Destination · Andaman coast
Phuket
- Airport
- Phuket (HKT)Direct from several Indian cities; 45 min to Patong
- Best months
- Nov–AprDry, and the sea is calm enough for the islands
- Temperature
- 25–33°CNear enough all year. The season is about rain
- Nights to allow
- 3 to 4One island day, one for the old town
- Money
- Cards widelyCash for longtails, markets and park gates
Thailand’s largest island, and the one most people mean when they say they are going to Thailand. It is big enough to hold a nightlife strip, a fishing village, an old Sino-Portuguese town and several genuinely quiet beaches at the same time — which is why the west coast you pick matters more here than almost anywhere else in the country.
Decide first
Where to stay, and who each one suits.
Patong
The loud one, and honest about it. The beach is broad and the water is fine, but the reason people come is Bang La Road and the reason people leave is Bang La Road.
Choose it if
- It is a first trip and you want everything in walking distance
- You want nightlife without a taxi
- Budget matters — this is the cheapest good beach
Think twice if
- It is loud until the small hours
- The beach is crowded and heavily hawked
- Not the place for a honeymoon
Kata & Karon
Two bays south of Patong that take the same sea and half the noise. Karon is the long one, Kata the prettier and more compact.
Choose it if
- You want a real beach with real restaurants
- Travelling with older parents
- Surfable waves in the green season
Think twice if
- Quieter after ten — a taxi to Patong for late nights
- Kata gets busy in high season
Bang Tao & Layan
The north-west, where the big resorts are. Long flat sand, calm water and Boat Avenue for eating out without leaving the area.
Choose it if
- Travelling with young children
- You want a resort you will not leave
- A longer stay
Think twice if
- Little to walk to outside the resorts
- Furthest from the old town
Phuket Old Town
Not a beach at all. Shophouse streets, coffee, Sunday walking street and the best food on the island for the money.
Choose it if
- You care about food more than sand
- A night either side of a flight
- Rain has taken the beach day
Think twice if
- No beach — every swim is a 30-minute drive
- Quieter midweek
Decide second
When to come, month by month.
Thailand does not have one season. Bar height is that month’s typical rainfall here, the symbol above it is the weather to expect, and the figures below it how busy it gets.
Pick a month to read it in full.
Peak season
January
The best of the year and priced accordingly. Dry, low humidity, and a sea flat enough that every island trip runs every day.
- Typical rain
- 30 mm
- Conditions
- Calm
- Crowds
- Busy
Peak season
February
January conditions without quite January prices, and the clearest light of the year for photographs.
- Typical rain
- 30 mm
- Conditions
- Calm
- Crowds
- Busy
Very good
March
Hot by the end of the month but still dry and still calm. Peak conditions with the crowd starting to thin.
- Typical rain
- 70 mm
- Conditions
- Calm
- Crowds
- Busy
Hot
April
The hottest month, with the first afternoon storms arriving late in it. Songkran falls mid-month: a national holiday, full hotels and a great deal of water.
- Typical rain
- 140 mm
- Conditions
- Mostly calm
- Crowds
- Moderate
Monsoon in
May
The south-west monsoon sets in and the Andaman changes character. Rain comes in heavy bursts rather than all day, but boat days start being cancelled.
- Typical rain
- 290 mm
- Conditions
- Turning
- Crowds
- Quiet
Green season
June
Cheapest rooms of the year and the landscape at its greenest. Mornings are often clear; plan inland and treat a boat day as a bonus.
- Typical rain
- 250 mm
- Conditions
- Rough at times
- Crowds
- Moderate
Green season
July
Much like June, and busier than the weather warrants because it is the European summer. Good value if you stay flexible.
- Typical rain
- 270 mm
- Conditions
- Rough at times
- Crowds
- Busy
Green season
August
Wet, and the outer islands are at their least reliable. The cliffs and jungle look their best under moving cloud.
- Typical rain
- 300 mm
- Conditions
- Rough
- Crowds
- Busy
Wettest
September
The wettest month of the year and the one we would talk you out of if the islands are why you are coming. Cancellations are common.
- Typical rain
- 390 mm
- Conditions
- Rough
- Crowds
- Quiet
Turning
October
Still wet, but the monsoon starts letting go towards the end and the islands reopen one by one. A gamble that sometimes pays very well.
- Typical rain
- 330 mm
- Conditions
- Settling
- Crowds
- Quiet
Season opens
November
The rain drops away, the sea settles, everything reopens, and the prices have not caught up yet. For value against conditions, the best month of the twelve.
- Typical rain
- 190 mm
- Conditions
- Calming
- Crowds
- Moderate
Peak season
December
Excellent weather, and the busiest fortnight of the year over Christmas and new year when rates roughly double. The first half of the month is the same weather without the surcharge.
- Typical rain
- 70 mm
- Conditions
- Calm
- Crowds
- Busy
Decide third
How long, and what shape.
