Overview
Joined to the mainland by a bridge, Phuket is a large island of forested hills and a west coast lined with beaches, from the crowded strip of Patong to quieter southern bays. Long a trading and tin-mining island, its main town keeps a charming quarter of Sino-Portuguese shophouses, a reminder that there is more here than the beach. Warm year round with a rainy summer, it is Thailand’s main beach gateway and the launch point for the islands of the Andaman.
Highlights
The west-coast beaches range from the resorts and nightlife of Patong to the calmer sands of Kata and Karon, with the giant Big Buddha on the hills above. Phuket Old Town’s painted shophouses, cafes and markets give a change from the coast, and viewpoints like Promthep Cape catch the sunset. Boats run out to the Phi Phi Islands, Phang Nga Bay and the reefs offshore.