Planning
How Many Days in Phuket Is Enough? Three Sample Plans From a Villa
The straight answer (five to seven nights), what you can fit into three, and how to stretch to ten with Phi Phi or Krabi.
Five to seven nights is enough for Phuket. That covers two or three beach days, one boat trip, one day in Phuket Old Town, one rest day by the pool and a sunset at Promthep Cape, without ever feeling rushed. Three nights is the minimum that makes the flight worthwhile. Ten nights or more only makes sense if you add Krabi, Phi Phi or Khao Sok, or if you are here to do nothing at all, which a villa is very good for.
Below are three plans we give guests who ask, all from a base in Bang Tao on the north-west coast, which is where the drive times work.
Why one base beats moving around
Phuket's roads are slow: the island is 50 kilometres long and crossing it takes an hour. Changing hotels twice in a week costs you two half-days of packing and traffic. A villa in the north-west puts the airport 35 minutes away, Old Town 45, Patong 40 and the piers for Phang Nga Bay and the Similans within an hour, so everything below is a day trip with your own pool to come home to. Our area guide explains the choice of base.
Three nights: the long weekend
Enough for a taste, and the right length for a stopover on the way to somewhere else.
- Day 1: Land, transfer to the villa, swim, dinner at Boat Avenue (ten minutes) or delivered to the villa through the Grab app.
- Day 2: Boat day. Phang Nga Bay by longtail for scenery and sea caves, or Phi Phi by speedboat for the beaches. Back by five, sunset on Bang Tao beach.
- Day 3: Morning at Nai Thon or Layan beach, afternoon in Phuket Old Town for the shophouses and coffee, dinner there.
- Day 4: Late checkout if we can arrange it, airport in 35 minutes.
Skip: Patong, Big Buddha, anything south of Kata. There is no time.
Seven nights: the proper holiday
This is the plan most guests end up following, with the order shuffled around the weather.
- Day 1: Arrive, settle in, a quick run to Villa Market at Boat Avenue for groceries.
- Day 2: Beach day at Bang Tao. Lunch at a beach club (Catch or Rava), evening at the Friday night market if it is Friday.
- Day 3: Phang Nga Bay. Early-bird tour beats the crowds at James Bond Island; back mid-afternoon.
- Day 4: Rest day. Pool all morning, a massage at one of the spas around Boat Avenue or a Thai cooking class in the afternoon.
- Day 5: South of the island: Big Buddha, Wat Chalong, Nai Harn beach, sunset at Promthep Cape, seafood dinner in Rawai. A private driver for the day is the easy way to do it.
- Day 6: Phi Phi Islands by speedboat, or the Similan Islands from mid-October to mid-May if snorkelling is the priority.
- Day 7: Phuket Old Town in the late afternoon (the Sunday walking street if the day lines up), last dinner.
- Day 8: Departure.
Ten nights: Phuket plus one more place
Keep the seven-night plan and add three nights elsewhere, in this order of preference:
- Krabi (Ao Nang or Railay). Two hours by ferry from Phuket or three by road. Different scenery, limestone cliffs on the beach. Come back to Phuket for the flight home.
- Phi Phi overnight. Stay a night or two on the island instead of day-tripping; the evenings are what the day boats miss.
- Khao Sok. Three hours north; a night on a floating raft house on Cheow Lan Lake is the most memorable single night in southern Thailand.
Alternatively, stay ten nights in the villa and do half as much per day. Families with small children and anyone on their second visit usually prefer this, and the longer stay brings the nightly rate down.
With children
Seven nights, and cut the boat trips to one. Add the Blue Tree water park in Cherng Talay, an ethical elephant sanctuary (the ones where you walk and feed, not ride), the Phuket Aquarium on a wet afternoon, and long mornings in the pool. A three-bedroom villa in Cherng Talay with a fenced pool is the base that makes this easy; see our villas.
Frequently asked questions
Is 3 days in Phuket enough?
Three nights gives you one boat trip, one beach day and an evening in Old Town. It is enough for a stopover, not for a holiday. Five to seven nights is the comfortable length.
Is a week in Phuket too long?
No. A week fits the beaches, a boat trip to Phang Nga Bay, a day in the south, a rest day and Old Town without rushing, and most guests wish they had one more day.
How many days in Phuket and Krabi?
Ten nights: seven in Phuket and three in Krabi, joined by a two-hour ferry. Fewer than ten and the transfer days eat the holiday.
Should I stay in one place in Phuket or move around?
One place. The island's roads are slow and every sight is a day trip from a base in the north-west, so moving villas costs time and gains little.
What is the best time of year for a week in Phuket?
November to April for flat seas and dry days, with December to February the peak. May to July is the best value with sunny mornings and short afternoon showers; see our month-by-month guide.
