There are many ways to get to the city of Hatyai from Kuala Lumpur and vice versa. Hatyai has an international airport that connects you to the world. So you can easily get here by plane. The immigration officer in the airport will grant you1-month tourist visa. Aside from plane, you can also ride a train or a bus from Kuala Lumpur. I will be going to share to you my knowledge and experience on how to get here by land.
If you choose a bus;
From Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 you need to take a bus to Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) for 12 Ringgit. Then from TBS get a ticket going to the city of Hatyai. The ticket cost 55 to 70 Ringgit, it depends on where you stop and the departure time. Make sure that you got the correct destination and the price for your ticket. You can also book online at Bus Online Website. The price is still the same. You can check online for the travel timetable if you plane to travel by bus at Bus Online.
The bus is very spacious, clean and air condition. You can charge your phone or any gadget. They provide a blanket and they give free bottled mineral water. It takes at least 8 to 10 hrs to travel. They offer early morning and late at night departure. The best time to travel is at night since there is no traffic.
Immigration Sadao is very strict to tourist. I won't say something about them but if you are really interested, email me at travelserye@gmail.com for more information. If you are a tourist, I won't recommend entering Hatyai by bus and getting thru the Border Sadao. It's better if you take a train or plane. You might get to trouble entering Border Sadao. If you are a tourist, the immigration officer will give you 15 days tourist visa.
If you choose a train;
From Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 you need to ride a bus or a train going to KL Sentral train station. The bus is much cheaper than taking a train to KL Sentral. You can buy a ticket at the airport ticket station for 11 Ringgit. It took more than an hour to get to your destination. It's quite far from the Kuala Lumpur Internation Airport 2.
From KL Sentral Train station go to the ticket booth and buy a ticket to Padang Besar for 76 Ringgit for adult and 42 Ringgit for children. The travel time and price is shown below. Prices and time are subject to change without prior notice. You better check the bus online website for time and prices. Book ahead of time before your departure date if you want to save some penny because the price is cheaper. I highly recommend that you should book ahead of your travel date because the train is always full. If you book on the spot and found out no more tickets available. You can book Padang Besar to Butterworth, then from Butterworth to Kuala Lumpur or vice versa.
From Padang Besar Train Station to Kuala Lumpur;
The rapid train is clean, spacious and air-conditioned. You can get to Hatyai from KL Sentral or vice versa for 5 hours and 30 minutes They provide free snacks. The snack was inside the cute box with 500 ml bottle of mineral water, a small packet of peanuts and biscuit. Then from Padang Besar to Hatyai Junction or vice versa is only 70 baht. You can get to Hatyai Junction from Padang Besar Train Station or vice versa for more than an hour. You can enjoy the scenery while riding this rapid train. The immigration doesn't have a long queue but they were carefully inspecting the passengers' baggage. If you are a tourist the immigration officers will give you a month for a tourist visa.