Three shapes we actually sell. The nights are real and so is the pace — each one is a starting point we rebuild around who is travelling, not a fixed menu.
1 night · 2 days
Touch & Go
One night on Phuket is a beach afternoon and one day trip. We build it around whichever of the two you would regret missing.
Day 1
Land, and get to the west coast
HKT to Kata is about 45 minutes. Kata and Karon are the swimmable beaches; drop the bags and use the afternoon. Promthep Cape for the sunset, then dinner where you are staying.
Day 2
Phang Nga Bay, then out
The bay by speedboat leaves early and is back by four, which an evening flight can take. If you would rather stay dry, the Old Town’s Sino-Portuguese streets and Wat Chalong fill the same hours.
Phi Phi does not fit into one night. It is a full day plus the travel either side, and you would spend it watching the clock. We would rather give you Phang Nga properly.
2 nights · 3 days
Quick Getaways
Two nights buys the two days people actually come to Phuket for — one island, one bay — without a wasted morning between them.
Day 1
Arrive, west coast
Nothing scheduled. Promthep Cape for the sunset, and an early night before the boat.
Day 2
Phi Phi and Maya Bay
By speedboat, leaving early enough to reach Maya Bay before the Krabi boats do. Bamboo Island on the way back if the sea allows it.
Day 3
Phang Nga Bay, or the Old Town
A longtail out of Ao Por into the hongs, or the Old Town and the Sunday walking market if you have had enough salt. Evening flight.
Two nights is the right length here. A third would only add another beach, and you already have one outside the door.
4 nights · 5 days
Destination Deep Dive
Phuket as the whole trip: three days at sea, the old town, and the island’s quiet north rather than only its west.
Day 1
Arrive, settle
The west coast, and no plans. Get the beach right on day one and the rest of the week arranges itself.
Day 2
Phi Phi and Maya Bay
The full day. Early enough to be at Maya before the crowds, with time at Bamboo Island rather than a photograph from the boat.
Day 3
Phang Nga Bay
James Bond Island, and a sea canoe into the hongs at Koh Panak — caves you enter lying flat in the boat. The best half hour in the province.
Day 4
The Similans, in season
Mid-October to mid-May only, and the best snorkelling and diving in the country. Outside that window we build Coral Island and a slow day instead.
Day 5
Old Town, then out
Thalang Road, Wat Chalong and the Big Buddha, lunch somewhere with air conditioning, and HKT in the afternoon.
The Similan Islands close roughly mid-May to mid-October. If your dates fall inside the closure we say so before you book, not after.
What you came for
Three things worth the day.
Phi Phi and Maya Bay
Two hours by speedboat. Maya Bay is open under rules — you land at the back and do not swim in the bay — and closes for part of the low season.
- Time
- Full day
- Boat
- Speedboat
- Park fee
- ฿400 / ฿200
The Similan Islands
The best diving and snorkelling within reach, and the reason serious divers come to this coast. The national park closes mid-May to mid-October.
- Time
- Full day
- Season
- Oct–May only
- Park fee
- ฿500 / ฿300
Phang Nga Bay
The bay with the standing rock in it, an hour by road then out by boat. Go early or by canoe at the end of the day, when the tour fleet has gone.
- Time
- Half or full day
- Boat
- Longtail or speedboat
- Park fee
- ฿300 / ฿150
For Indians
Entry requirements
- Route
- Visa exemption
- Maximum stay
- 30 days
- Fee
- None
When this starts India was moved to this 30-day exemption by the Thai Cabinet on 16 July 2026. It commences 15 days after the Ministry of Interior announcements are published in Thailand’s Royal Gazette. We confirm in writing which rule applies to your travel dates before you fly, and we will not let you travel on the wrong one.
Every traveller must also file the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online within 72 hours of arrival. It is free, and airlines check it at the gate — without it you will not be allowed to board.
Applies to Indian passport holders. Last reviewed 12 August 2026. Entry rules change; we confirm the current position at the time of booking.
Packages through Phuket
1 package
Worth knowing
What we would tell you on the phone.
The riptides are real
Red flags on the west coast beaches mean what they say, particularly May to October. People drown here every year ignoring them.
Do not hire a motorbike on a whim
Phuket has one of the worst road-casualty records in Thailand, and most travel insurance will not cover you without the right licence.
Jet-ski and deckchair scams
Agree the price and photograph any existing damage before you take anything on the beach.
Taxis are expensive
Distances are long and metered taxis are rare. Agree a fare first, or use an app; budget more for transport than you would elsewhere.
Pairs well with
Where most people go next.
Krabi
Two to three hours by road or ferry, and a completely different coastline. Easy to fly into one and out of the other.
Khao Lak
An hour and a half north, quieter, and the jumping-off point for the Similans.
Koh Lanta
Half a day away by ferry and several gears slower.
Phuket, built around you.
Tell us who is travelling and when. We will build the rest around the season.