Phuket Travel Guide - Beaches, Old Town and the Island Beyond the Resorts

See & Do

The island runs 48 km north to south, beaches on the west coast. Pick one base and day-trip from it rather than hotel-hopping.

West coast beaches: Patong, Kata and Karon

Patong is the loud one: Bangla Road, jet skis, Thailand's densest hotel strip. Kata and Karon, ten minutes south, are the family end of the coast, with a gentler bay and better-value rooms. Nai Harn and Ya Nui are the quietest mainstream beaches.

Phuket Old Town

The Sino-Portuguese shophouse quarter around Thalang Road is the island's other personality: pastel arcades, Peranakan museums, and a Sunday walking street that closes the road to traffic. It is the cheapest part of Phuket to eat and sleep in, and the only part built for walking.

Phang Nga Bay and the islands

Day trips leave from the east coast: Phang Nga Bay and James Bond Island by longtail or kayak, Phi Phi and Maya Bay by speedboat, Racha or Coral Island for a short hop. Check marine-park closure windows before committing to Maya Bay.

Inland: Big Buddha, Wat Chalong and the viewpoints

The 45-metre Big Buddha on Nakkerd Hill is visible from most of the south, and the road up passes the Kata viewpoint. Wat Chalong is the island's most visited temple. Both are free or donation-based, and reward an early start.

Eat

Phuket eats two ways: Southern Thai food in the Old Town and roadside shacks, and resort-priced international food along the beach strips.

Southern Thai: the local cuisine

This is not the pad Thai menu. Look for kanom jeen with curry, moo hong (Phuket-style braised pork), hokkien mee, o-tao (oyster omelette) and nam prik goong siap. Old Town and the Rawai markets cook it properly. Numbeo's September 2026 snapshot puts an inexpensive meal at THB 150 (~$4.50).

Seafood and night markets

Rawai's seafront stalls sell seafood by weight and grill to order, and the Naka and Chillva night markets cover satay to smoothie bowls at street prices. A three-course dinner for two averages THB 1,085 (~$33): resort pricing, not island.

Coffee

Cafes are strong in Old Town and along the Cherng Talay road; a cappuccino runs about THB 94 (~$2.80). Phuket Coworking and Phuket Stash, the two spaces nomads.com names, run cafe hours.

Where to Stay

Where you sleep decides both your budget and your holiday. The island splits into four zones.

Patong

Busiest and most expensive per night, and the only place with genuine late-night everything. Fine for a short trip, tiring for a month.

Kata and Karon

The middle ground: family beaches, mid-range hotels, restaurants open past nine. Where most repeat visitors end up.

Phuket Old Town

The value pick. Guesthouses and boutique shophouse conversions, the best food within walking distance, the airport road on your doorstep. It is 30 minutes to the nearest beach, which is the trade.

Cherng Talay, Bang Tao and Laguna

The long-stay belt in the northwest: villa rentals, international restaurants, the island's calmest sand. Pricier than Old Town, quieter than Patong. Numbeo's September 2026 centre one-bedroom average is THB 24,467 (~$734/month); outside, THB 16,267 (~$488).

Logistics

Phuket International (HKT) sits at the north of the island, 45 minutes from Patong and an hour from Rawai in traffic. There is no rail and no useful visitor bus network, so transport means Grab (nomads.com's pick here), hotel transfers or a rental car. Local songthaews run fixed routes between the beaches and the Old Town for a fraction of taxi money.

Motorbike rental is cheap and the biggest risk you will take: heavy traffic, steep hills, monsoon gravel, in a country with one of the world's highest road fatality rates. Wear a helmet, check your insurance covers riding, stay off unfamiliar hills after dark.

Cards work almost everywhere, per nomads.com, though markets and songthaews are cash, and tipping of about 5% is normal. Tap water is not drinkable; filtered refills are cheap and everywhere.