Phuket 7-day itinerary

Explore the Sino-Portuguese shophouses along Thalang, Phang Nga, and Dibuk Roads — pastel facades, Chinese shrines, and street art murals. Breakfast at Kopitiam by Wilai (฿60–120) on pewter plates. Visit the Thai Hua Museum (฿200) for the tin mining history that shaped the island. The Old Town feels worlds away from the beach resorts twenty minutes south.

Visit Wat Chalong (free) — Phuket's most important temple with ornate buildings and a relic stupa. Then ride up to the 45-metre white marble Big Buddha on Nakkerd Hill — free entry, 360-degree views of the entire island. The scale is breathtaking. Return via Chalong Circle for lunch at One Chun (฿80–200) — a heritage restaurant serving southern Thai cuisine in a beautiful old shophouse.

Head to Rawai seafood market on the southern coast — buy fresh catch by weight (prawns ฿300/kg, squid ฿200/kg, lobster ฿800/kg) and have it cooked at adjacent restaurants for ฿100 cooking fee. This is how Phuket locals eat seafood. The atmosphere at sunset is wonderful — fishing boats bobbing on the Andaman Sea while you crack crab shells at plastic tables.

Book a speedboat tour (฿1,500–2,500 from Rassada Pier, includes lunch). The limestone karsts rising from turquoise water are extraordinary. Visit Pileh Lagoon — an enclosed emerald-green lagoon for swimming — and Viking Cave with its swiftlet nests. Maya Bay has reopened with a daily visitor cap; the restoration has made the coral noticeably healthier.

After Maya Bay, head to Bamboo Island — a flat coral island with some of the clearest snorkelling in the region. Parrotfish, clownfish, and reef sharks patrol the coral gardens. Lunch is included on the boat. The return journey passes dramatic limestone formations. If energy allows, Monkey Beach has cheeky macaques and decent snorkelling close to shore.

Return to Phuket and head to Kata Beach for a sunset swim. The wide sandy beach faces due west — perfect for watching the sun drop into the Andaman Sea. Dinner at the Kata night food stalls along the main road — grilled skewers (฿20 each), pad see ew (฿60), and mango sticky rice (฿80). The area is lively but more relaxed than Patong.

Book a Phang Nga Bay tour (฿1,800–3,000 with lunch) — the limestone karsts, sea caves, and mangrove forests are one of Thailand's most spectacular landscapes. The highlight is kayaking through hongs (collapsed cave lagoons) — your guide paddles you through narrow cave openings into hidden lagoons surrounded by vertical cliffs. Koh Panak and Koh Hong are the most dramatic.

The tour typically visits James Bond Island (Koh Khao Phing Kan) — the needle-shaped rock from "The Man with the Golden Gun" is iconic even if the beach is tiny and crowded. Then visit Koh Panyee — a Muslim fishing village built entirely on stilts over the sea. The floating football pitch is famous. Lunch is usually served here — fresh fish with rice overlooking the bay.

Return to Phuket and explore the Old Town food scene. The night food stalls on Ong Sim Phai Road serve legendary oh-tow (oyster omelette, ฿60) and mee hokkien (Phuket-style hokkien noodles, ฿50). Lock Tien food court on Dibuk Road is a local institution. The southern Thai food here — curries with betel leaves, stink beans, and turmeric — is distinct from Bangkok fare.

Longtail boat from Patong to Freedom Beach (฿1,500 return for the boat, split with others) — a pristine crescent of white sand backed by jungle, inaccessible by road. The snorkelling is excellent with coral right off the beach. Budget alternative: Banana Beach in the north — free, reachable by a 10-minute jungle trail from the Nai Thon–Layan road. No facilities, just pure beach.

Drive north to the Gibbon Rehabilitation Centre in Khao Phra Thaeo National Park (free, donations welcome) — a project rescuing gibbons from the tourist trade and rehabilitating them for release. The guided walk through the rainforest is educational and moving. Then hike to Ton Sai or Bang Pae Waterfall (฿200 park entry) — refreshing swimming pools in the middle of the jungle.

