India to Phuket, Thailand: Detailed travel guide, tips
This post offers one stop listing of all my blog posts related to Phuket, Thailand and helps you plan your visit to Phuket and nearby places. I had over a dozen different posts covering various aspects of travling to Phuket, Thailand but since Google search shows only one or two results per domain, I was kind of forced to do one post which will serve as master post for Phuket, providing links to all other posts and answers to key questions tourists visiting or planning a visit to Phuket may have.
Quick Summary of my Phuket Blog Posts
India to Phuket, Thailand visit FAQs
1. How many days should I plan for Phuket visit?
A: 3 days absolute minimum, 7 days recommended (with a day or two in Phi Phi island), 10-12 days if you can afford- at leisure in Phuket, Krabi, Phi Phi area.
2. What are the major attractions to visit/Things to do while in Phuket?
Everyone visits James bond island- a small otherwise normal island made popular by a bond movie. Away from city-package tour may cost around 50 USD per person, you can also try visiting on your own
Within Phuket city limits there're many beaches, view points, temples worth visiting- refer my itineraries here
For entertainment, there're Cabarret shows, ATV Ride, Zoo, etc
3. How to get around in Phuket?
Renting a scooter is most convenient option. You can hail autos (tuk tuk) between two points or use grab app to hail a ride. Shared vans and public buses are also available, check with travel agent near your hotel
4. How much should we budget for visiting Phuket?
Here's a rough estimate:
Air fare from India: Between INR 13000-20000 per person return (more than that, I would say avoid)
Stay- mid range: INR 2500 per night, 2 people
Local activities, transport, entry fees: Factor 2000 Rs per person per day, can be done for less also
Food & drinks: INR 500 per person per day
That is 26000+24000+28000+7000 = 85000 INR for 2 people/1 week trip, with reasonable comfort and luxury. You can bring it down to 50000-60000 INR for 2 people if you can stay at slightly cheaper hotels and avoid few expensive attractions/activities and manage your local transportation cheap.
I've done a 5 day trip to Phuket in 2017 for about 35000 INR, but this was with cheap hostel stay, scooter rental, super cheap tickets, avoiding expensive activities/attractions and extreme budget way of exploring the town.
5. Best time to visit Phuket
Phuket can be visited year around. But popular season is September to Feb. March to May is peak summer and hotter than normal, June to October is monsoon. But I visited in August which was off season- got some rains but could still explore very well. June to October will be cheaper being off season- factor that you might have to spend a day or two indoors if it rains heavily. I also got entire hostel room for the price of 1 bed because it was off season and empty.
6. Where to plan our stay in Phuket?
Essentially there're 3 regions you can plan your stay in Phuket- each have their pros and cons. Best is to spend few days in each locality, if you're comfortable moving around.
Stay around Patong Beach area- easy access to most attractions-ideal for short visit or to spend initial few days in Phuket
7. Things to keep in mind/special tips for visiting Phuket, Thailand
- If possible enter via Phuket and return from Krabi- this will save you from having to come back to Phuket
- If you're using shared transportation to reach airport, factor an hour extra. The van may have 10 other pickups in different parts of city and may take more than normal time.
- Before renting scooter/jetski etc, take photo/video of all existing damages. Some fraudsters are known to extract money for existing damages claiming it is new. Don't surrender your passports to rental guys.
- Tender coconut is very cheap- drink them a lot for hydration and refreshment while in Phuket.
8. Availability of Indian vegetarian food in Phuket
There're several Indian restaurants and veg places, so managing good veg food is not a big problem. At least once a day you can have proper meal visiting Indian restaurants and rest of the time manage with whats available around.
Stay in Phuket old town- closer to boat ride to Phi Phi and Krabi
Stay in north Phuket, closer to airport or Phang Nga bay area- less crowd and serene places, better for relaxed stay and possibly lot cheaper than town- ideal for long term visits
9. Extending your trip from Phuket
If you have more time, you can extend your trip to other towns in Thailand like Chiang Mai, Bangkok etc or even fly to Cambodia, Vietnam etc. Phuket airport has direct international flights to neighboring countries.
10. Thailand Visa and immigration for Indians
Thailand is currently giving free visa on arrival to Indians. Depending on your flight, you might have to clear immigration in Bangkok if it is via Bangkok or in Phuket if it is direct flight. Do carry enough cash, (10000 THB per person), hotel confirmations. Depending on the crowd, it may take an hour or two for visa on arrival process to complete.
Coming up- Similar guide posts for other destinations.
