Songkhla, Thailand
เทศบาลนครสงขลา
Songkhla is a regional capital of 61,758 people in Songkhla, Thailand.
Why visit Songkhla
Townapedia lists 12 museums and landmarks, 6 parks and trails, 18 places to eat, 14 places to stay and 4 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Songkhla National Museum.
Weather in Songkhla
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Songkhla
Songkhla (Thai: สงขลา, pronounced [sǒŋ.kʰlǎː]), also known as Singgora or Singora (Pattani Malay: ซิงกอรอ, Singoro), is a city (thesaban nakhon) in Songkhla Province of southern Thailand, near the border with Malaysia. Songkhla lies 968 km (601 mi) south of Bangkok and as of 2020 had a population of 61,758.
From the Wikipedia article Songkhla (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Songkhla on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Photos of Songkhla
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Things to do4
Museums and landmarks12
Parks, trails and playgrounds6
Restaurants and cafes18
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Lyn's The Shanghai Cafe'
Restaurant · Coffee Shop, Thai, Ice Cream, Steak House · 0.7 km
144-146 Nakornnai, Boryang
We-Mo 9:30-21:00
6 more on the map.
History
The name Songkhla means 'the city of lions' (not to be confused with Singapura) and is the Thai variant of "Singgora" (Malay and Jawi: سيڠڬورا). This refers to a lion-shaped mountain near the city of Songkhla. Archaeological excavations on the isthmus between Lake Songkhla and the sea reveal that in the 10th through the 14th century, this was a major urbanized area, and a center of international maritime trade, in particular with Quanzhou in China. The long Sanskrit name of the state that existed there has been lost; its short Sanskrit name was Singhapura ('Lion City') (not to be confused with Singapura), a city state. The short vernacular name was Satingpra, coming from the Mon-Khmer sting/steng/stang (meaning 'river') and the Sanskrit pura ('city').
The ruins of the ancient port city of Satingpra are just few kilometers north of Songkhla. It was one of the most important trading centers of the Tambralinga Kingdom. Archaeological digs and investigations conducted toward the end of the 20th century testify the existence of a fortified citadel protected by a moat and a quadrangular surrounding wall made of brick. A sophisticated system of canals connected the sea to the Songkhla Lake permitting the circulations of ships. The excavations brought to light artifacts of great historical and artistic value.
Read more of the history
The precursor of the present-day town of Songkhla was The Sultanate of Singora, a heavily fortified port city. It was founded in the early 17th century by a Persian, Dato Mogol, and flourished during the reign of his son, Sultan Sulaiman Shah. In 1680, after decades of conflict, the city was destroyed and abandoned; remains include forts, city walls, a Dutch cemetery and the tomb of Sultan Sulaiman Shah.
On 8 December 1941 local time, the Imperial Japanese army landed in Songkhla, invading Thailand. Because of the International Date Line, this actually occurred hours before the 7 December (Hawaii time) attack on Pearl Harbor, making it the first major action of the Pacific War. The Japanese forces then moved south towards Perlis and Penang as part of the Malayan campaign which culminated in the capture of Singapore.
Since 2003, Songhkla has been affected by separatist insurgencies in neighboring Narathiwat, Pattani, and Yala.
The municipality's mayor, Peera Tantiserane, was murdered in Songkhla in 2014.
From the History section of Songkhla on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Songkhla
Prem Tinsulanondaformer Regent of Thailand (1920-2019)Photo: Series: Reagan White House..., Public domain
Adisorn PromrakThai footballerPhoto: El Loko Foto, CC BY 4.0
Denkaosan KaovichitThai boxerPhoto: Poonsawat_-_Denkaosan_Kratingdaenggym..., CC BY 2.0
Trairong SuwankiriDeputy Prime Minister of ThailandPhoto: Government of Thailand, CC BY-SA 4.0
Noppanon KachaplayukThai footballerPhoto: El_Loko für www.thai-fussball.com, CC BY 4.0- Van Tuong NguyenAustralian convicted of drug trafficking in Singapore (1980-2005)
- Bhanubandhu Yugala of ThailandThai prince (1910–1995)
- Kittinupong KedrenThai badminton player
- Jakkapan Praisuwanassociation football player (1997-)
- Suriya SingmuiThai professional footballer
- Pruchya IsarowThai tennis player
- Weerawut KayemThai footballer
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Born in Songkhla, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay14
Churches and places of worship20
Shopping1
Gas and EV charging4
Schools, colleges and libraries12
Healthcare2
Map of Songkhla
93 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Songkhla Airport (SGZ) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 2 km away.
