Phuket travel essentials: your first hours sorted

Phuket airport (HKT) is in the far north, and most beaches (Patong, Kata, Karon) are a 45–90 minute drive south. The airport has a metered-taxi desk, fixed-price minibuses, and a cheap orange Airport Bus to Phuket Town and Patong — but the island’s transport is famously controlled by local operators, so fares are higher than you’d expect and Grab pickups at the airport are restricted.

For a first arrival, a pre-booked transfer is the calmest option — a fixed price, a driver waiting, and no haggling after a long flight. If you take the metered desk, confirm it’s on the meter; the shared minibus is cheapest but drops other passengers first.

A Thailand travel eSIM set up before you fly gets you online the moment you land — handy for opening Grab, messaging your hotel and finding your transfer. Coverage across Phuket and the main islands is good. Skip the airport SIM stands; the eSIM is usually cheaper and instant.

Resorts, bigger restaurants and malls take cards, but street food, markets, songthaews and many small bars are cash-only — carry baht. Be ready for Thailand’s flat foreign-card ATM fee (around ฿220 per withdrawal on top of your bank’s charge), so take out larger amounts less often rather than small sums repeatedly.

Phuket has almost no formal public transport beyond songthaews (shared pickup trucks) between Phuket Town and the beaches, which stop early evening. Grab works but can be slow and pricier than on the mainland because of the local taxi pressure; a private driver for a day of sightseeing is popular and good value, especially for solo and 50+ travellers.

Scooters are everywhere and cheap, but Phuket’s hilly coast roads (the Patong hill especially) and heavy traffic make it one of Thailand’s higher-risk places to ride. If you’ve never ridden, this isn’t the place to start; if you do, wear the helmet, carry an International Driving Permit with the motorcycle category, and check your insurance covers it.

Phuket is relaxed and welcoming, with an established gay scene around Patong’s Paradise Complex, and same-sex couples travel here comfortably. Thailand passed marriage equality in 2025 and is one of Asia’s most LGBTQ-friendly destinations.

The big Phuket days out are on the water — Phi Phi, the Phang Nga / “James Bond” bay, the Similans (seasonal), Coral and Racha islands. Sea conditions and operator safety vary a lot, so book a well-reviewed operator with proper boats and life jackets rather than a cheap kerbside flyer, and check whether the monsoon season (roughly May–October) affects sailings.