Phuket
Thailand's largest island: west-coast beaches, a Sino-European old town, southern viewpoints, and the base for boat trips into Phang Nga Bay and to Phi Phi.
An island with two coasts and a Chinese-Thai town at its centre
Phuket is the island Thailand's tourism authority describes as the country's biggest. It lies in the Andaman Sea off the west coast, and the province that carries its name also includes some thirty smaller islands. A bridge in the north joins it to the mainland province of Phang Nga, while Krabi lies to the east across Phang Nga Bay. The island is really two coasts. A mountain range runs along the western side and the sandy beaches face the Andaman Sea there: Rawai, Patong, Karon, Kamala, Kata Yai, Kata Noi and Mai Khao are the ones the tourism authority names. Patong is generally described as the most developed and popular, and Karon as the second-largest of the tourist beaches. The east coast, by contrast, is mostly muddy, which is why almost every beach stay is planned on the west. The island's character comes as much from its history as its sand. Tin mining shaped the local economy, with TAT placing the height of the tin trade in the reign of Rama IV, and many of the island's Chinese-descended residents trace their families to tin-mining migrants of the 19th century. That history survives in Phuket Old Town, in the Sino-European terraced buildings of Phuket Town, and in the Chinese Vegetarian Festival held every year. Add the southern sunset viewpoint at Laem Phromthep, the hilltop Big Buddha and the long-established temple at Wat Chalong, and the island supports a stay with more to it than beach days. One point trips for Phuket often blur: Phang Nga Bay and the Phi Phi Islands are not in Phuket. Boats reach them from the island, but they belong to Phang Nga and Krabi provinces respectively.
Explore Phuket on the map
City locations, drawn from our published destination data. Attractions, hotels and restaurants are not mapped yet.
What to do in Phuket
Phuket works best when you treat it as four or five separate areas rather than one place.
West-coast beaches
- TAT names Rawai, Patong, Karon, Kamala, Kata Yai, Kata Noi and Mai Khao among the island's beaches; all are on the sandy western side.
- Patong is generally described as the most developed and popular of the west-coast beaches, and Karon as the second-largest tourist beach.
- Nai Yang, in the north-west inside Sirinat National Park, is known as a nesting area for sea turtles.
Phuket Town and Old Town
- Phuket Old Town in Mueang Phuket is a district of terraced Sino-European buildings built in the tin-mining era, with Thalang, Dibuk, Phang Nga, Yaowarat and Krabi roads and Soi Romanee named by TAT.
- TAT lists a Sunday walking street on Thalang Road.
- Hindu shrines with figures of Ganesha and Brahma stand along the town's streets alongside Buddhist temples, a reflection of the town's mixed settler history.
Temples and viewpoints in the south
- Wat Chalong, officially Wat Chaiyathararam, is an important Buddhist temple in Chalong; TAT says it reveres the monks Luang Pho Chaem and Luang Pho Chuang.
- The Big Buddha on Nakkerd Hill stands about 45 m high, in reinforced concrete clad in white marble. TAT says it looks over Chalong Bay from the front and over Kata and Karon from behind.
- Laem Phromthep, at Rawai in the far south, is the island's sunset viewpoint: a lighthouse with an exhibition inside and a paved path down to the viewing point, with Ko Kaeo Phitsadan and Ya Nui beach in view.
The north
- Sirinat National Park, in Thalang, covers about 90 sq km and includes a roughly 13 km beach; it was declared a park on 13 July 1981.
- The Two Heroines Monument in Thalang district honours Thao Thep Kasattri and Thao Sri Sunthon, remembered for rallying residents against a Burmese attack in 1785.
Trips that start here but end elsewhere
- Phang Nga Bay lies between the island and the mainland, in Phang Nga province. About 400 sq km, it has limestone karst, mangroves and 42 islands, and much of it has been Ao Phang Nga National Park since 1981.
- The Phi Phi Islands belong to Krabi province, within Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park; Phuket's ports are among their departure points.
Three days that cover the island's main sides
Phuket Town and Old Town
Spend the day in Mueang Phuket among the terraced Sino-European buildings around Thalang, Dibuk, Phang Nga, Yaowarat and Krabi roads and Soi Romanee. If your day is a Sunday, TAT lists a walking street on Thalang Road.
Temple, Buddha and sunset in the south
Visit Wat Chalong, then the Big Buddha on Nakkerd Hill for the views over Chalong Bay and towards Kata and Karon, and end at Laem Phromthep at Rawai for the sunset viewpoint.
A west-coast beach day, or the north
Choose a stretch of the sandy west coast, Karon or Kata for example, or head to Sirinat National Park in Thalang for its 13 km beach and the sea-turtle nesting area at Nai Yang.
Getting your bearings
Phuket is organised into three districts, and knowing which area a place is in does more for planning than any distance figure.
Districts
- Mueang Phuket lies in the south-east and holds Phuket Town and Old Town, Wat Chalong, the Big Buddha and Laem Phromthep at Rawai.
- Kathu district lies on the west side of the island.
- Thalang district is the north, home to Mai Khao, Sirinat National Park and the Two Heroines Monument.
Links to the mainland
- The Sarasin Bridge joins the island to Phang Nga province in the north; Krabi is reached across Phang Nga Bay to the east.
Rain and heat, from the national weather service
The Thai Meteorological Department publishes 1991–2020 averages for two Phuket stations, and the two do not agree: the Airport station records more rain than the town station in every month and a slightly lower mean maximum temperature. Treat the two as a range.
Mean annual rainfall is 2,271.5 mm over about 175 rainy days. The wettest months are September (350.4 mm), October (336.0 mm) and August (308.7 mm). February is the driest month on average, with 24.0 mm over 3.4 rainy days; January averages 49.9 mm. Mean maximum temperature is 32.8 °C for the year, highest in March (34.4 °C) and lowest in September and October (31.8 °C).
Mean annual rainfall is 2,664.3 mm over about 183 rainy days. The wettest months are September (399.2 mm), August (378.2 mm) and October (370.5 mm). February is again the driest, with 32.0 mm over 4.3 rainy days. Mean maximum temperature is 32.0 °C for the year, highest in March (33.6 °C) and lowest in September (30.9 °C).
What nobody tells you
A few facts that make Phuket easier to read before you plan.
Practical
- Tour listings that say 'Phuket' for Phang Nga Bay or Phi Phi are naming the departure point; the places themselves are in Phang Nga and Krabi provinces.
- The beaches are on the west. The east coast is mostly muddy, so do not expect the same sand there.
- The island's Peranakan community, sometimes called the Phuket Babas, has historical ties to Penang and Malacca, one reason Phuket Old Town feels related to those towns.
- Names are spelled more than one way: Wat Chalong is formally Wat Chaiyathararam (TAT writes Wat Chaitaram), and its revered monk appears as Luang Pho Chaem or Luang Pho Cham. Search under both spellings.
- In 2015 UNESCO's Creative Cities Network named Phuket a City of Gastronomy, according to published accounts.
Easy day trips
Close to Phuket, but in other provinces
Related to Phuket
Journeys that include Phuket — each one visits the city as part of its itinerary.
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