Phuket takes more preparation than you might think: the island has almost no public transport, prices vary wildly depending on how you travel, and September is the worst month for the beach. Here is how I prepare, covering actual prices in baht and euros, the seasons, visas, apps and scams; for beaches and excursions, my complete guide to visiting Phuket takes over.
- Planning a trip to Phuket: when to go?
- What visa and paperwork do you need before you go?
- How do you get there from France?
- How much does it cost?
- How do you get around the island?
- Which scams should you avoid?
- Is it safe?
- What local etiquette should you follow?
- What should you pack?
- My other Phuket guides
Planning a trip to Phuket: when to go?
Phuket’s climate follows a simple pattern: dry season, hot season and monsoon, with marked differences that go beyond rainfall.
December to March, the high season, is the best time to visit Phuket in my view: clear skies and calm seas for enjoying the beaches and island-hopping trips. It is also the most expensive and busiest time: hotel prices soar and the beaches fill up.
For snorkeling in the Phi Phi Islands or diving off the west coast, these months offer the calmest waters.
April and May make up the hot season. April is draining, with temperatures easily exceeding 35 °C and oppressive humidity, and the only respite comes from Songkran, the Thai water festival, in mid-April. May marks the start of the rainy season, with more frequent showers, usually short, heavy downpours rather than constant drizzle. Prices drop noticeably: if you can handle the heat, April and May offer deserted beaches and genuine accommodation bargains.
The monsoon runs from June to October. From June to August, showers are regular, generally 30 to 60 minutes of heavy rain followed by sunshine, and you can still have a great trip: quiet beaches, low prices and a peaceful island. However, the sea gets rough on the west coast, and red flags, which mean swimming is prohibited, are regularly raised on the beaches of Patong, Kata and Karon.
September, the wettest month, is the worst time to visit Phuket in my view if the beach matters to you: dangerous rip currents and large waves make water activities impossible, and ferries to nearby islands are often canceled. Avoid this month unless you are coming solely for the food and culture.
For me, late October is the ideal window: the rain eases, prices have not yet risen, and you get conditions close to high season at low-season rates. My take: “the high-season atmosphere at low-season prices”.
In November, the shoulder season, the weather clears up quickly and high-season rates return without reaching their peak: a good compromise for decent weather without the peak-season crowds.
My tip for low season: between May and October, choose a hotel with a good pool. The sea will be too rough on many days, and the pool will become your main swimming spot.
If it rains, there are plenty of alternatives: the Aquaria aquarium at Central Phuket Floresta shopping mall, affordable VIP cinemas, long Thai massage sessions or a stroll among the Sino-Portuguese architecture of Phuket Old Town.
What visa and paperwork do you need before you go?
France is on Thailand’s visa exemption list: with a French passport, you can enter without a visa for a tourist stay. The standard exemption allows a stay of 30 days, a duration Thailand has periodically extended to 60 days, so check the current policy before booking. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after your arrival date.
Immigration officers may ask for proof of a return flight (a return plane ticket or an onward ticket out of Thailand), and some airlines check this at boarding. If you have no fixed departure date, a low-cost onward ticket reservation will save you complications at the check-in counter.
No specific vaccinations are required to enter Thailand, but I strongly recommend travel insurance (details in the safety section).
1 hour of planning saves you the most common frustrations, because the gap between a planned trip and an improvised one is bigger in Phuket than in most destinations, mainly because of transport and scams. Before your flight, get your International Driving Permit from the prefecture if you plan to rent a scooter, download Bolt, Grab and InDrive, and check that your travel insurance covers Thailand and, if applicable, riding motorized 2-wheelers. Also let your bank know about your trip to prevent your card from being blocked abroad.
How do you get there from France?
Phuket International Airport (HKT) receives direct flights from several Asian hubs. From France, you will most often connect through Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang), Doha, Dubai or Singapore, with airlines such as Thai Airways, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Singapore Airlines.
From Paris, an economy return ticket generally costs 400 to 700 EUR depending on the season and how far ahead you book, with high-season flights (December to February) at the upper end of the range. I recommend booking 2 to 3 months ahead to get the best peak-season fares.
If you connect through Bangkok, you can take a domestic flight to Phuket: around 1 hour, 1,500 to 3,000 THB one way (40 to 80 EUR), with AirAsia, Nok Air or Thai Lion Air. The road journey takes 10 to 12 hours and is only worth it if you want to make stops along the way.
