Phuket is Thailand’s largest island, about 50 km long, and the place where most Andaman trips begin. Its international airport has direct flights from much of Asia, the Middle East and Europe, and a road bridge links it to the mainland, so it works equally well as a base for day trips or as the first stop on an island-hopping route.
The west coast is one sandy bay after another; the east coast is where the piers are. In between sit forested hills, Phuket Old Town with its pastel Sino-Portuguese shophouses, and the 45-metre Big Buddha on Nakkerd Hill. Almost every boat trip on this site can be done from here.
Top things to do: Phuket
Choose your beach by area
Patong is the busiest, with the nightlife of Bangla Road. Karon and Kata, to the south, are long, family-friendly beaches with plenty of restaurants; Kata Noi is smaller and quieter. Nai Harn and Rawai in the far south feel more local. Heading north, Kamala, Surin and Bang Tao are calmer and more upmarket, and Nai Yang and Mai Khao, near the airport, are the emptiest of all.
Walk Phuket Old Town
Thalang Road, Soi Romanee and Dibuk Road are lined with restored shophouses from the tin-mining boom, now cafés, small museums and noodle shops. Come in the late afternoon; on Sunday evenings Thalang Road becomes a walking-street market.
Big Buddha, Wat Chalong and Promthep Cape
The white marble Big Buddha looks over the south of the island and is free to visit (dress modestly). Wat Chalong, Phuket’s most important temple, is on the way, and Promthep Cape at the southern tip is the island’s classic sunset viewpoint. A guided city tour links all three cheaply.
Take a boat somewhere
Phi Phi and Maya Bay, the sea caves of Phang Nga Bay and, in season, the Similan Islands are all day trips from Phuket with hotel pickup included.
How to get to Phuket
- By air: Phuket International Airport (HKT) is in the north of the island, roughly 45–60 minutes by road from Patong, Karon and Kata, depending on traffic.
- By sea: ferries and speedboats to Phi Phi, Krabi, Koh Lanta and the Koh Yao islands leave from Rassada Pier near Phuket Town and Bang Rong Pier on the north-east coast.
- By road: buses and minivans run to Khao Lak, Krabi and beyond over the Sarasin Bridge.
Insider tips
- In the south-west monsoon (roughly May to October) west-coast beaches can have dangerous rip currents. A red flag means do not swim — people drown here every year.
- Distances are bigger than they look and traffic is slow. Choose a beach and use boat-trip hotel transfers rather than criss-crossing the island.
- Agree taxi and tuk-tuk fares before you get in, or use a ride-hailing app.
Best tours & tickets for Phuket
These well-reviewed experiences are the easiest way to see Phuket:
Guided land tour from €32 Phuket: Guided Tour of Phuket City with Hotel Transfers
An inexpensive, well-organised introduction to the island beyond its beaches, with more than three thousand reviews at 4.8. A good first-day orientation.
- Big Buddha and hilltop viewpoints
- Sino-Portuguese streets of Phuket Old Town
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Speedboat day trip from €32 Phuket: Phi Phi Islands and Maya Bay Day Trip with Lunch
The classic Phuket day out and one of the most-booked boat trips on the whole coast, with more than four thousand reviews. A speedboat covers Phi Phi Leh’s famous bays, a snorkel stop and a beach break in a single day, at a price that is hard to beat.
- Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon and Viking Cave
- Snorkelling stop and Khai Island
- Hotel transfers and lunch included
Boat tour with canoeing from €60 Phuket: 7 Wonders of Phang Nga Bay 6-Islands Tour
A full sweep of Phang Nga Bay in one day: the limestone needle made famous by a Bond film, paddled canoes into hidden lagoons and a swim stop on Koh Yao Yai. Rated 4.8 by well over two thousand travellers.
- James Bond Island and Koh Panak
- Sea-cave canoeing at Koh Hong
- Beach time on Koh Yao Yai
Speedboat snorkelling trip from €108 Similan Islands Early-Bird Tour from Phuket and Khao Lak
The best-reviewed way to see the Similans in a day. An early boat from Thap Lamu pier gets you onto the beaches and reefs before most groups arrive. Runs only while the park is open, roughly mid-October to mid-May.
- Three snorkelling stops in the national park
- Sail Rock viewpoint on island No. 8
- Hotel transfers from Phuket or Khao Lak