Booking.com
Quick Summary of my Phuket Blog Posts
Before visiting Phuket,
Thailand
(Planning tips)
|
Places to visit in Phuket,
Thailand
(Detailed Reviews)
|
|
#2 Phuket + Phi Phi + Krabi itinerary (7 days)
|
|
Places to Stay & Eat
|
Other useful Phuket Blog posts
|
Flying to Phuket- from
airlineblog.in
(Airlines, cheap tickets, tips)
|
Similar destinations/Alternate
options
|
Coming soon
1) Bali Indonesia detailed Guide
2) Melaka, Malaysia detailed Guide
3) Macau travel guide 4) Brunei Travel Guide 5) Vietnam Travel Guide 6) Myanmar Travel Guide |
India to Phuket, Thailand visit FAQs
1. How many days should I plan for Phuket visit?
A: 3 days absolute minimum, 7 days recommended (with a day or two in Phi Phi island), 10-12 days if you can afford- at leisure in Phuket, Krabi, Phi Phi area.
2. What are the major attractions to visit/Things to do while in Phuket?
Everyone visits James bond island- a small otherwise normal island made popular by a bond movie. Away from city-package tour may cost around 50 USD per person, you can also try visiting on your own
Within Phuket city limits there're many beaches, view points, temples worth visiting- refer my itineraries here
For entertainment, there're Cabarret shows, ATV Ride, Zoo, etc
3. How to get around in Phuket?
Renting a scooter is most convenient option. You can hail autos (tuk tuk) between two points or use grab app to hail a ride. Shared vans and public buses are also available, check with travel agent near your hotel
4. How much should we budget for visiting Phuket?
Here's a rough estimate:
Air fare from India: Between INR 13000-20000 per person return (more than that, I would say avoid)
Stay- mid range: INR 2500 per night, 2 people
Local activities, transport, entry fees: Factor 2000 Rs per person per day, can be done for less also
Food & drinks: INR 500 per person per day
That is 26000+24000+28000+7000 = 85000 INR for 2 people/1 week trip, with reasonable comfort and luxury. You can bring it down to 50000-60000 INR for 2 people if you can stay at slightly cheaper hotels and avoid few expensive attractions/activities and manage your local transportation cheap.
I've done a 5 day trip to Phuket in 2017 for about 35000 INR, but this was with cheap hostel stay, scooter rental, super cheap tickets, avoiding expensive activities/attractions and extreme budget way of exploring the town.
5. Best time to visit Phuket
Phuket can be visited year around. But popular season is September to Feb. March to May is peak summer and hotter than normal, June to October is monsoon. But I visited in August which was off season- got some rains but could still explore very well. June to October will be cheaper being off season- factor that you might have to spend a day or two indoors if it rains heavily. I also got entire hostel room for the price of 1 bed because it was off season and empty.
6. Where to plan our stay in Phuket?
Essentially there're 3 regions you can plan your stay in Phuket- each have their pros and cons. Best is to spend few days in each locality, if you're comfortable moving around.
Stay around Patong Beach area- easy access to most attractions-ideal for short visit or to spend initial few days in Phuket
7. Things to keep in mind/special tips for visiting Phuket, Thailand
- If possible enter via Phuket and return from Krabi- this will save you from having to come back to Phuket
- If you're using shared transportation to reach airport, factor an hour extra. The van may have 10 other pickups in different parts of city and may take more than normal time.
- Before renting scooter/jetski etc, take photo/video of all existing damages. Some fraudsters are known to extract money for existing damages claiming it is new. Don't surrender your passports to rental guys.
- Tender coconut is very cheap- drink them a lot for hydration and refreshment while in Phuket.
8. Availability of Indian vegetarian food in Phuket
There're several Indian restaurants and veg places, so managing good veg food is not a big problem. At least once a day you can have proper meal visiting Indian restaurants and rest of the time manage with whats available around.
Stay in Phuket old town- closer to boat ride to Phi Phi and Krabi
Stay in north Phuket, closer to airport or Phang Nga bay area- less crowd and serene places, better for relaxed stay and possibly lot cheaper than town- ideal for long term visits
9. Extending your trip from Phuket
If you have more time, you can extend your trip to other towns in Thailand like Chiang Mai, Bangkok etc or even fly to Cambodia, Vietnam etc. Phuket airport has direct international flights to neighboring countries.
10. Thailand Visa and immigration for Indians
Thailand is currently giving free visa on arrival to Indians. Depending on your flight, you might have to clear immigration in Bangkok if it is via Bangkok or in Phuket if it is direct flight. Do carry enough cash, (10000 THB per person), hotel confirmations. Depending on the crowd, it may take an hour or two for visa on arrival process to complete.
Coming up- Similar guide posts for other destinations.
I love this blob n they way u doing without quitting ur job. I am definitely looking more destinations blobs from you. I m IT guy, maried n child N love traveling. But didnt manage with time n money. This will inspire me. Gr8. Thnks fir writing blobs, its motivational
ReplyDeletePhuket looks a charming place to visit. The photos and the landscapes are giving me real travel goals to plan a trip soon to this Thai paradise.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kalyan
DeletePhuket is my dream destination one day i will be there
ReplyDeleteFor the last few years, many Indians are heading to Thailand for a vacation and Phuket is one of the most visited cities. I got lots of information reading the Phuket visit FAQs. You have also made it easy for me to set a budget for the trip.
ReplyDelete