On arrival, a taxi from the airport to most beach areas costs 600 to 800 THB or more (16 to 21 EUR), and the Smart Bus costs 100 THB, but it is slow. Check Bolt and Grab prices in the apps as soon as you land and compare.
For data, I advise against the overpriced tourist SIM cards at the airport: any 7-Eleven or AIS shop in town sells a prepaid SIM card for half the price. The main providers, AIS, DTAC and TrueMove, all offer data plans that work across the island, and with an eSIM-compatible phone (check before you leave), you can set one up before you even land. WiFi is available in most hotels, restaurants and cafés, but a local SIM card with data is much more convenient for Bolt and Grab, which need mobile data to work.
How much does it cost?
One of the most common misconceptions about Phuket is that everything is cheap. To me, there are “two Phukets” when it comes to prices: local Phuket, with scooters, open-air food stalls and beers bought at 7-Eleven, and tourist Phuket, with air-conditioned restaurants, tuk-tuks everywhere and beach club cocktails.
Excluding accommodation, you can get by on a tight budget of 1,000 to 1,500 THB per day (around 26 to 40 EUR): pad thai from street stalls, free beaches, little alcohol and no cocktails, and getting around on foot or by Smart Bus. For a mid-range budget, allow 2,500 to 3,500 THB per day (65 to 90 EUR) for Thai restaurants with table service, an occasional cocktail, ride-hailing trips and one or two paid activities, such as a boat trip to the islands or a diving trip. At the luxury end, budget 5,000 THB or more per day (130+ EUR) for fine dining, beach clubs, private transfers and activities without watching your spending.
For food, street food and dishes at local canteens cost 50 to 80 THB per plate (1.30 to 2 EUR): pad kra pao, som tam or rice topped with grilled meat. A meal at a Thai restaurant with table service costs 100 to 400 THB depending on the place (2.60 to 10 EUR). I cook these dishes at home: my recipes for pad thai, pad kra pao and som tam are on the site, along with the rest of my Thai cooking.
At the night markets, I found 15 to 20 shucked oysters for around 70 THB and fruit milkshakes for 50 THB. Eating street food is one of the best ways to save money, and you’ll find my recommendations in my guide to where to eat in Phuket.
Western food often costs more than in France, with European prices or higher: imported ingredients (cheese, wine, beef) are heavily taxed, so a pizza or burger can easily cost 300+ THB at a restaurant (8+ EUR).
7-Eleven is a budget traveler’s best friend in Thailand, and it was mine in Phuket. Beer costs 50 to 60 THB there (compared with 80 to 120 in a bar), toasted sandwiches are cheap and water costs next to nothing. You can also grab a drink there before heading out on a bar crawl in Patong.
A diving trip costs 2,000 to 3,000 THB (52 to 78 EUR), and a visit to an ethical elephant sanctuary costs around 2,500 THB (65 EUR): all the activities and excursions in Phuket are in my dedicated guide. Island-hopping trips vary widely in price, and I booked mine through a local kiosk rather than Viator or travel review sites: you pay 30 to 50% less, and you can negotiate in person.
Thai ATMs charge a flat fee of around 220 THB (about 6 EUR) per withdrawal, on top of any fees from your bank: withdraw the maximum amount allowed (usually 20,000 to 30,000 THB) each time to keep fees down.
Better still, bring euros in cash and exchange them at a SuperRich branch (look for the green or orange signs). I exchanged some euros for baht there when I arrived: their rates are consistently better than those at banks and ATMs, and much better than at currency exchange offices in France.
How do you get around the island?
Transport was my biggest surprise expense in Phuket. Unlike Bangkok, with its BTS, MRT and cheap taxis, Phuket has almost no public transport. Your transport costs depend heavily on where you stay, so choose your area carefully when booking.
I downloaded three apps before landing: Bolt, InDrive and Grab. Bolt is generally the cheapest, with fares 20 to 30% lower than Grab’s. InDrive lets you suggest your own price, which works well for longer journeys, but drivers may ignore offers that are too low. Grab is the most reliable, with the best driver coverage, but also the most expensive.
My strategy: I open Bolt first to check the price, and if no driver accepts after a minute, I switch to Grab. I use the Bolt price as a benchmark if I end up negotiating with a tuk-tuk driver. Add a bank card to all three apps so you never fall victim to the “I don’t have change” trick.
