Day 1. Phuket beaches + Bangla road
Phuket beaches
There are several dozen beaches in Phuket. Some of them are very close to the airport, for example, Mai Khao and Nai Yang. Planes fly so low over these beaches as if they are going to land right on the sand. Want proof? Look here.
The most popular beaches among tourists are Kata, Karon, and Patong.
Karon is perfect for families. The shoreline is gentle, so it’s not scary to swim with children. There are no night clubs around. And the sand is crispy here. You won’t find that on other Phuket beaches.
On Kata, you may face a very dangerous rip current that pulls a person back to the sea.
Patong is popular among the youth. Bangla Road is adjacent to the beach, so all night entertainment is by your side. That is why there are lots of tourists on Patong.
Beaches are mainly free in Phuket. But there are also private beaches, that can be entered only for money. For example, you can enter Freedom for 200 TBH.
Willy Thuan Phuket 101 Bloghave been there and recommends the place:
Freedom Beach is an anomaly, one of the prettiest beach on Phuket island, with an incredibly soft white sand and clear blue waters. It is just few minutes away from Patong Beach, the busiest beach on the island and yet, it is surprisingly peaceful and quiet… It might be a great idea to bring your own snorkeling gear as both ends of the beach are good places to see fish and small marine life. Beach chairs are available to rent for a small fee and a restaurant serves simple Thai food and chilled drinks when you need them (and you will).
Cocotand, a user of tripadvisor, tells the readers not to swim at night:
Swimming or wading at night in the ocean is completely nuts! You could step on an unseen broken bottle or tin and slice your foot open and sustain staph wounds which is bad enough. Or you could tread on a sting ray lurking just below the sand and get stabbed in the leg by his sting which would leave you in no amount of pain.
Bangla road
Bangla Road is thought to be the center of depravity in Phuket like Walking Street in Pattaya. But here you can entertain yourself in a decent way too:
- go to one of the nightclubs.
Shreya Travel with Shreyamade a compilation of the best nightclubs on Bangla Road:
You will find the best nightclubs of Phuket, which are important sites of Phuket nightlife – Tiger Disco, Illuzion, and Seduction Complex.
- watch Thai boxing — Muay Thai.
Thai boxing is different from usual boxing because it is allowed to use feet in fights. Muay Thai became popular in the 20th century when Thai sportsmen beat representatives of other martial arts.
There are VIP-seats near a fight ring and ordinary stands in the hall where fights are held. But you will have a good view from any place because the halls are quite small.
There are usually five or six fights held per one show. Beginners, children (even 5-year-olds) and teenagers fight first, women are next, and men are the last to compete.
The nearest places to Bangla Road where you can watch Thai boxing are Bangla Boxing Stadium and Patong Boxing Stadium.
- go to a massage room.
It’s better to choose it on recommendations. There is no point to look at prices. A professional can work at affordable places and amateur can work at a luxury salon.
Most of the bloggers recommend the chain of spa salons Oasis Spa. Phuket branch is located 30-minutes’ drive away from Bangla Road, near Kamala Beach.
Andrew, the author of penninghearts, tells the readers about brilliant service in Oasis Spa:
It was a 4 hours spa session that comes with a stream, scrub, facial, body wrap and body massage! Since our spa session is between lunch, Oasis spa has offered us a
simple yet delicious egg sandwich meal with chilled honey drinks!
Prices are high here. In a usual salon, a massage will cost you 300 TBH, and in Oasis Spa, you will pay 1700 TBH. But here you may be sure that you are in the hands of real professionals.
Day 2. Nearest islands
There are lots of them in Phuket but bloggers recommend Phi Phi and Similan Islands.
Phi Phi in Phuket is an archipelago. Phi Phi Leh is the island from The Beach movie with Leo DiCaprio.
A ferry or a speed boat will get you to Phi Phi from the Rassada Pier. Transport works from 08:30 till 15:30.
