Phuket

Thailand's largest island: Patong nightlife, Kata and Karon beaches and the Sino-Portuguese old town, with boat trips to Racha Yai, Coral Island and Phang Nga Bay.

Phuket is Thailand's largest island and its only island province. It lies in the Andaman Sea, covers about 543 sq km, and is connected to the mainland by a bridge. It is Thailand's most developed island resort destination. Along the west coast from north to south are Mai Khao and Nai Yang (near the airport, quiet and natural), Bang Tao (the upscale Laguna resort cluster), Surin and Kamala, Patong (the liveliest beach, with Bangla Road nightlife), Karon and Kata (families and surfing), and Nai Harn and Rawai (a local fishing village, a seafood market and sunsets at Promthep Cape). In the southeast, Phuket Town preserves its Sino-Portuguese shophouse old town and everyday local food, while Wat Chalong and the Big Buddha on the hilltop are religious landmarks. Boats from Chalong Pier reach Coral Island, Racha Island and Egg Island in half an hour, and to the northeast lie the limestone islands of Phang Nga Bay. The climate is tropical monsoon: the dry season from November to April has calm seas and is the best time to visit, with late December to January being the most expensive peak season; from May to October, the rainy season, the west coast has big waves and red flags often prohibit swimming, but hotel prices can drop by as much as half. Getting there: Phuket Airport has direct flights from many Chinese cities, and Chinese citizens can enter visa-free; the airport is about 45 minutes from Patong, Grab and Bolt are available, and there is no rail transit on the island, so get around by taxi, rental car or songthaew; the beaches are far apart. Recommended stay: 4–5 days, with 1–2 days for beaches and nightlife, 1–2 days for island hopping or a Phang Nga Bay trip, and 1 day for the old town and Big Buddha. Tips: never swim when red flags are flying; choose a licensed and insured tour operator for boat trips; wear a helmet and carry an international driving permit when riding a motorbike; beware of taxis that don't use the meter and jewelry-shop shopping tours.

Top sights

• Patong Beach / Bangla Road – Phuket's liveliest 3-kilometer beach, offering water activities by day and, at night, the bars, clubs, and ladyboy shows of Bangla Road, th…
• Phuket Old Town – An old street of Sino-Portuguese arcade buildings dating to the 19th-century tin mining boom, with colorful buildings, Hokkien ancestral ha…
• Big Buddha (Phra Phutta Ming Mongkol Eknakiri) – A 45-meter white marble seated Buddha on the summit of Nakkerd Hill, a landmark of Phuket that offers 360-degree views of Chalong Bay, Kata…
• Promthep Cape – The southernmost headland of Phuket, one of Thailand's most famous sunset viewpoints. The sunset scene of grassy slopes, a lighthouse, and…
• Phang Nga Bay – Dozens of limestone pillars rise from emerald waters, a 'Guilin on the sea.' Sites include the James Bond Island from the 1974 film The Man…
• Kata Beach – A crescent-shaped white-sand bay about 1.5 km long on Phuket's west coast, with calm, clear water suitable for families. During the rainy s…
• Wat Chalong – The largest and most revered Buddhist temple on Phuket, housing a golden image of the eminent monk Luang Pho Chaem and a stupa that holds B…
• Coral Island (Ko Hae) – The nearest island destination off Chalong Bay, with white sand beaches and water activities such as banana boat rides and seabed walks, id…
• Racha Islands (Ko Racha Yai) – An island about 20 km south of Phuket with exceptionally clear water, one of the best-known snorkeling and diving stops for Chinese travele…
• Ko Khai Nok – A tiny island between Phuket and Phang Nga Bay with shallow white sand and large schools of fish, a classic stop on half-day island-hopping…
• Phuket FantaSea – A large nighttime theme park beside Kamala Beach, home to the signature Thai cultural stage show, the FantaSea Show, which features elephan…
• Nai Harn Beach – A bay at Phuket's southern end, ringed by hills, with fine sand, clear water and little development. It is a quiet beach favored by locals…
• Kamala Beach – A family-friendly beach north of Patong, quieter than Patong, with Phuket FantaSea nearby and a cliffside sunset bar.
• Surin Beach – Known as the 'Beverly Hills of Phuket', an upscale beach with fine sand, surrounded by luxury villas and beach clubs.
• Bang Tao Beach – A beach about 6 km long on the west coast, home to the Laguna resort complex and beach clubs, suited to a relaxed, resort-style stay.
• Nai Yang Beach – A quiet bay inside Sirinat National Park, just south of the airport, with casuarina shade, local seafood stalls and sea turtle conservation…
• Khao Rang Viewpoint – A small hill northwest of Phuket Town overlooking the Old Town and Chalong Bay, with a hilltop restaurant. It is where locals come to watch…
• Simon Cabaret – An established song-and-dance theater at the southern end of Patong, famous for lavish costumes and multinational dance medleys. It is one…
• Khao Phra Thaeo Wildlife Sanctuary & Bang Pae Waterfall – Phuket's last remaining primary rainforest reserve, with forest trails leading to Bang Pae Waterfall and a gibbon rescue center right besid…
• Phuket Weekend Market (Naka Market) – The largest weekend night market in Phuket Town, lined with Thai street food, secondhand clothing and handicraft stalls, and popular with b…
• Karon Viewpoint – A hilltop lookout on the road between Kata and Nai Harn, with views of three crescent bays: Kata Noi, Kata and Karon.
• Freedom Beach – A hidden bay on the south side of Patong, reachable only by longtail boat or a steep hike, with white sand, clear water and few crowds.
• Rawai Seafood Market – A seafood market on the shore of Rawai fishing village where you buy lobster, crab and shellfish, then have a restaurant across the road co…
• Heroines Monument – A monument honoring two sisters who led resistance against the Burmese army in 1785, a symbol of protection for Phuket people, located in t…
• Phuket Elephant Sanctuary – Phuket's first ethical elephant sanctuary, caring for retired elephants from logging and performing work. Visitors only observe, with no ri…
• Samet Nangshe Viewpoint – A hilltop viewpoint on the north shore of Phang Nga Bay that looks down on limestone islands at sunrise, widely considered the most beautif…
• Andamanda Phuket – Phuket's largest water park, themed on Thai mythology, with slides, a wave pool and a lazy river, suitable for families.
• Karon Beach – The third-longest beach on Phuket, with about 4 km of wide sand where the grains squeak underfoot. It is a family resort area that is quiet…
• Mai Khao Beach – Phuket's longest beach, with about 11 km of undeveloped coastline. Its southern end borders the airport runway, where planes fly low overhe…
• Carnival Magic Phuket – A nighttime light-themed park in Phuket with millions of lights and a Thai parade show. It is a popular evening outing on Trip.com and Xiao…