- Ban Mai 6 km west, about 6 min by car
- Hat Yai 25 km southwest, about 25 min by car
- Na Mom 27 km south, about 27 min by car
- Sadao 65 km south, about 1 h by car
- Ranot 71 km northwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Phatthalung 74 km northwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Nong Chik 75 km southeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Pattani 81 km southeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Satun 87 km southwest, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Keep exploring
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- City of Songkhla, Tarik Abdel Monem, CC BY 2.0
- Songkhla Lak Mueang - panoramio, Andreas Hörstemeier, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Songkhla City Pillar Shrine (II), 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..., CC BY 4.0
- Songkhla City Pillar Shrine (I), 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..., CC BY 4.0
- Songkhla City Pillar Shrine (III), 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..., CC BY 4.0
- Chao Pho Kuan U Shrine, Songkhla (I), 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..., CC BY 4.0
- Songkhla Old Town Shophouse (II), 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..., CC BY 4.0
- Songkhla 13, Slleong, CC0
- Songkhla 10, Slleong, CC0
- Songkhla 15, Slleong, CC0
- Songkhla 14, Slleong, CC0
- Songkhla 11, Slleong, CC0
- Songkhla, Mueang Songkhla District, Songkhla 90000, Thailand - panoramio, กิตติ เลขะกุล, CC BY 3.0
- Songkhla 12, Slleong, CC0
- Songkhla 9, Slleong, CC0
- Songkhla 8, Slleong, CC0
- Songkhla 6, Slleong, CC0
- Songkhla 7, Slleong, CC0
- Songkhla 5, Slleong, CC0
- Songkhla 3, Slleong, CC0
- Songkhla 2, Slleong, CC0
- Songkhla 4, Slleong, CC0
- Songkhla national museum - panoramio, Andreas Hörstemeier, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Songkhla 1, Slleong, CC0
- Songkhla City Gate (24.08.2025), Song GK, CC BY 4.0
- Songkhla Laem Samila - panoramio, Andreas Hörstemeier, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Songkhla National Museum - front, Ananda, Public domain
- Thaksin University Emblem, Office of the President, Thaksin University, Public domain
- ISS022-E-63249 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- กำแพงเมืองสงขลา-1, กานดารัตน์ วงศ์สุวรรณ, CC BY-SA 3.0
- กำแพงเมืองสงขลา-3, กานดารัตน์ วงศ์สุวรรณ, CC BY-SA 3.0
- กำแพงเมืองสงขลา-2, กานดารัตน์ วงศ์สุวรรณ, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ban Nakorn Nai Museum 05.23, 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..., CC BY 4.0
- ยอดเขาตังกวน - panoramio (1), ::::=UT=::::, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ยอดเขาตังกวน - panoramio (2), ::::=UT=::::, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ยอดเขาตังกวน - panoramio (3), ::::=UT=::::, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ศาลาพระวิหารแดง - panoramio, ::::=UT=::::, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ศาลาพระวิหารแดง - panoramio (1), ::::=UT=::::, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ศาลาพระวิหารแดง - panoramio (2), ::::=UT=::::, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ยอดเขาตังกวน - panoramio, ::::=UT=::::, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Songkhla Old Town Shophouse (I), 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..., CC BY 4.0
- Street-level photo, e5150, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, e5150, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, jetman11, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, jetman11, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, e5150, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, jetman11, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, e5150, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, e5150, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, jetman11, CC BY-SA 4.0
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