Christine Ka’aloa, the author of grrrltraveler website, doesn’t recommend to take a speedboat:
My tour was large. There were up to 25 -30 people and I definitely felt like cattle. While I can overlook a slightly more impersonal tour, the safety standards of my speedboat was something I couldn’t overlook. The guide was right to warn us of the dangers of not sitting during the ride. The speedboat goes fast; standing up is not advised.
Similan is also an archipelago of 11 islands. It is a national park so the Thais carefully monitor nature’s condition.
Not all the islands of the archipelago are open for visitors. The government took a decision to protect the environment and endangered species of tortoises.
Willy Thuan tells the readers how to behave not to get in trouble:
Do not feed the fish, even if they swarm around you and beg for some. Do not pick up any coral or sea life. Do not walk on the coral, swim!
You should buy an excursion or a ticket to the islands in advance because they are not sold on the pier.
Similan Islands are closed for visitors from May till October.
!Pregnant women are not allowed on speedboats.
Since 15.10.2018, it is forbidden to stay overnight on the islands. Moreover, the authorities are planning to reduce the number of excursions to Phi Phi and Similan Islands. These measures are taken to restore the ecology.
If you want to feel like Robinson Crusoe, go to the small desert island of Koh Bon.
A boat will take you there from Rawai Beach. A round trip will cost you 1000 TBH. A boatman will be waiting for you, while you are swimming. If you want to stay for a whole day, a boatman will go away and come back at any time convenient for you. This service will cost you 1500 TBH.
There are no sights on the island. You must visit the island because of the empty beach.
Tami Hall, a user of Google Reviews, recommends visiting Bon Island Restaurant on the left side of Rawai Beach:
Stunning location, friendly owner and delicious food. Oh and the cocktails get served in a coconut!
Day 3. Walk around Phuket Town + Phuket Fantasea show
Phuket Old Town
Reserve a whole day for Phuket Old Town. This district includes Dibuk, Krabi, Thalang, Phangnga, Ratsada, and Ranong streets.
There is a very interesting building Baan Chinpracha on Krabi street. You can’t see it from the road because of trees and other buildings. Look for the Blue Elephant restaurant which is just a few doors away from Baan Chinpracha.
Tin tycoon Baan Chinpracha built the house in 1903, and it is still owned by his ancestors. The first floor is open for visitors from 09:00 to 16:30 every day. Visit the place and see how rich people lived in Phuket 100 years ago. Oliver Stone shot his film in this house.
Phuket is often shown in movies. For example, you’ll find On On Hostel on Phang-Nga street. Here “hotel” episodes of The Beach film were shot.
After a walk around Phuket Town, go shopping at Central Festival on Wichitsongkran street. Buy only local goods in the mall, other stuff costs as much as everywhere.
Phuket Fantasea
If you have some energy left, visit Phuket Fantasea entertainment complex. It’s an amusement park in a national style, a performance with elements of theatre, ballet, and circus + the amazing all-you-can-eat buffet in one package.
Sharon, the author of the wheressharon, gives tips for visiting Phuket FantaSea:
There is a bit to do at the site so we recommend following their guidelines and arriving around 6:30pm for the 9pm show. We had tickets which included the buffet dinner which worked well. It was a great way to get the kids extra excited about going (they love buffet dinners) and gave us a chance to chill a bit before the show.
Day 4. The museum + the water park
Devote your day to Thalang town.
The museum
You will learn a lot about Thailand history in The Thalang National Museum. There are ancient stone and clay items found on the Andaman sea floor.
The huge statue of Vishnu is exhibited in the main hall. It was found in Phang Nga forest at the beginning of the 20th century. It dates from the 9th century and demonstrates the influence of Indian culture on Thailand culture.
The museum is open from 09:00 till 16:00 every day. A ticket costs 100 TBH for an adult and 50 TBH for a child.
The waterpark
Go to the Splash Jungle waterpark after the museum. It is the only waterpark on the island.
Jamie, the author of the jamiesphuketblog, wrote an article about the waterpark and we made a list of the most important things from it:
- When you check in, you get a wristband with a locker key attached.
