I am a fan of making functional items beautiful. From fire hydrants in Tokyo to seats in the south of France, I pay attention to small details that adds a bit of beauty to the world.

In Thailand many cities across the nation decorate their street signs with icons associated with the city. Here are some that I have seen over the years in my travels in Thailand.

[Patong Beach]

Patong Beach in Phuket with a dolphin street sign.

[Krabi Town]

Krabi Town with a sword wielding elephant. Of course.

[Maeklong]

Maeklong is best known as the place where the train goes through a market. The city logo happens to be a drum, so sadly no trains decorate the street signs here.

[Chiang Mai]

Chiang Mai is a city full of wats, and the signs here look like they try and fit as many temples on the top of the sign as possible.

[Chiang Rai]

Chiang Rai, not to be confused with Chiang Mai, have broken with the Thai standard black and blue signs by going gold. Maybe they got tired of being confused with Chiang Mai.

[Chiang Khong]

Chiang Khong is a border town sitting on the Mekong opposite Laos. Their sign features the soon to be extinct Irrawaddy dolphin.

[Ubon Ratchathani]

Ubon Ratchathani in the south-east of the Isan region is best known for its annual Candle Festival.

[Songkhla]

Songkhla in the deep south of Thailand is famous for the Golden Mermaid, and she is the town logo as well.

[Pattaya]

If you had of asked me what I thought would be on the Pattaya street sign, I would have guessed a go-go girl pole dancing, but no, Pattaya have honoured is maritime heritage with a ship’s wheel.

[Mahachai]

Nothing fancy here. I’ve just added this one to illustrate what an every day street sign looks like in Thailand.

These are just places I have been to, or remembered to take photos of. I know there are more. If you have a photo of a ornamental street sign in Thailand, send it to me and I will add it to the list.