Phuket Cultural Tour: Places to Visit & Things to do

Like many Asian tourist destinations, Thailand, and its cities, are known for holding on and successfully preserving their traditions and culture. In modern times, these remnants of culture and age-old traditions offer a glimpse into the lifestyle of the ancestors that shaped the way of life of the modern Thai citizen.

An absolute treat for the culture buff inside you, Thailand’s cities, like Phuket, have a vast treasure rich with a heady dose of culture. All you need to explore the cultural treasures of Phuket is a willingness to explore, as we’ve taken care of the research for you.

Before you book a Phuket package for this experience, here’s our blueprint of the Phuket Cultural Tour:

• Phuket Fantasea

Description: Phuket Fantasea is a cultural theme park that showcases elaborate and fantastic performances in association with 400 people, 44 elephants, three tigers, 40 goats, 40 chickens, and 400 pigeons. The Show demonstrates Thailand’s rich heritage and presents the beauty of Thailand. It is packed with varied activities and entertainment such as games, handicrafts, and shopping.

Distance from Patong Beach

Phuket Fantasea is situated at a distance of approximately 9.9 kilometers from Patong Beach. It takes around 16 minutes to reach Karon Beach from the Patong Beach via Route 4030 or Route 4233.

How to Reach

The distance by road between Patong to Phuket Fantasea is 10 kilometers approximately and driving time from Patong to Phuket Fantasea is around 16 minutes. You can take a taxi or tuk-tuk from the hotel you are staying in Patong. But generally, transfers are included in the show ticket price in case you are booking through an agent. Agents do pick-up guests from various points in shared minibusses and drop you at the show and then again pick you up at a prior agreed-upon time from a particular point for the drop back to the hotel. Hotels also arrange for pick-up and drop but they are usually expensive. The quickest way to get from Patong to Phuket Fantasea is to hire a taxi which will cost 300 – 385 baht approximately and will take around 16 minutes to reach.

There are regular buses plying between both the points. You can board the Phuket Smart Bus from Patong station which connects it to Phuket Fantasea station. It takes 25 minutes and departs hourly. The tickets will cost around 170 baht and are the cheapest mode of travel.

• Wat Chalong

Wat Chalong is a Buddhist temple that is a popular and historical landmark and in Phuket’s Chalong Bay. It is a favourite place of worship for the locals. The westerners come here to learn about Buddhism. This temple is also known as Wat Chaitararam and is located on Chao Fa West Road in the northern part of Tambol Chalong. 

Distance from Patong Beach

Wat Chalong is located at a distance of approximately 19 kilometers from Patong Beach. It takes around 30 minutes to reach Wat Chalong from the Patong Beach via Route 4030 or route 4028.

How to Reach

Wat Chalong, the most important temple of Phuket among the 29 Buddhist temples, can be reached by traveling a little more than 18 km southeast of the popular Phuket beach. From this point, there are buses/Blue Songtaews every half an hour to reach Patong and takes roughly 50 minutes. Taxi takes merely 18 minutes to reach Wat Chalong from Patong and will cost you around 470 to 600 baht. Trekking enthusiasts can even walk down from Patong to Wat Chalong and it will take around 2 hours to cover the approximate distance of 9.5 kilometers. Or taxi service can be hired for a half-day tour package covering several prominent tourist spots of Phuket to be clubbed along with Wat Chalong. Places such as Big Buddha Phuket, Kata Beach, Karon Viewpoint, Old Phuket Town, Methee Phuket, Big Bee Farm, Sino-Portuguese Building, Nai Harn Beach, Khao Rang Hill View Point, Banzaan Fresh Market, Wind Mill View Point, Cashew Nut Factory and Promthep Cape can be included. The tours can extend for 4 hours, 6 hours or 8 hours. The number of destinations you will cover will depend on the trip duration and day package chosen.

• Phuket Simon Cabaret

Phuket Simon Cabaret is a scintillating and glamourous entertainment show and can be identified as Phuket’s Best Cabaret Show, making for a special night of entertainment. Phuket Simon Cabaret is a theatre offering an evening of live music, dance and comedy performances by a troupe of transgender entertainers. It was established in the year 1991 and offers a spectacular display of color, originality, and fun.

Distance from Patong Beach

Phuket Simon Cabaret is located very close at an approximate distance of 2.4 kilometers from Patong Beach. It takes hardly 5 minutes to reach Phuket Simon Cabaret from the Patong Beach via Route 4030.

How to Reach

Phuket Simon Cabaret shows regular tickets come with a shuttle package that includes pick and drop from specific hotels. It is located quite close and you can simply walk down from the Patong Beach. Taxi, tuk-tuk, and bus are the other options to reach Phuket Simon Cabaret from Patong Beach.

• Old Phuket Town

Lively Phuket Old Town showcases a demure old-world charm with brightly painted, century-old Sino-Portuguese townhouses. The architecture has been well-preserved with houses lined in a row along Soi Romanee. The main street or Thalang Road is full of stores that sell artisanal ice cream and batik fabrics. The town also hosts a Sunday market for souvenirs and street food. 

Distance from Patong Beach

Phuket Old Town is located at a distance of approximately 13 kilometers from Patong Beach. The road distance would be around half an hour to reach Phuket Old Town from the Patong Beach via Route 4029 or Route 4020. 

How to Reach

You can reach Phuket Old Town from Patong Beach by Blue Songtaews by spending 30 baht and is also the cheapest way to travel. The bus travel duration is a little less than an hour. Take a taxi that will cost you 400 – 510 baht to travel the same distance. 

• Siam Niramit Phuket

Siam Niramit Phuket is a cultural extravaganza that portrays the artistic and cultural heritage of Thailand through songs, dance routines, and traditional martial arts. The 70-minute show is immensely popular adding variety and vitality to Phuket’s entertainment options. The theatre is perfectly located just off the bypass in the outskirts of Phuket Town on lakeside land. 

Distance from Patong Beach

Siam Niramit Phuket is located at a distance of 12.4 kilometers from Patong Beach. It takes approximately 20 minutes to reach Siam Niramit Phuket from the Patong Beach via Route 4027. An alternative route is 4030 which is around 36 kilometers and takes around 46 minutes to travel from point to point.

How to Reach

The distance from Patong Beach to Siam Niramit Phuket can be covered by bus Blue Songtaews by paying a bus fare of 70 – 85 baht and takes around 2.5 hours to reach the destination with breaks/transfers. There are no direct buses and buses go via a break in Phuket Town. On the contrary, a taxi takes just 15 minutes to reach but is expensive, charging around 385 – 512 baht to cover the same distance. Siam Niramit Phuket tour comes with optional dinner and transfer. Choosing a tour of the show with transfer saves the hassle of looking for transportation separately.

I hope the information on cultural places and sightseeing was very helpful in preparing your itinerary for Phuket, Thailand. For any other information on Phuket like places to visit, things to do or best months to visit Phuket, please visit https://www.thailand-tourism.net/.