Attractions. Phuket Island description of sights. Scheme Phuket

The sights of Phuket, as well as the entire Kingdom of Thailand, offer a unique experience that sets them apart from other tourist destinations. The rich Buddhist history spanning thousands of years and the country's exotic natural beauty have left a lasting impression.

Travel Tips

To visit temples and religious statues:

Proper attire is required; beachwear such as shorts, tank tops, and flip flops is not acceptable.
Before entering any temple, it's customary to remove your shoes and show respect.

Phuket Religious Attractions

The sights of Phuket are primarily iconic architecture with cultural and religious value. The island is home not only to traditional Thai and Chinese-style Buddhist temples but also a Russian Orthodox church.

Big Buddha

The Big Buddha (Pha Puttamingmongkoi Akenakkiri Buddha) statue on Phuket Island is the biggest in the entire Kingdom of Thailand. The jade-covered concrete sculpture is 45 meters high and slightly over 25 meters wide.

The impressive size of the Buddha is explained by the fact that the statue is the youngest religious monument, and work is still being done on its interior decoration to this day.

An added bonus of Big Buddha is the magnificent overlook at the foot of the deity's statue, where you can see the whole of Phuket in the palm of your hand. There are four other smaller observation decks on the way to the attraction, offering views of Kata, Chalong, and Karon beaches, as well as an elephant village where you can ride the friendly giants.

Not far away are also:

Free parking.
Some marquees with drinks and light snacks.
Restaurants and cafes with national cuisine.
A tree with bells with inscriptions left by visitors.
Not a few human-sized Buddha statues of special interest to local monks.

Entry: Viewing the Big Buddha statue is free.
How to get there: Drive to Nakkerd Hill in south Phuket, passing Wat Chalong Temple.

Wat Chalong (Wat Chaitararam)

The largest Buddhist temple complex on Phuket Island is Wat Chalong, which means "Festival." Every year, more than 100 thousand tourists come to see this monumental cult complex. The first buildings on the territory of Wat Chalong were built in the early XIX century. Today, it includes such constructions:

The main temple with a tall spire, which houses several dozen golden Buddha statues as well as scriptures.
Two smaller temples.
The "three saints" house, which houses statues of the monks who founded the temple complex.
Kitchen, dining room, and prayer space for local monks.
A small shop selling souvenirs.

On the opposite side of the entrance spreads a lively lake.

How to get there: Take a car or motorcycle along Chao Fa Rd to the sign for Wat Chalong.

Wat Koh Siray

Wat Koh Siray temple is located on the small island of Koh Siray. It can be reached from Phuket Island via a special bridge built for sightseeing.

Besides its religious value, the temple is a good overlook of the sea gypsy village and the shore of the Andaman Sea. Not far from the main temple, which is drenched in exotic greenery, are monks' kellas built as separate cozy huts.

How to get there: Take a bus from Phuket Town for 10 THB.

Holy Trinity Church

The Orthodox Church on Phuket Island was built in 2008. It is currently the largest Christian church in all of Thailand. It is open daily from 7:00am to 9:00pm for all those who miss their culture while away from their homeland.

Address: 121 and 121/1 Moo 7, soi Nanai, Thalang district, tambon Thepkasattri, amper Thalang

Telephones: 0888397936 priest Roman Bychkov, 0876809421 Xenia.

How to get there: Drive to Thalang district along Thepkrasattri Road. Then find one of the Yamuk, Nanai, or Wat Phra Tong streets, which have many signposts.

Other significant religious buildings

Virtually all of Phuket's temples have their own peculiarities of erection or curious history of creation:

Wat Sri Sunthon

or Temple of the Lying Buddha with a statue 29 meters long, unusually placed on the roof of the structure. The temple complex owes its name to one of Thailand's national heroines, who led the army that defeated the Burmese in the 19th century;

Wat Putta Mongkon

whose architecture has Portuguese overtones to commemorate the colonial era;

Wat Sapam

The area around it is decorated with amusing miniature figures of Thai monks;

Wat Suwan Khiri Wong

which is practically at the heart of Patong's bustle;

Wat Wichit Songkram

where not only the Buddha statues are worshipped, but also the thousand-year-old tree inside the temple itself. The Thais decided not to cut down the old-growth tree, but to build a building around it;

Kajonrangsan or Wat Kajon

the only temple not in the traditional Thai style. It is built in accordance with Western (Romanesque) canons.

