5 Fun Things to Do in Phuket This Fall

Well-known for exuberant nightlife, powdery beaches, and luxurious beachside hotels, Phuket is rightly known as the pearl of the Andaman. But there’s more to this hilly island than neon lights and island hopping. Whether you visit Phuket regularly or are a first-timer to Thailand’s largest island, here’s TAGTHAi’s pick of 5 fun things to do in Phuket this fall.

1. Eat Local Food at the Sunday Night Market Lard Yai

Every Sunday at 4 p.m., when the Lard Yai Sunday Night Market starts, Thalang Road in Phuket Old City morphs into a lively walking street. The Sunday Night Market is one of the best things to do in Phuket City. People stroll along the street stalls for local food like barbecue chicken grilled on skewers. Aside from spicy Som Tam – papaya salad that locals crave – street food vendors sell anything from oysters and chestnuts to grilled fish cakes.

The air is also filled with tantalizing aromas of Thai desserts like Kanom Bueang, crispy pancakes with sweet shredded coconut toppings and coconut cream. Pandan croissants, sweet grilled sticky rice, taro, and coconut pies or Oreo ice cream – undoubtedly, there’s plenty of lovely food to treat yourself to.

And then there are the yellow, blue, purple, and Barbie-pink rowhouses that make for memorable photographs. On their day tours in Phuket, many people visit Thalang Road just to snap pictures of these Sino-colonial mansions, which are beautifully lit once dusk falls. These repurposed homes now function as cafes, bars, galleries, or clothes and ice cream shops, which add variety to the stalls selling local delicacies and eye-catching handicrafts.

Whether you’re looking for souvenirs or local food, you’ll get your money’s worth at Lard Yai. Also, entertainment is guaranteed at the Sunday Night Market, one of the best things to do in Phuket Old Town, with Thai Manora dance performances and other street shows.

2. Go Fishing with a Sea Gypsy in the South of Phuket

One of the unusual things to do in Phuket is joining a sea gypsy on a fishing tour. Bang Lai, a 60-year-old sea gypsy – a person who spends his life between the land and sea – takes adventure travelers on fishing trips off the islands of Koh Kaeo and Koh Bon, weather permitting. He says he catches six fishes at a time, provided the wind isn’t too strong. Bang Lai used to free dive to go spearfishing when he was younger. Nowadays, he uses drift nets and traps made of wire and rattan or casts his line.

To get by, he welcomes tourists on his fishing trips for an adventurous day tour of Phuket, which costs between 1,000 and 2,500 baht ($33 - $83). The 1,000 baht ride includes a return trip to Koh Bon. For 2,500 baht, he takes people around the whole island of Koh Bon and back to Phuket, which takes some four hours.

To find him, go to the small patch of Rawai Beach near the Seafood Market. Meet Bang Lai at the wooden shacks after the Seafood Market, where roosters roam. You can also call him at +66 (0) 89 292 9616. He speaks a few words in English.

3. Hike to the Little-Known Laem Krating Cape

A lesser-known alternative to Laem Phromthep, considered by many to be the best sunset spot in Phuket, is Laem Krating. Unlike Laem Phromthep, which attracts about 3,000 people on a clear day, the Laem Krating cape has only been known among locals for a few years.

Today, some 100 people show up each day. And not without fair reason. An unbroken view of the sea and the sun sinking orange on the horizon make this spot a wonderful place to be at twilight.

Mind you, you’ll need to trek up a steep hill. The 30-minute hike from Baan Krating Resort near Nai Harn Beach requires a certain level of fitness. But once you reach Laem Krating’s horn-shaped rock, this day trip in Phuket rewards you with panoramic views of the ocean. It’s such a peaceful place; certainly one of the best things to do in Phuket.

4. Sip Coffee at Hom • mes Cafe

Visiting Hom • mes Cafe in the Rawai area should be on your list of fun and best things to do in Phuket. Snapping enchanting pictures, you can sip coffee in the garden under the Norfolk Island Pine or by the swimming pool next door.

Aptly named, the cafe makes you feel at home. You can make yourself comfortable in a wooden rocking chair or slump into an armchair. White, clean, and bright, Hom • mes features a dining- and living room-like interior. And house plants and cacti beauties add that extra bit of charm a cafe needs.

Coffee- and food-wise, Hom • mes scores with homemade espresso, baked treats, and fruity smoothies like the mango one.

5. Lounge on Banana (Rock) Beach

The fun name alone makes Banana Beach one of the fun things to do in Phuket. But we didn’t find any bananas on this paradise beach hidden behind woodland in Phuket’s northwest. The name derives from a wrong conclusion. Due to the funnel-shaped coast bordering the beach’s northern end, Thai people named it Haad Hin Gruay, or Funnel Rock Beach. When foreigners mistook Gruay for Gluay (banana), the name took root.

Interestingly, Banana Beach is coarse-grained in the north but flour-like in the south. The whims of nature have also played in the sea. The water isn’t shallow for a kilometer like on many other beaches in Phuket. While Banana Beach’s warm, green-tinted water and the heavenly setting are no longer a secret in the high season, it’s pretty peaceful here in the off-season. 

You can spread out your towel under a canopy of coconut and tropical almond trees and soak up the sun as the sea washes ashore.

Complete with two restaurants that work with fishermen who bring their catch every morning, rentable canoes, beach mats, and shovels, this 200m-long beach south of Nai Thon is great for families and chill-seekers alike.

Need more ideas on fun things to do in Phuket? Looking for a budget-friendly way to travel the island? TAGTHAi’s Phuket Day Pass offers you countless attractions for a flat fee of $47.70.