Phuket is a vibrant, tropical island packed with plenty of different things to do and see. It takes less than a couple of hours to drive from the top to the bottom of the island, which allows you to participate in multiple activities within a single day.
Together we’ll explore the top ten things to do on your visit to Phuket. We’ll highlight some of the best activities and pinpoint their location on this island paradise. Many of the different activities can be found in one town, meaning you can explore one locale for several experiences.
Spend a Day at the Beach
Spending a day at a beach in Phuket may seem like an obvious thing to do in a tropical paradise. However, if you visit some of the beaches fronting the towns on the west coast of the island, you can also enjoy a range of watersports like parasailing, jet-skiing, standup paddleboarding, windsurfing and banana boat riding. Visit the beaches of Kamala Beach, Patong Beach, Karon Beach or Kata Beach to enjoy endless expanses of white sand and a variety of watersports.
Shop for Souvenirs
Patong Beach or Phuket Town can be your best bet for souvenir shopping. The Beach Road area of Patong Beach or the night markets in Phuket Town has a wide variety of handicrafts, Phuket-branded clothing, and other souvenirs that allow you to reflect on a memorable visit to Phuket.
Take a Boat Trip to the Islands of Phang Nga Bay
Phang Nga Bay is full of enchanting islands that have been the backdrops for countless Hollywood movies. You can easily arrange a speedboat trip to visit these islands by asking your hotel staff or booking a trip online. Just be sure to bring plenty of sunscreen, a hat and a change of clothes for your day on the water.
Browse the Night Markets of Phuket Town
There are now three different night markets in Phuket Town worth your attention. The original Sunday Street Market is located in the Old Town section and takes over an entire street as evening approaches. It’s a crowded, bustling market offering clothing, souvenirs, electronics, cosmetics, and some of the best street food on the island.
Chillva Night Market Phuket is located just north of Phuket Town and features a large area for stands and kiosks, as well as two-story bars and restaurants where you can spend the evening watching the market activity.
Naka Weekend Market is where most of the local residents go to find clothing, shoes, accessories, and delicious food. This is also the market where you can find a wide variety of elephant pants.
Visit a Buddhist Temple
Wat Chalong is the largest and most important Buddhist temple on the island. It’s located in Phuket town. This 19th-century temple features a 60-meter-tall Chedi that contains a bone splinter from the Buddha. You can climb the Chedi and get a view of the temple grounds from the top.
Explore the Sino-Portuguese Architecture of Phuket Town
The Old Town section of Phuket Town is world famous for the incredibly beautiful and colorful Sino-Portuguese architecture that lines the streets. These carefully preserved shops, hotels and residences offer a glimpse of what life was like during the tin-mining heyday of Phuket in the 19th century.
Enjoy the Nightlife in Patong Beach
Bangla Road, just off Beach Road in Patong Beach, is the heart and soul of Phuket’s nightlife. The street and surrounding area are home to many top-of-the-line nightclubs featuring celebrity DJs, vibrant bars and nightspots. The action begins at sunset, and you can pull up a stool at a roadside bar and watch a parade of visitors gather along Bangla Road.
Enjoy a Thai-style Seafood Meal
Phuket is known for the quality and variety of its seafood. Patong Beach also offers a variety of upscale dining spots and street food stalls. These dining spots offer incredible meals of the freshest fish, lobster, slipper lobster, prawns, squid and plump oysters, prepared “Thai-style.”
Visit a Waterfall in a National Park
Khao Phra Thaeo National Park and the surrounding areas in Phuket are home to three of the most visited and photographed waterfalls on the island: Bang Pae Waterfall, Ton Sai Waterfall and Kathu Waterfall. They each require some climbing and sturdy shoes to reach the top of the falls, but they’re a popular attraction among locals and tourists.
Explore a Floating Pearl Farm
A Phuket, Thailand, pearl farming tour allows you to explore and learn how pearls are farmed and turned into exquisite jewelery. Amorn Phuket Pearl offers tours of our floating pearl farm just off the coast of Phuket.
The Phuket pearl tour shows you the process of seeding oysters to create pearls. This is a fascinating process that explains the definition of “cultured” pearls. These are genuine pearls that are induced to grow because of small irritants that are inserted into the shells of the oysters.
Our Thailand Pearl tour also includes a visit to our jewelry-manufacturing facility and showroom in Phuket where you can browse different types of pearls and a range of pearl jewelry. Choose the perfect souvenir of your trip to Phuket to give as a gift to a loved one back home. Do something new and exciting on your next visit to Phuket, and visit Amorn Phuket Pearl Farm.
