Phuket Travel Guide

As Thailand’s biggest island and its most developed beach destination, Phuket gives you a very different trip depending on where you base yourself. Pick Patong for nightlife, Kata or Karon for an easy family beach, Bang Tao or Surin for something smarter, or Old Town for culture and street food. The real highlights are mostly offshore, the limestone islands of Phang Nga Bay and the reefs around Phi Phi, so build the trip around a day trip or two rather than the town beaches alone. Below is what to do, the beaches ranked by vibe, where to stay, when to go and what to skip. For official information there is the tourism board. Written and checked in July 2026.

What are the best things to do in Phuket?

Beyond lying on a beach, the island’s best days are spent on the water and up in the hills. The essentials, with rough costs.

Phang Nga Bay and the island day trips

The single best day out is Phang Nga Bay, a maze of sheer limestone islands north of Phuket, where tours stop at the sea-stack made famous by the James Bond film and the Muslim stilt village of Koh Panyi. A speedboat tour runs roughly 1,800 to 3,000 baht, and sea-canoe options paddle you into hidden lagoons. For snorkelling, the Phi Phi Islands are the postcard, though busy, and the pristine Similan Islands are the divers’ choice. Note the Similan and Surin national parks close every year from 15 May to mid-October for the monsoon, so they are a November-to-April trip only.

Big Buddha, Wat Chalong and Old Phuket Town

On land, three stops stand out. The 45-metre Big Buddha on Nakkerd Hill is free, with sweeping views, and asks only that you cover your shoulders and knees. Wat Chalong is the island’s grandest working temple. Best of all is Old Phuket Town, a grid of pastel Sino-Portuguese shophouses now full of cafes and galleries, at its liveliest for the Sunday Walking Street market on Thalang Road. It is also the best part of the island to eat.

What are the best beaches in Phuket?

The west coast is one long string of beaches, and they are not interchangeable. Here is what each is actually like, so you can match it to your trip.

Where should you stay in Phuket?

Choose the area before the hotel, because the island is big and the traffic is slow, so the wrong base means long taxi rides to everything.

When is the best time to visit Phuket?

The best time is the cool, dry season from November to February, with clear skies, calm seas and the best conditions for island trips, which is also the busiest and priciest stretch. March to May is hot and humid but still dry. The monsoon runs June to October, bringing rain, rougher seas and a red-flag swimming risk on some beaches, but also far lower prices and a greener island. Remember the Similan and Surin islands are closed from 15 May to mid-October, so if diving those is the plan, come in the dry season.

How do you get around Phuket?

This is where Phuket catches people out. There is almost no useful public transport, metered taxis are rare, and the local tuk-tuks and taxis charge high fixed fares with little bargaining. The easiest fix is the Grab app, which prices rides up front like Uber and saves a lot of haggling. Renting a scooter is cheap and common but genuinely dangerous on Phuket’s busy roads, so only ride if you are experienced and always wear the helmet. The airport is up in the north, about 45 minutes to an hour from the main west-coast beaches, so pre-book a transfer or a Grab.

Is Phuket worth visiting?

Yes, if you go in with the right expectations. Phuket is worth it for the island day trips, the food, the choice of beaches and the value, and it makes an easy first taste of Thailand with direct long-haul flights. It is not the untouched palm-fringed hideaway some imagine, since Patong in particular is loud and built-up. Pick a quieter base, get out on the water, and it delivers. If you want barefoot and undeveloped, pair it with a few nights on Koh Yao Noi or Khao Lak nearby.

What should you skip in Phuket?

A few honest calls, some of them ethical. Skip elephant riding and any show where animals perform, and if you want to see elephants choose a genuine sanctuary that only lets you watch and feed them. Skip the tiger attractions for the same reason. Skip flagging a tuk-tuk for a set price and use Grab instead, which is usually half the cost. Skip Bangla Road in Patong and its ping-pong shows if that scene is not for you, since the island has plenty else. And skip planning a Similan Islands trip between May and October, when the park is closed.

What should you eat in Phuket?

Phuket has serious food, and Old Town is the heart of it. Look for Hokkien-style dishes from the island’s Chinese heritage, such as mee Hokkien, the stir-fried noodles, and moo hong, a soft pork belly stew, plus the usual Thai greats done well. The island even has a clutch of Michelin street-food listings, and Old Town is where to find the best street food in Phuket, from the noodle stalls to the Sunday market.

How many days do you need in Phuket?

Five to seven days is a good stay. That gives you a couple of beach days, one or two island day trips and an afternoon in Old Town without rushing. A week lets you add a slower pace or a night away on a quieter island. If Phuket is one stop on a wider Thailand trip, three or four full days covers the highlights before you move on to Bangkok or the other islands.

Planning the trip

The trick in Phuket is choosing the right base and getting off the main beach. Book a quieter stretch of sand, set aside two days for Phang Nga Bay and Phi Phi, keep an evening for Old Town, and use Grab to skip the taxi mark-ups. One last practical note, the UK visa exemption for Thailand is being changed at the moment, so check the UK government’s travel advice for the current entry rules before you book. At VayCay Couple, Phuket also makes one of the easiest first stops in Asia.

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