Phuket's Cultural Attractions

Chinese-Portuguese Style Mansions

The central quarter of Phuket Town is interesting because most of its buildings are not in the traditional Thai style. The reason for this is the mass migration of the Chinese to the area in the 17th century, who brought their own architecture to the area. This, in turn, was partly borrowed from the Portuguese.

All the buildings have common peculiarities:

The first floor is traditionally devoted to retail space, with the remaining levels being residential;
One house is up to 50 meters long and has a "gallery" (something like a terrace) inside. Such tricks help to escape the unbearable heat;
Even the most modest house has a separate room for guests;
The kitchen is always located at the back of the house in accordance with Chinese architectural traditions.

To explore more about Chinese-Portuguese mansions, you can visit the following streets:

Ranong;
Talang;
Darmong;
Phuket Road;
Krabi Road;
Ratsada;
Yowarat.

Sea Gypsies Village

Sea Gypsies, Urak-Lawoi (one of the ethnic varieties of gypsies) or Chao Le ("people of the sea" in translation) are mysterious nomadic tribes that settled in Phuket before the Thais themselves. None of the locals can say for sure where they came from. There are theories that they are fugitive Burmese or Indians hiding from justice in their home countries.

The Gypsies are called maritime because:

Most of the adult male population fish all day and women, children and decrepit old men can be seen on the village grounds;
Everyone, from small to large, can hold their breath underwater for long periods of time and are excellent swimmers.

How to get there: You can see the sea gypsy settlements at Rawai Beach or Ko Sirei:

Take a 50 THB city bus from Phuket Town to Rawai Beach.
The cost of taking public transportation to Koh Sirei is 10 THB.

Viewpoints

The island's unique, uneven landscape can only be explored at one of its famous View Points. There are about eight of them in Phuket.

Phromthep Cape

Phromthep Cape is so well-equipped that dozens of tourists come here every day on organized tours to watch the sunset. In addition, Promtep Cape has the following attractions:

a small Brahma temple

where a statue of the seated Hindu God is located;

a museum of pure gold

built late last century to commemorate the golden jubilee of Rama IX's reign;

Monument to Ruler Chumpon

who founded the Kingdom's great navy.

The observation deck also has souvenir shops and tents with exotic, almost outlandish fruits, as well as a well-maintained restroom.

How to get there: By tuk-tuk, cab or motorcycle to the south of the island. The observation deck at Promtep Cape is located behind Yanui Beach.

Rang Hill

Another quite popular tourist spot is the Rang Hill Lookout. Here you can not only enjoy lunch at a local restaurant, but also spend your time in one of the following ways:

Have a picnic on the green lawn;
Feed the local monkeys who greedily grab guests' bags in search of treats;
Run on an equipped track at the fitness park.

How to get there: Drive or walk to the north of Phuket Island. Then find the intersection of Mae Luan Rd and Patipap Rd, and walk up the hill from that point.

Khao Khad

The sparsely populated Khao Khad observation deck is quite easily accessible and equipped for visitors. From it, you can see such highlights of Phuket Island:

Chalong district, including the bay of the same name;
Panwa Cape;
Phuket Town Center;
Ko Siray island surrounded by the archipelago.

There are plenty of benches on Khao Kad, allowing you to relax in the shade of the trees after a grueling hike up.

How to get there: Drive to the south of the island, to Cape Panwa. Then climb the stairs leading up to the lookout tower.

Interesting viewpoints on the island

The following viewpoints are also worth checking out:

At the foot of the Big Buddha statue;
On Karon Beach, near the adjacent highway;
On the island of Ko Sirei, near the temple of the same name and a village of sea gypsies;
Windmill ("windmill") located on Cape Promtepe, near an alternative energy station;
Monkey/Tosae Hill ("Monkey Hill"), which can be found in the northern part of Phuket Town near Wat Charoen Samanakit temple.