Three Beaches in Phuket Worth the Trip (and How to Swim Safely)

Phuket faces the Andaman Sea, and from roughly May to October the southwest monsoon pushes heavy surf onto the west coast beaches. That surf creates rip currents, and people drown here every year, including strong swimmers.

The system is simple and it is not advisory. A red flag means do not swim. Two red flags together mean the water is closed. Green means it is fine. If a beach has a lifeguard tower and the flags are red, the sea is not safe for you no matter how calm it looks between the sets.

If you are caught in a current pulling you out, do not swim against it. Swim parallel to the shore until you are out of it, then come in. And do not go in after drinking; that is how most of the accidents actually happen.

With that said, here are three beaches worth the trip.

Kata Noi is the small beach south of Kata, tucked into its own bay with hills behind it. The sand is fine and pale, the bay is short enough to see both ends, and it has a fraction of the crowd of its bigger neighbour.

It is the easiest of the three to reach and the best for simply lying on for an afternoon. In high season there are sunbeds and a couple of places to eat; in low season it can be nearly empty and the surf can be serious.

Freedom Beach is the one that shows up in photographs: a few hundred metres of white sand against forested cliffs, with clear water and no road running behind it.

That last part is the point. You get there by longtail boat from Patong, or on foot down a steep, rough path that takes a while and is not fun in flip-flops. Because of that, it stays much quieter than beaches you can drive to. Agree the boat price both ways before you get in, and agree a pick-up time.

Bring water and something to eat. Facilities are minimal and the sun is direct.

Nai Harn, at the southern end of the island, is the one locals use. It is a wide curve of sand with a lagoon and a monastery behind it, far less built up than the beaches further north, and the water in the calm season is exceptionally clear.

There are proper lifeguards, shade under the trees at the back, and simple food. From here it is a short ride to Promthep Cape, the headland at the island's southern tip, which is the sunset spot on Phuket. Go early for a place at the railing; a lot of people have the same idea.

Patong is the beach everyone has heard of, and it is worth being straight about it. It is long and it is busy, the strip behind it is loud, commercial and aimed squarely at visitors, and it is not what most people mean when they picture a Thai beach.

That does not make it worthless: it has the widest range of food, the boats to Freedom Beach, and the nightlife if that is what you came for. Just do not build a beach holiday around it.

One warning that is very well established here: be careful with jet ski rentals on the busier beaches. Damage claims after a rental are a known problem. Photograph the machine thoroughly before you take it out, or skip it entirely.

Phuket is not only beaches, and the part most visitors skip is the best. Old Phuket Town has streets of Sino-Portuguese shophouses in faded pastels, built by the Chinese families who made their money in tin mining, along with temples, coffee shops and one of the better street-food scenes in southern Thailand.

Go on a Sunday evening for the walking street market. It is the one part of Phuket that feels like a place with its own life rather than a resort.

Old Phuket Town is compact, walkable and full of detail: shuttered windows, shrine doors, the lettering above the shops. A city game gives that walk a route with clues, which is a good use of the hours when the beach is too hot to sit on. It works well with a family or a group.

If you want the town as well as the sand, walk it with a playing route. Here is how it works, and for team outings and larger groups we have formats on this page. Questions about dates, group sizes or routes? Get in touch. Flying via the capital? Bangkok.