By air
Phuket International (HKT), ~30 km north of Phuket Town
Southeast Asia · Thailand
Phuket, Thailand
Andaman beaches, island hops and long sunsets
Getting there
Best time to visit
November to April — calm seas and dry days
Don't miss
The Big Buddha
Phuket Old Town
Kata and Karon beaches
Promthep Cape
Things to do
Longtail trips into Phang Nga Bay
Snorkelling at the Racha islands
Sunset at Promthep Cape
Old Town wandering
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Pete Stewart from Perth, Australia · CC BY-SA 2.0
What to pack
Swimwear, reef-safe sunscreen, a light cover-up for Old Town and temples
A quieter corner
Freedom Beach, a quiet cove reached by longtail boat from Patong
Questions travellers ask
What's the best season for a Phuket beach trip?
November to April, for calm seas and dry days. Pack swimwear, reef-safe sunscreen and a light cover-up for Old Town and the temples.
Which boat trips can I take from Phuket?
Take a longtail trip into Phang Nga Bay or go snorkelling at the Racha islands. Back on land, save an evening for sunset at Promthep Cape.
Where can I find a quiet beach on Phuket?
Freedom Beach is a quiet cove you reach by longtail boat from Patong.
What's the food like in Phuket?
Southern Thai curries in Phuket Old Town, the Sunday Walking Street market, and seafood at Rawai.
About Phuket
- Island
- Coastal
Where it is
Phuket is Thailand's largest island and a province in its own right, lying in the Andaman Sea off the country's south-west coast and linked to the mainland by road bridges.
History
Known to early European traders as Junk Ceylon, Phuket was already a source of tin when, in 1785, two sisters later honoured as Thao Thep Kasattri and Thao Si Sunthon led the defence of Thalang against a Burmese siege. A tin boom in the 19th century drew many Hokkien Chinese settlers, and tourism overtook tin as the island's mainstay in the late 20th century.
People
Phuket's people speak Southern Thai and Central Thai, and the island's Hokkien Chinese and Peranakan (Baba) heritage shows in its shophouses and in the Vegetarian Festival. The Urak Lawoi, one of the Chao Le sea peoples, have long fished from villages such as Rawai.
Known for
- Patong, Kata and Karon beaches
- Phuket Old Town's Sino-Portuguese shophouses
- The Big Buddha on Nakkerd Hill
- Boat trips into Phang Nga Bay
- The Phuket Vegetarian Festival
Did you know?
In the hilly north of the island, the Khao Phra Thaeo No-Hunting Area protects more than 20 square kilometres of rainforest.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.