Good to know: in some areas, such as outside beach clubs or near Bangla Road late at night, ride-hailing drivers can’t pick you up because local tuk-tuk drivers block access. Walk a block or two away to meet your driver.
In Phuket, a tuk-tuk is a small red van, usually a Daihatsu Hijet, whereas the Bangkok version has three wheels. Tuk-tuks are controlled by a transport “mafia,” with coordinated fixed prices that no driver will undercut. Expect to pay at least 200 THB (5 EUR) for a short trip within Patong, and 400 to 500 THB (10 to 13 EUR) between two beaches (Patong-Karon, for example).
Always agree on the price before getting in: once you’re seated, you lose all bargaining power. If a tuk-tuk asks for more than Bolt quotes for an air-conditioned car, walk away.
The Phuket Smart Bus connects the airport to the main beach resorts for a flat fare of 100 THB (2.60 EUR). It’s the cheapest option if you’re traveling alone, but it’s slow (up to two hours to reach Kata because of traffic), its air conditioning is set to freezing, and it runs roughly every hour.
You pay by PromptPay QR code or in cash with the exact amount, as no change is given. Stops aren’t always clearly marked: wave enthusiastically when you see the white and blue bus approaching. For three or four people, sharing a Bolt ride is faster and costs roughly the same per person.
Renting a scooter, at 200-250 THB per day (5 to 7 EUR), is the cheapest and most flexible way to get around. My warning: only rent a scooter if you already ride a motorbike or scooter in France. Phuket’s roads are genuinely dangerous: sand builds up on bends, hills are steep and local drivers are unpredictable.
Hospital bills after an accident run into tens of thousands of euros, and there’s no shortage of fundraisers from tourists who learned this the hard way. If you decide to rent, you need an International Driving Permit (IDP) with the motorcycle category, which you must obtain from your prefecture before departure. Without this permit, your travel insurance won’t cover any accidents, and police checks, frequent near Chalong roundabout, at the entrance to Patong and on the road leading there, will land you an official fine of 500 to 1,000 THB (13 to 26 EUR).
Never leave your passport as a deposit: offer a cash deposit of 3,000 to 5,000 THB with a photocopy of your passport, and if the rental company insists on keeping the original, go elsewhere. Before setting off, film the entire scooter, zoom in on every scratch and send the video to the rental company via WhatsApp with a timestamp: this protects you from fake damage scams when you return it.
For reliable rental companies, I recommend Renty in Rawai and Cheap2Rent. Avoid rentals along Patong’s beachfront, where prices are inflated.
If you want the speed of a scooter without driving yourself, Grab Bike and Bolt Bike let you ride on the back of a motorcycle taxi, much cheaper than a car with a driver and faster in traffic jams.
What scams should you avoid?
Phuket has its well-practiced scams, targeting tourists year after year: knowing about them in advance is still the best defense.
The jet ski scam is particularly common in Patong. You return your rented jet ski, and the operator suddenly claims you scratched the hull: they demand 30,000 to 50,000 THB in “compensation” (780 to 1,300 EUR) and threaten to call the police, who may take their side. My safest advice: simply don’t rent a jet ski in Phuket. If you’re absolutely set on it, film the craft in detail before touching it, with the operator present and visible in the video.
The scooter damage scam follows the same principle: when you return it, the rental operator points to a “scratch” (often already there) and demands 15,000 THB or more (390+ EUR). Take the same rental precautions: a cash deposit, a timestamped video sent to the rental operator, and never your passport.
On Bangla Road, touts wave menus advertising cheap drinks (100 THB) to lure you into ping-pong shows. Once you’re seated, hidden charges pile up (mandatory “lady drinks” at 200+ THB each, exit fees, inflated bills), and bouncers become aggressive if you refuse to pay. Stick to the open-air bars along Bangla Road or established venues like Illuzion, where pricing is transparent.
In the tailor diversion scam, a friendly stranger or tuk-tuk driver tells you an attraction is “closed today” and offers to take you to a “factory outlet” or a tailor instead. The suits sold there are made from cheap polyester, glued rather than stitched, and fall apart within weeks. Reputable tailors don’t need touts: for a custom-made suit, find a reputable tailor yourself, insist on several fittings spread over several days, and be wary of anyone promising a suit in 24 hours.