Where to eat

• One Chun Cafe & Restaurant – A Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant housed in a century-old building in the Old Town, most famous for its crab meat yell…
• Go Benz Dry Porridge – One of Phuket's most famous late-night food stalls, serving dry rice porridge with crispy pork; a regular Bib Gourmand…
• PRU – Phuket's only Michelin-starred restaurant, also holding a Green Star, serving seasonal tasting menus sourced from its o…
• Mee Ton Poe – A historic Hokkien noodle shop founded in 1946 and run by three generations, making it a classic spot to try Phuket's s…
• Roti Chaofa – A historic Bib Gourmand spot popular with locals for breakfast, serving freshly made crispy roti dipped in rich beef cu…
• Mor Mu Dong – A Bib Gourmand seafood restaurant hidden in the mangroves, featuring rustic pavilions built over the water with views t…

Itineraries

• Classic Thailand: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket & Krabi – Head north from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, then fly to the Andaman Sea to experience historic temples, ancient cities, and…
• Phuket First Trip: Beaches and Phi Phi Island in – Stay in Kata, take a day trip to Phi Phi Island, see the Big Buddha, Chalong Temple and the Old Town, and watch the sun…
• Phuket, Phang Nga Bay, Old Town and the Four Islands of Krabi in – Stay in Patong. Sail to Phang Nga Bay and the Four Islands of Krabi, with a full day to slowly explore Phuket Old Town…
• Phuket, Khao Lak and the Similan Islands in – Stay four nights in Phuket for boat trips to Phi Phi Island and Phang Nga Bay, then two nights in Khao Lak and a speedb…
• Phuket Family Beach and Parks in – Stay in Karon, with an elephant sanctuary, a water park, coral island snorkeling and a night theme park, with beach tim…
• Phuket Old Town Food and South Coast – Stay in Phuket Old Town and eat Hokkien noodles, red-braised pork and dim sum, then head to Rawai Seafood Market and Pr…
• Andaman Sea Island Hopping: Phuket to Langkawi – Island-hopping south from Phuket through Phi Phi, Railay, Lanta, Koh Mook and Koh Lipe, then crossing the sea to Langka…