Phuket
Beautiful 8km-long Hat Bang Thao is one of the longest, dreamiest beaches on Phuket. This slice of pearlescent sand is just asking for you to laze around…
Must-see attractions in Phuket
Phuket Town
Branching off Th Thalang, in the heart of the Old Town, this small, vibrant street flaunts some of Phuket's most gorgeously revamped Sino-Portuguese…
Phuket
High atop the Nakkerd Hills, northwest of Chalong Circle, and visible from half the island, the 45m-high, Burmese-alabaster Big Buddha sits grandly on…
Phuket
Come here to the island’s southernmost point to see the glittering Andaman Sea wrapped around Phuket. The cape is crowned by a mod lighthouse shaped like…
Phuket
Ask a Phuketian or a local expat for their favourite island beach and many will choose Hat Nai Harn. A beautifully curved golden-white crescent with…
Phuket Town
Founded in 1934 and formerly a Chinese-language school, this flashy museum is filled with photos, videos and English-language exhibits on Phuket’s history…
Phuket Town
Built in 1903 with tin-mining riches, this beautifully preserved Sino-Portuguese mansion should make any antique- or architecture-lover's must-visit list…
Phuket Town
One of the island's most important Chinese shrines, this red-washed, elevated complex is dedicated to Tean Hu Huan Soy, god of performers and dancers. It…
Phuket Town
A handful of Chinese temples pump colour into Phuket Town, but this restored shrine, tucked away up a 50m alley now adorned with modern murals, is…
Phuket Town
For a bird’s-eye view of the city, climb (or drive) up Khao Rang, 2.5km northwest of Phuket Town's centre. An overhanging viewing platform opens up 270…
Phuket
Chalong, 9km north of Rawai, is home to Phuket's only working distillery, launched by French couple Marine Lucchini and Thibault Spithakis, who bonded…
Phuket Gibbon Rehabilitation Project
Phuket
Financed by donations (2100B sponsors a gibbon for a year), this tiny sanctuary adopts gibbons previously kept in captivity in the hope of reintroducing…
Phuket
Thalang's museum chronicles Phuket’s history, from prehistoric Andaman inhabitants to the tin-mining era, with Thai and English displays. It traces…
Phuket
Comprising the exceptional northwestern beaches of Nai Thon, Nai Yang and Mai Khao, as well as the former Nai Yang National Park and Mai Khao Wildlife…
Phuket
About 7km north of the Heroines Monument, Phuket’s tranquil, 250-year-old ‘Temple of the Golden Buddha’ revolves around a half-buried statue, with only…
Phuket
Dating back 150 years, Wat Chalong is Phuket's busiest Buddhist temple. Its three-tiered, salmon-pink, 61m-high chedi (a later addition) has 36 golden…
Phuket
A group of talented Thai artists have come together to set up this bohemian, banyan-shaded arts commune, just off Rawai's main strip. Feel free to wander…
Phuket Town
Thailand's sun-yellow oldest foreign bank is a fine example of Phuket Town's historic Sino-Portuguese architecture. Though you can admire the restored…
Phuket
Comparatively quiet and laid-back by Phuket standards, Hat Kamala is a well-enclosed sugar-white strand with a mostly rustic feel, framed between green…
Phuket Town
Painted in a striking yellowy-mango shade, this ancient building has a unique, early 1990s four-storey clock tower and a traditional police-cap roof. The…
Phuket
Get a glimpse of Thailand's wondrous underwater world at Phuket's popular aquarium, by the harbour on the tip of Laem Phanwa (12km south of Phuket Town)…
Phuket
A beautiful sweep of blonde sand washed by Andaman waves, Hat Surin was hit particularly hard by the Phuket beach clean-up, with all of its beach bars,…
Phuket
Local beach addicts will tell you that cliff-framed Laem Singh, 1km south of Surin, conceals one of the island's most beautiful beaches. Boats run to Laem…
Phuket
Within the southern boundaries of Sirinat National Park, Hat Layan's beautiful white-gold sands make up the northernmost tip of Hat Bang Thao. Pines…
Phuket
Dotted with a few upmarket resorts, Phuket’s longest beach is a beautiful, secluded 10km stretch of pearl-white national park sand extending from just…
Phuket
A lovely protected strip of fine, golden west-coast sand fringed by jungle, 7km south of the airport and blissfully removed from Phuket's busy buzz. The…
Hat Patong
If Patong is getting to you, escape to this more peaceful slice of golden sand and clear aqua water. It's just 15 minutes or a 1500B (return) long-tail…
Phuket
The liveliest and most developed of Phuket's three relaxed northern national park beaches, this sandy blonde casuarina-shaded bay, 3km south of the…
Phuket
About 700m north of Laem Phromthep, tucked between the cape and Hat Nai Harn where the road dips down to the sea, is this gorgeous mellow cove with a…
Hat Kata
From this majestic clifftop lookout, views sweep across Kata to the northern reaches of Karon and, to the south, wrap around the coast to Laem Phromthep…
Phuket
For a sensational sunset view that doesn't involve jostling through quite so many crowds as at Laem Phromthep, hunt down this slightly more secluded…
Phuket
Though not quite the secret it once was, this silky little tucked-away beach, 2km south of Hat Nai Thon, makes a refreshingly rustic Phuket escape. From a…
Phuket
This busy mosque provides a good insight into Phuket village life and makes an interesting change of scene from the beach. Its cream-coloured facade and…
Hat Kata
Hat Kata is carved in two by a jutting headland. Blonde Hat Kata Yai (known as the main Kata beach) lies on the north side, while Hat Kata Noi unravels to…
Phuket
This 4km-long west-coast stretch of squeaky-fine sand is popular with families and, while it does get busy, there's always plenty of space to spread out.
Phuket
Kamala was one of Phuket's worst-hit areas during the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. The 2006 Heart of the Universe Memorial pays tribute to lost loved ones…
Phuket
Just north of Hat Surin, this exquisite little secluded strip of white-gold sand fringed by green-clad headlands is home to two exclusive resorts. The…
Hat Kata
With just a couple of high-end hotels overlooking its secluded sugar-white sands, Hat Kata Noi unfurls to the south of Hat Kata Yai. It's a popular…
Khao Phra Thaew Royal Wildlife & Forest Reserve
Phuket
On the northern half of the island, this lush reserve protects 23 sq km of virgin island rainforest (evergreen monsoon forest). Because of its royal…
Phuket
Accessed by a tucked-away flight of steps, an enormous golden Buddha reclines on the roof of this immaculately kept modern temple named for one of Phuket…