The timeshare trap starts with a friendly Western couple approaching you with a survey or a scratch card. You “win” a prize, and to collect it, you have to sit through a high-pressure 90-minute timeshare presentation. Your time is worth more than a free T-shirt: decline and keep walking.
At police checkpoints, some officers ask you to pay the 500 to 1,000 THB fine (13 to 26 EUR) for riding a scooter without an IDP on the spot, in cash. If you pay, ask for a receipt: it is valid at other checkpoints for a few days. Never argue aggressively with the Thai police.
Is it safe?
Phuket is generally safe, and attacks on tourists are rare. The main risks are scams, scooter accidents, and drink spiking in Patong’s nightlife areas. Women traveling alone can get around freely, including in tourist areas in the evening, and a firm “no thanks” is enough to deal with massage parlor and bar touts.
Avoid walking alone at night on the unlit roads between beaches: there are no sidewalks and the traffic is dangerous. In the evening, I took a Grab to get from one beach to another.
For me, travel insurance is essential. Medical care in Thailand is high quality (Bangkok Hospital Phuket and Vachira Phuket Hospital are both well equipped), but costs rise quickly without coverage, especially after a scooter accident.
Be aware: the European Health Insurance Card does not work in Thailand, so take out insurance before you leave. If you rent a scooter or motorcycle, most insurers require a valid IDP for coverage to apply.
The tropical sun is much more intense than in France: apply sunscreen generously and reapply after every swim. Heatstroke is common among tourists, especially during the hot season (April-May), so drink more water than you think you need.
Don’t drink tap water: bottled water costs a few baht and is available at every 7-Eleven. Street food is generally safe, as fast turnover means fresh dishes, but use common sense: eat at stalls popular with locals.
Dengue is present in Thailand, and mosquitoes are particularly active at dusk: use a DEET-based repellent, especially outdoors in the evening. I bought mine at a pharmacy in Phuket, where effective local brands sell for next to nothing.
By the sea, a red flag on the beaches means no swimming. Full stop. Rip currents off Phuket’s west coast beaches kill tourists every year, especially during the monsoon (May to October): check the flags before entering the water and don’t overestimate your swimming ability in rough seas.
What local customs should you respect?
A few rules matter in Thailand and may surprise you. At temples, I covered my shoulders and knees and removed my shoes before entering each building: the rule applies to women and men alike.
Never make disrespectful comments about the Thai monarchy. Lèse-majesté is a criminal offense in Thailand, and the law is enforced, including for casual remarks, social media posts, and defacing banknotes, which bear the king’s image.
Feet are considered the lowest and most impure part of the body: don’t point them at people or images of the Buddha, and don’t put them on furniture when others are around. Conversely, the head is the most sacred part of the body: don’t touch anyone’s head, including children’s.
I haggle at markets and with tuk-tuk drivers: at markets, I start at around 60% of the quoted price and negotiate from there. There is no haggling in restaurants, 7-Elevens, or shops displaying fixed prices. Tipping is optional: 20 to 50 THB for good restaurant service is appreciated, and rounding up the bill works perfectly well.
An important social rule: don’t argue aggressively with locals, especially the police or drivers. Confrontation in Thailand doesn’t work the same way as in France: people stick together, and an argument that would have no consequences back home can escalate here. Stay calm, smile, and walk away from situations that seem tense.
What should you pack?
Travel light: Phuket is hot and humid all year round, and you’ll be in shorts and a T-shirt most of the time. Light, breathable clothing (cotton or linen) is enough for everyday wear, and a waterproof windbreaker or compact umbrella is essential if you’re going between May and October.
Reef-friendly sunscreen protects both your skin and the coral, and a DEET-based mosquito repellent is just as essential. Water shoes are useful for rocky beaches and walking on reefs.
Bring a photocopy of your passport for scooter rental deposits, so you never have to hand over the original. If you plan to ride a scooter, your IDP should be in your bag before you leave France.
A universal plug adapter covers the different socket types used in Thailand. I left my dressy outfits at home: even Phuket’s fanciest restaurants are casual by European standards.
My other Phuket guides
If you’re arriving via Bangkok, my guide to planning your stay in the capital is ready for you. If Bali is also on your list, read my practical guide to planning a trip to Bali, and if you’re continuing to Vietnam, my guide to planning a trip to Hanoi. For beaches, excursions, and life on the island, it’s all in my complete Phuket guide.
