Seven beach areas, three essential sights and six day trips — sixteen guides to the island and the sea around it.
Phuket’s beaches run down the west coast like beads on a string, each in its own bay and each with a different character. The guides below take them from Patong outwards — south to Karon, Kata and Nai Harn, then north to Kamala, Surin, Bang Tao and the national-park beaches by the airport.
After the beaches come the sights on land, and then the day trips that leave from the east-coast piers. If you are still choosing a base, read where to stay alongside these.
Beaches & where to base yourself Phuket’s biggest, loudest and most convenient beach town
A three-kilometre bay on the west coast backed by a dense grid of hotels, malls, massage shops and bars. Bangla Road’s nightlife is here, and so is the island’s widest choice of rooms and tours.
Beaches & where to base yourself A long, wide, open beach with room to breathe
One of Phuket’s longest beaches, with fine pale sand and a road rather than buildings behind most of it. Calmer than Patong and popular with families and couples, with a compact restaurant strip at each end.
Beaches & where to base yourself The all-rounder: good sand, good food, a little surf
Two neighbouring bays south of Karon. Kata is the island’s best balance of beach, restaurants and atmosphere, with small surf in the green season; Kata Noi, over the headland, is shorter and quieter.
Beaches & where to base yourself The laid-back south: a local-favourite bay and a seafood shore
The southern tip of the island. Nai Harn is a handsome bay with little development behind it; tiny Ya Nui sits in a cove beside Promthep Cape; and Rawai is a working shore of longtails and seafood restaurants rather than a swimming beach.
Beaches & where to base yourself A village bay and an upmarket cove north of Patong
Kamala is a relaxed bay with a real village behind it, popular with families and long-stayers, and home to the FantaSea and Carnival Magic parks. Surin, the next beach north, is small, steep and smart.
Beaches & where to base yourself Six kilometres of sand and the island’s resort heartland
A very long, gently curving beach on the north-west coast. The middle is taken up by the Laguna Phuket resort complex built around lagoons; the southern end has beach clubs and the north, towards Layan, is close to empty.
Beaches & where to base yourself National-park beaches by the airport, and the emptiest sand on Phuket
The far north-west. Nai Yang is a low-key, tree-shaded beach inside Sirinat National Park, about ten minutes from the terminal; Mai Khao, beyond it, is the island’s longest beach and has only a handful of large resorts.
Sights on the island Pastel shophouses, Chinese shrines and the island’s best food
The historic core of Phuket Town, built on tin-mining wealth by Hokkien Chinese settlers. Its Sino-Portuguese shophouses on Thalang Road and Soi Romanee now hold cafés, museums and noodle shops, and Sunday brings a walking-street market.
Sights on the island The island’s two great Buddhist landmarks, a short drive apart
A 45-metre seated Buddha clad in white marble looks over the south of the island from Nakkerd Hill. Below it, Wat Chalong is Phuket’s largest and most revered temple. Most visitors see both in one outing.
Sights on the island Phuket’s sunset headland and the hilltop views around it
Promthep Cape is the rocky southern tip of the island and its classic sunset spot. Nearby, the Windmill Viewpoint looks down on Ya Nui and Nai Harn, and Karon Viewpoint takes in three beaches in one frame.
Day trips from Phuket The day trip everyone comes to Phuket for
A small group of cliff-walled islands about 45 km south-east of Phuket. Uninhabited Phi Phi Leh holds Maya Bay and Pileh Lagoon; Phi Phi Don has the village, the viewpoint and the ferries.
Day trips from Phuket Limestone towers, sea caves and hidden lagoons
A sheltered, shallow bay north-east of Phuket studded with sheer limestone islands. Its hidden lagoons are explored by canoe through sea caves, and its best-known rock starred in a 1974 James Bond film.
Day trips from Phuket The clearest water within reach — in season only
A chain of granite islands in a national park off the Phang Nga coast, with white beaches, giant boulders and some of Thailand’s best snorkelling and diving. The park opens only from roughly mid-October to mid-May.
Day trips from Phuket The close islands: short crossings, clear shallows
The islands on Phuket’s doorstep. Racha Yai, to the south, has the clearest water and good beginner diving; Coral Island (Koh Hae) is about fifteen minutes from Chalong; and the tiny Khai Islands sit just off the east coast.
Day trips from Phuket Two quiet islands half an hour from Phuket
A pair of rural, mostly Muslim islands in the middle of Phang Nga Bay, with rubber plantations, rice paddies, fishing villages and a front-row view of the bay’s limestone skyline — and very little nightlife.
Day trips from Phuket Rainforest and a karst-rimmed lake on the mainland
A national park in Surat Thani province, around three hours’ drive north of Phuket, protecting old rainforest and the vast Cheow Lan reservoir, where limestone towers rise straight out of green water.
The west coast faces the open Andaman Sea and has all the best sand. The east coast is muddy and mangrove-lined, and is where the piers and marinas are: Rassada for Phi Phi ferries, Chalong for Racha and Coral Island, Bang Rong for Koh Yao and Ao Po for Phang Nga Bay. Phuket Town sits on the east side, a 30–40 minute drive from the southern beaches.
Distances look short on a map but the roads are hilly and busy. As a rule of thumb, allow 20 minutes between neighbouring beaches and an hour from the far south to the airport. See getting around.
Paddle into the sea caves of Phang Nga Bay, step onto Maya Bay before the crowds, snorkel the Similan reefs, eat your way round the Old Town and watch the sun go down from Promthep Cape. Compare the best-rated tours and book in a couple of taps.
