Phuket city is the capital of the Phuket province, the largest, beautiful island of Thailand, surrounded by the amazing marginal sea of the northeastern Indian Ocean known as the Andaman Sea.
At Phuket, visitors can experience a different blend of culture from the various cities with delicious meals, beautiful attractions and all the mind boggling from the Asian continent. The city is just a few kilometers south of Bangkok.
Why is Phuket famous?
The exceptional beauty of the Island from beaches, night activities with their rich culture is the reason behind most travelers and backpackers choosing Phuket in their bucket list.
What are the things to do in Phuket?
The city has really incredible attractions right after you touch down from the airport and below are the best places and things you can do while in Phuket.
- Visit Big Bhuda
One popular free thing that travelers who visit Phuket do is exploring the stunning Big Budha on the Island. The Phuket Big Buddha is a religious site in the province which is a 45-metre-tall white marble statue visible from anywhere in the southern part of Phuket.
The white marble statue glistens under the bright Thai sunlight, on the summit of Nakkerd Hill. Far from being an ancient monument, construction on the Big Buddha started in 2002 entirely with the help of donations.
Visitors can access the Bhuda site with the help of a motorbike through the steep-windy road while they enjoy the beautiful scenes from the sea and the island. At the sacred site, tourist can have their names written on a white tile to be added to the statue after making a free will donation. By doing this writings, it is a spiritual connection the visitor is building with Bhuda.
- Experience Phuket Street Market And Night Market
The Phuket Walking Street is a lot more fun and creative, the street itself is a great photo opportunity, and the choice of things to browse and snacks to try is endless.
Every weekend between the hours of 4 pm to 9 pm and beyond, Thalang Road which is a very quiet road turns into a busy street filled with market activities. Being the most popular attraction in Phuket especially on Sundays, the Sunday Walking Street Market also known to the local people as ‘Lard Yai Market’ has been of great success to the historical part of the town.
The ‘Indy Market‘, situated Downtown has the first road on the Island which also paved the way for this much larger street market located in the heart of the historical street of Phuket town. This is where street performances and selling and creation of Thai items can be seen.
- Phuket Tai Hua Museum
The Phuket Tai Hua Museum is an attractive spot for the exhibition of cultural activities and collection of historical edifices from the Province. The architectural building has Sino-Portugese style that was built in 1977.
This place was the first Chinese Language School in Phuket, which was established by Chinese Hokkien, Chinese ancestors that migrated to Phuket. Phuket Tai Hua Museum can be located at Krabi road, old town in Phuket.
- Chinpracha House
Another thing to do is to visit the Chinpracha House (Baan Chinpracha). Also located in Krabi, it is one of the most beautiful mansions in Phuket, spread all around Phuket Town. Some of these superb Sino-Portuguese style houses are abandoned and in bad condition with some renovated, but Chinpracha House is somehow unique and in its original condition.
The house was built in 1903 by Pratipak Chinpracha, a family originating from the Fujian region of China and who migrated to Phuket at the time of tin mining. This type of architecture was called ‘Angmor Lounge style’ by Phuket people at that time, and the house was also featured in a few movies such as ‘Heaven and Earth’ and ‘Young Indiana Jones.
- Explore Krabi
Krabi is a situated on southern Thailand’s west coast. It is a province which is known by its craggy, sheer limestone cliffs, dense mangrove forests, and more than a hundred offshore islands.
Some of its most popular beach destinations include the Phi Phi Islands, which jut from the sea like giant rain forested boulders, and Railay Beach, accessible only by boat and a prominent rock-climbing spot.
- Jui Tui Shrine
JuiTui Shrine or JuiTui Tao Bo Geng is a Chinese shrine located in Koh Phuket. Originally, “Jui” in Chinese means water. For “Tui,” it means a white mortar. In the past, a wide canal that can contain a great quantity of water was situated in front of the shrine. Villagers agreed to build turbines in order to use the water power to pound rice after having harvested. This is the origin of the name of the shrine.
