What to see in Phuket: sights and day trips for the 2026–2027 season

Phuket is more than beaches. The island has temples, an old town from the tin-mining days, rainforest on its hills and beaches where turtles come ashore. And boats leave the island for some of the best-known rocks in Thailand. Below is what to see in the 2026–2027 season: places by area, trips off the island and a season calendar. Plus what to do on the day you do not want to go anywhere.

We do not list opening hours or ticket prices: they change, so check the places’ own websites.

The south: the Big Buddha, Wat Chalong, Promthep Cape

The Big Buddha. A seated statue on Nakkerd Hill near Chalong, officially named Phra Phutta Ming Mongkol Eknakiri. It is 45 m tall and 25.45 m wide, made of concrete clad in white Burmese marble, and it faces Chalong Bay. Construction began in 2004. In 2008 the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand declared it the “Buddhist Treasure of Phuket”. It is the third-tallest statue in the country.

Wat Chalong. The most important of Phuket’s 29 Buddhist temples, officially Wat Chaiyathararam. It is dedicated to two monks, Luang Pho Chaem and Luang Pho Chuang. In 1876 they led the people of Chalong against a Chinese rebellion and treated the injured with herbal medicine. A large market sits next to the temple and runs right into its grounds.

Promthep Cape. The southernmost tip of the island, Laem Phromthep in Thai, “Brahma’s Cape”. It is a popular viewpoint.

The Old Town

The Old Town is the historic quarter of Phuket city. Its main streets are Thalang, Phang Nga, Krabi, Dibuk and Yaowarat. They are lined with Sino-Portuguese buildings from the time when the island lived on tin mining. The fronts are narrow, and the buildings run deep. Many of them are now shops, hotels, restaurants and museums. The whole quarter covers 2.7 km².

This is where you see the heritage of the Baba, a community that grew out of marriages between Hokkien tin miners and Thai women. The Baba have their own way of life, language, dress and food. In 2015 UNESCO made Phuket a Creative City of Gastronomy, the first in Southeast Asia.

Blue songthaews, the local shared trucks, run between the Old Town and the beaches. The airport is 36 km from the Old Town.

The north: forest, heroines and turtles

Khao Phra Thaeo. A protected forest in the hills of the north, more than 20 km² of rainforest. Its three highest peaks are 384, 388 and 422 m.

The Heroines Monument. It stands on Highway 402 in Thalang district. In 1785 a Burmese army besieged the town of Thalang. The late governor’s widow and her sister dressed the island’s women as soldiers and lined them up on the walls. The Burmese believed the town was well defended and withdrew after a month-long siege. King Rama I gave the sisters the titles Thao Thep Kasattri and Thao Si Sunthon. A branch of the National Museum opened next to the monument in 1989.

Sirinat National Park. The northwest coast around the airport, about 30 km from Phuket city. The park has four beaches: Nai Thon, Nai Yang, Sai Kaeo and Mai Khao, the longest beach on the island. Between November and February sea turtles come ashore on Mai Khao and Nai Yang to lay their eggs.

The west: Patong, Karon, Kata

Patong. The island’s main resort and the centre of its nightlife and shopping. The beach is 2,850 m long. Bangla Road is the most popular walking street in Phuket, lined with bars along its whole length.

Karon. The second-largest tourist beach on the island, about 20 km from town.

Kata. Every December it hosts the King’s Cup Regatta, a sailing race.

Under a roof

The Aquaria Phuket aquarium is on the lower floor of the Central Phuket Floresta mall. It is a place for a hot midday or a rainy one.

Trips off the island

Phi Phi. A group of islands between Phuket and the mainland, part of Krabi province. Ferries, speedboats and long-tail boats go there, including from ports in Phuket. Maya Bay on Ko Phi Phi Le is known from the film The Beach (2000). It was closed from June 2018 to January 2022 to let nature recover. Since 2022 the rules are strict: boats stay outside the bay, swimming is not allowed, visits are limited to one hour, and the number of visitors is capped.

Phang Nga Bay. 400 km² of water between Phuket and the mainland; since 1981 most of the bay has been a national park. It has limestone cliffs, caves and rock paintings more than a thousand years old. Khao Phing Kan island and the 20-metre rock of Ko Ta Pu next to it are called “James Bond Island” because they appeared in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974). Since 1998 boats may not come close to Ko Ta Pu, to protect the rock from erosion.

The Similan Islands. 11 islands off the coast of Phang Nga province, a national park since 1982. Boats run from mid-October to mid-May, and the park is closed from 16 May to 15 October. No more than 3,850 visitors are allowed per day. Regular boats from Tab Lamu port near Khao Lak take about three hours, speedboats about 70 minutes. Multi-day dive boats also leave from Phuket.

Racha. Two islands off the coast of Phuket, Racha Noi and Racha Yai, also called Raya. One of the local tourist destinations.

Park rules, schedules and trip prices change. Check them with whoever takes you there.

The 2026–2027 season calendar

When	What	Where
until 15 May 2027	Similan season	Phang Nga
24 or 25 November 2026	Loy Krathong	the whole country
November to February	turtles on the beaches	Mai Khao, Nai Yang
December 2026	King’s Cup Regatta	Kata
13 March 2027	Heroines festival	Thalang
13–15 April 2027	Songkran, Thai New Year	the whole country

Loy Krathong falls on the full moon of the 12th month of the Thai lunar calendar: calendars for 2026 give 24 or 25 November. Check the exact dates of festivals closer to the time.

When you are tired

After the Big Buddha, a boat to Phi Phi and an evening on Bangla Road, there comes a day when you do not want to go anywhere. For that day we bring a PlayStation 5 to your villa, hotel or condo. The games are already installed:

• FC 25 and Mortal Kombat 1 for two on one sofa;
• Uncharted if Phang Nga Bay left you wanting more cliffs and treasure;
• GTA V, God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us Part I for stories that last several evenings.

The list is as of 18 September 2026. Want to play two at a time? Ask for a second controller when you book, and we will check whether one is free for your dates.

What it costs

Low-season prices apply right now: 3 days for 1,000 ฿, a week for 2,000 ฿, a month for 4,000 ฿. We confirm the price for your dates when you book. Delivery is from 400 ฿ to Kathu and Patong up to 700–800 ฿ to Mai Khao. No deposit; you pay cash to the courier. Cancel for free until the courier has left.