Satun's main draw is as the gateway to some of Thailand's least-visited islands and marine parks. The ferry terminal sends boats to Ko Lipe, Ko Tarutao, Ko Adang, and the other islands of the Tarutao National Marine Park — the park covering over 50 islands and 1,490 square kilometres of Andaman Sea. Ko Tarutao itself is largely undeveloped and jungle-covered, with pristine beaches and crocodile caves accessible only by boat.
In town, the Satun National Museum occupies a fine old Sino-Portuguese mansion — the Kuden Mansion, built in 1901 — and documents the cultural heritage of the Satun area and its mixed Thai-Malay population. The Satun Central Mosque (Masjid Matchimawat) is the main religious building in a town where Islam predominates and can be visited outside prayer times.
The Thale Ban National Park, about 40 km northeast of Satun, is one of the least-visited parks in southern Thailand. Its rainforest covers the border hills with Malaysia and contains gibbons, hornbills, and an ancient cave system at Wang Sai. The park is best explored with a guide.
The Geopark Satun Geopark, designated a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2018, covers the province's limestone karst and marine geology. Fossil sites in the area contain some of the best-preserved Cambrian and Ordovician marine fossils in Southeast Asia.