This shrine usually holds a vegetarian festival in which Phuket people, Chinese, Thai people participate together with the Chinese Opera Troupe. Several Phuket people have studied and attended many ceremonies since the first day until the last day of the festival. In this festival, Go Teng Pillar is annually inaugurated.
In addition, 9 Chinese lanterns will be lit, which symbolically means that the vegetarian festival has commenced. Several religion-related performances to show the divine power such as the spiritual mediation, walking on fire, expelling bad things by bathing in boiling oil, a ceremony to pay respect to gods as well as a procession along roads are held.
The festival lasts for 9 days. If you pay a visit in the shrine, you will sense a great atmosphere possessing the magnificent national work of art and culture. The red and golden color is highlighted so as to give a sense of luxury and to bring good luck, according to the Chinese. Moreover, statues of Chinese gods are there for the public to pay a respect to. This shrine is located in SoiPuthorn next to Pudjo Shrine.
According to the history of this shrine, it is related to Bang Niew Shrine; that is to say, after the fire had broken out at the shrine in SoiRommanee, some leaders decided to separate and established a shrine in the area of Ban Bang Niew which is nowadays Bang Niew Shrine.
- Khao Rang Viewpoint
Khao Rang Hill has always been a viewpoint at the top of a famous hill in Phuket town. It is a nice place and pleasant stop where lots of youngsters go there for a photos and a romantic moment.
It has a panoramic restaurant that people love to have some lunch or dinner as they enjoy a better view of the sea and the township of Phuket.
- Monkey Hill Viewpoint
Similar to the Shai Hills Resource Reserve in Ghana, Phuket Monkey Hill is the best-known monkey playground on the island, a hill covered with immense red and white antennas in the back of Phuket Town.
That hill may be easy to see but not as easy to reach: the road climbing to it is opposite of provincial hall, past the Phuket prison. It’s not a big climb; most of it can be quickly done on a motorbike.
- Rassada Pier
This is the main harbor for ferry that serves as a transport network to people who wants visit Phi Phi and the other surrounding islands. Visit Rassada Pier https://www.phiphiferrytickets.com/ for schedules for the ferry service.
- Saphan Hin Park
Saphan Hin is a Public park located by the sea in Phuket Town, located at the end of Phuket Road.
Sat at the center of Saphan Hin recreational park is The Tin Mining Monument built in 1968 in remembrance to Captain Edward Thomas Miles, the Australian mining professional who brought the first dredge ship to Phuket in 1909, and it had lifted the mining in Phuket to the next level. Within the area there are also the Saphan Hin Sports Center and Kiew Tien Keng Chinese shrine.
- Aquaria Phuket
Explore the magical underwater journey at Phuket’s best aquarium that takes you through the wonders of the ocean and the mysteries of the rivers.
Visitors can be entertained and inspired by over 25,000 animals and interact with our knowledgeable and friendly staff to learn more about the wonders of the ocean. Amaze your eyes and brain at Phuket aquarium, Central Phuket Floresta. https://www.aquaria-phuket.com/
- Phuket Baba Museum
In the heart of Phuket is this Peranakannitat Museum also called Baba Museum or Chalermraj center. It can be situated at the intersection of Phang Nga Road and Phuket road.
Having gone through renovation for the past 7 years, the former Standard Chartered Bank is active serving the purpose of a museum. The beautiful style from Sino-Portuguese architecture makes the museum a must see.
- Wat Koh Sirey
Wat Koh Sirey is a beautiful temple that is situated at Koh Sirey Island a very small island covering about 20km2. The temple sits on top of a hill and it is just about 4km from Phuket Town on the east.
Thousands of tourists flock to this temple every year to escape the bustle and hustle of the town. It is a beautiful destination with a traditional ambiance and stunning views. The temple shelters a large reclining golden Buddha and unspoiled landscapes that are worth visiting.
Despite being so close to the town, the area is not much developed making it a pleasure to drive around. It has dominating rubber plantations, coconut trees, and lush green tropical forested hills.
Where To Stay At Phuket
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