- Secure yourself a seat first, then go and have fun.
- There are many different waterslides and the green one is the scariest.
- The water park is safe — there are lots of staff, always ready to help.
If you buy tickets on the spot, they will cost 650 TBH for a child and 1295 TBH for an adult.
If you book a ticket in advance via the phone +66 88 430 7 430, prices will be lower:
- children under the age of 5 can visit the park for free;
- adults will pay 1150 TBH;
- for children from 5 to 15, you’ll pay 550 TBH;
- teenagers from 15 to 20 — 900 TBH;
- families and big companies will get discounts.
A ticket lets you be in the park for the whole day.
The park is open from 10:00 till 18:00.
Do you remember the beaches with planes? If you haven’t been there yet, go: beaches are within a short walk of the park. It will take you half an hour to get to Mai Khao and ten minutes to Naiyang.
Day 5. Chalong
You’d better rent a moped to get around Chalong.
- First, go to Wat Chalong by Phuket — Kata — Karon bus.
Wat Chalong is the biggest and the most attended temple complex in Thailand.
Eugene, the author of eugenegoesthailand, admires the beauty of the temple:
I spent most of the time exploring the building opposite the viharn. I was attracted to intricate ornament of the exterior upon arrival. There was a collection of huge Buddha images and beautiful wall mural paintings which depict legends concerning the Lord Buddha inside the building. I found a lively portriat of Luang Pho Chaem hanging on the wall. The temple roof had an unobstructed view of the sermon hall.
Entrance is free of charge, the complex is open from 08:00 till 18:00.
- It will take you 20 minutes to get from Wat Chalong to the Big Buddha by taxi or moped.
The 45m statue is located on the mountain, and you can see it from any point of the island. There is an observation deck near the Big Buddha. You can enjoy a panoramic view of Phuket beaches from the deck.
Andrzej and Jolene Wanderlust Storytellerswarn about the dress code:
You will be required to cover your legs and shoulders whilst enjoying the stroll around this area, they had scarves and wraps that you could borrow free of charge at the entrance to the site.
Entrance is free of charge.
- Another popular observation deck on Karon is just 30 minutes by taxi from the Big Buddha. And the elephant sanctuary is near the deck.
The walk with elephants is held in the real jungle. It costs 600 TBH for 20 minutes. Pregnant women are not allowed to have a ride.
- It takes 10 minutes to get from the elephant sanctuary to the Seashell Museum.
Look! Here are 2000 items: 380 million-year-old fossils, giant pearls, and even the left-handed shell, the only one in the world.
- It will take you 15 minutes to get from the Museum to the Promthem Cape. Here you’ll take pictures of sunsets and admire the sea view.
And here comes the Cape:
Day 6. Phang-Nga
Phang-Nga is beyond Phuket but this province is located 90-minutes’ drive from the island. There are many things to see there.
Cave Temple
There is the unusual Cave Temple in Phang-Nga. The other name is the Monkey Temple. There are lots of monkeys here, and they are wild. In the deep of the temple, you’ll see the lying Buddha.
The statue is 15 meters long.
The temple is open for visitors from 08:00 till 17:00. A ticket costs 20 TBH.
Public buses don’t run here. You can get to the temple by taxi or by rented car/moped.
Ko Panyi floating village
Ko Panyi has been floating in Phang-Nga bay for 200 years. The village was founded by fishermen from Indonesia. 1500 people live here now. The school, the mosque, and the football field — everything in Ko Panyi stands on stilts going deep under the water. Locals are called “sea gypsies”. They live off fishing and tourism.
Have you found the football field in the photo?
We didn’t include the floating market on the list because it doesn’t work anymore.
Bloggers don’t recommend going to Ko Panyi on your own. It’s better to hire a tour guide.
From our partner Viator, you can buy a tour of the floating village and other attractions of Phuket:
Don’t try to cover all the routes during one vacation. Less is more. “Sabai”, “take it easy” is the Thai life philosophy. Don’t make a fuss and feel the atmosphere of the island in full.
