings as above and reach there 20 mins early so as to catch the van and book your tickets !
Have a good trip
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Thanks Sy for your reply
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Thanks Sy for your reply..
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Sy Reply:
August 14th, 2011 at 2:45 pm
You’re welcome , Chua ! =)
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Hi! I would like to travel fro peneng to hattyai with my family. cuold you send me afull detail of itenery for 3days 2 nites tour inclusive of guide, transport and also city tour.I hope you can help me as i need to plan our hiliday and i need this information as well.
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Hi, Thanks for your info~~!!!!
I would like to know whether all the info still up-to-date? Or can you provide any contact number? Everyday the van is available?
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Sy Reply:
October 29th, 2011 at 4:34 pm
Hi there,
it should still remain the same, but best if you can confirm with the travel agencies. They’re all by 1 agent meaning you can go to grassland, five stars tour, konsoritum and more – they’ll go under 1 van that will bring you to hat yai.
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04gulu Reply:
October 29th, 2011 at 4:53 pm
Err…i need to back to Penang from Hatyai, and heading to Penang Aiport, is there the van can directly drop us at Penang airport?
Emm….do you have any agency contact that i can contact? i really feel so hopeless now…Thanks you so much~!!!
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Sy Reply:
October 29th, 2011 at 6:42 pm
Nope, the van only drop off at Penang Komtar and there-after you’ll have to transfer to a cab/ public bus to get to the airport in Penang.
Bear in mind to pre-schedule because of unknown traffic conditions and customs. You can try this Hat Yai agent that i bought the tickets from – AH LECK TOUR & TRAVEL at 074-350453; 081-5413638; 087-3924118 or at ah_leck@hotmail.com in Hat Yai near the Golden Crown Hotel that i stayed during my visit there. Lucky you that i still have the paper with me now
hey man, its good to have bumped into your blog before my trip there next week. i will be in penang for two days then i will head out to krabi.. my destination is ko phi phi don.. i understand this is the first leg- penang to hat yai.. incase you know how to travel from hat yai to phi phi.. can you tell me how.. its going to be a very big help since its my first time there and i dont know anyone from the area..
thanks a lot. and keep on travelling =)
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Sy Reply:
December 2nd, 2011 at 11:17 pm
Hello Ayan,
Thank you for your comment and great to be of help! Yeap, this will be the first lap of the journey, then i tried to do some research, and it says that you’ve to hop onto a bus at 07.00,11.00 or 15.00 to Krabi Town from any travel agent and then take the ferry to Phi Phi Island or a local domestic flight will get you to the destination!
Safe journey to you too!
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Hi, we shall go to Penang on 20.3.2012 and plan to go to Hatyai on 22.3.2012. We would like to know whether we can just straight away go to Komtar to board the van or have to book the seats through travel agent before getting there.
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Sy Reply:
March 4th, 2012 at 7:39 pm
Hello Chee,
Thanks for this comment.
You’ll have to book your seats through travel agent at Komtar and then board the designated van at the allocated place which is at Komtar.
Have a safe trip!
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Hi! We (14 adults) are planning to go Hatyai from Penang Airport. We plan to cater transport to fetch us from Penang airport and direct to Hatyai. But I am wondering can all of us get into one van as from most of the info that i gathered, the van is only for 12 seaters. Pls advise. Thank you.
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Sy Reply:
March 14th, 2012 at 9:37 pm
I doubt there’s a vehicle to charter you from penang airport to Hat Yai. Most of the vans in Penang will travel to Hat Yai in a 12-seater, hence i doubt any possibility you can have it fitted for 14 adults.
Maybe you can try asking the tour agencies in Penang on this?
Thanks and safe trip.
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Teo Reply:
March 24th, 2012 at 12:46 am
SY, Thanks for your info. We had received a quote from a travel Agent in Hatyai which stated that all of us can go in one van. My friend whoever went to Hatyai told us that some of the van in Hatyai are bigger than our local van. We are now in the mist of weather the van really can fit for 14 adults?? We dont want to squeeze in a van for 4 hours. Please advise. Thank you very much.
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Sy Reply:
March 24th, 2012 at 9:09 am
Hello Teo,
Thanks for getting back to me. Usually the van only fits 12 pax, but since the agent said so, perhaps they rent a bigger van to accommodate to the 14 pax request? Or perhaps, you’ll have to squeeze into the 12 passenger van.
In that case if you’re still worried, what you can do is to separate your booking, or do a booking directly from the Malaysia Travel Agent who are in-charge of the PEN-HAT YAI route.
Hope this helps, and all the best.
Teo Reply:
March 24th, 2012 at 12:14 pm
SY
Thanks for your advice. Really appreciate it.
Have a nice weekend.
do you need a tourist visa to get into hadyai(thailand)?
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Sy Reply:
April 26th, 2012 at 6:09 pm
Hi Rebelle,
Greetings from Sydney!
It depends on your nationality – for Singaporeans and Malaysians – no
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what travel sevice did you rent for van from penang – hatyai?
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Sy Reply:
May 11th, 2012 at 2:01 pm
Peter,
you can hop onto the van at Konsortium and other coach services.
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Hi, do you know if there is a tour operator that provides one day tour Penang – Hat Yai.. i wont stay in Hat Yai.. so it will be a day tour then going back to Penang. Thank you.
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Sy Reply:
July 15th, 2012 at 4:50 pm
Hi! I believe there’re always tours from Penang which you can source around when you’re there in PEN. Alternatively, you can also head over Hat Yai yourself and return on the same day via their frequent linking transport.
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