Head to Surin Beach for sunset — one of Phuket's most beautiful beaches with golden sand and a more upscale vibe. The beach restaurants set up tables on the sand at sunset. For dinner, Bampot Kitchen & Bar on Surin Hill Road serves excellent modern Thai cuisine (mains ฿200–400). Or keep it budget at the Surin night food stalls — grilled fish with som tam from ฿100.

Phuket is a gateway to world-class diving. A two-dive day trip to the Similan Islands or Racha Yai costs ฿3,500–5,000 including equipment and lunch. For non-divers, snorkelling trips to Racha Island (฿1,500) offer clear water and manta ray sightings. PADI Open Water courses run 3–4 days (฿12,000–15,000) at shops along Bangla Road — Sea Bees and Rumblefish are reputable.

Spend the afternoon at Patong Beach — the main tourist beach with full facilities, water sports, and people-watching. Jet skis (negotiate to ฿1,000/30min), parasailing (฿500), and banana boats (฿300) are available. Walk the beachfront promenade and duck into Banzaan Fresh Market — the ground floor is a wet market, the upstairs food court serves excellent Thai dishes from ฿50.

Bangla Road after dark is Phuket's main event — a pedestrianized strip of neon bars, live music venues, and street performers. Illuzion is the mega-nightclub. Seduction and Tiger are the famous beer bars. For something classier, walk to Soi Paradise for cocktail bars with less intensity. Happy hours run 6–9pm at most venues with beers from ฿60 and cocktails from ฿150.

Speedboat from Bang Rong Pier to Koh Yao Noi (฿200 public boat, 30 minutes) — a peaceful Muslim fishing island between Phuket and Krabi with rubber plantations, rice paddies, and virtually no tourism infrastructure. Rent a bicycle (฿100) or scooter (฿250) and ride the quiet roads through the village. The east coast beaches face the dramatic Phang Nga Bay limestone karsts.

Cycle to the east coast viewpoints for karst panoramas, then kayak through the mangroves (฿500 for 2 hours, arranged at local guesthouses). The birdlife in the mangroves is extraordinary — kingfishers, herons, and eagles. Lunch at one of the island's few restaurants — massaman curry with roti (฿80) and fresh coconut water. The pace of life here is beautifully slow.

Return to Phuket and head north to Mai Khao Beach — the island's longest and most deserted beach, within Sirinat National Park (฿200 entry). The beach stretches 11km with almost no development. If visiting in season (Nov–Feb), JW Marriott's Sea Turtle Conservation program sometimes releases hatchlings. Dinner at the quiet beachfront restaurants — grilled squid and cold Singha as the stars appear.

Book a Phuket cooking class — Phuket Thai Cooking Academy (฿1,200) or Blue Elephant Cooking School (฿2,800 premium). Both start with a market tour to select ingredients, then teach 4–5 southern Thai dishes including massaman curry, tom kha gai, and pad thai. Southern Thai cooking is spicier and uses different ingredients than Bangkok cuisine. You eat everything you cook for lunch.

One final beach afternoon — Nai Harn Beach in the south is a local favourite with calm water, fewer vendors, and a park behind the sand. For souvenirs, the Phuket Weekend Market (Naka, Sat–Sun) has Thai handicrafts and clothing at local prices. Or head to Lardyai Old Town Sunday Walking Street for handmade goods and art from Phuket craftspeople.

For a final splurge, sunset at Baba Nest rooftop bar at Sri Panwa (฿2,500 minimum spend) — arguably the most beautiful sunset bar in Thailand with a 360-degree infinity edge. Budget farewell: Promthep Cape sunset (free) followed by Rawai seafood market one more time. A last Chang beer, a final plate of mango sticky rice, and the Andaman Sea sky turning pink.