Padang Besar is a border town located in the northern part of the state of Perlis in Malaysia as well northmost town in Malaysia. It is situated on the border with Songkhla province, Thailand, 35 kilometers northeast of Kangar and about 57 km southwest of Hat Yai. The town opposite Padang Besar in Thailand is also known as Padang Besar, although the locals here usually refer to the town as "Pekan Siam" or Siamese town.
The town is a "shopping heaven" and popular destination for Malaysians because of the duty-free shopping complex in between the border checkpoints of the two countries. The town attracts several thousand visitors from Peninsular Malaysia and southern Thailand every weekend and during public holidays.
Padang Besar Bus Hub
The International Express stops at the custom checkpoint at Padang Besar Station
Arked Niaga Padang Besar, 2023.
Interior of Arked Niaga Padang Besar, 2023.
The Malaysia–Thailand border divides the sovereign states of Malaysia and Thailand and consists of a land boundary running for 595 km across the Malay Peninsula and maritime boundaries in the Straits of Malacca and the Gulf of Thailand/South China Sea. The Golok River forms the easternmost 95 km stretch of the land border.
The border wall between Malaysia and Thailand near Padang Besar checkpoint.
A Malaysia-Thailand boundary stone at the Bukit Kayu Hitam-Danok border crossing.
Malaysian boundary wall near Padang Besar, Malaysia
The Sadao checkpoint (Ban Dan Nok), just across the Malaysia-Thailand border marked by the border stone in front. Photo taken from the Malaysian (Kedah) side of the border.
