Najczęściej zadawane pytania o Phukecie

November to April is the dry season and the best time to visit — clear skies, calm seas on the west coast, and the best diving and island-hopping conditions, though December and January bring the highest prices and biggest crowds. May to October is the monsoon (green) season: expect short, heavy downpours, rougher seas and red flags on west-coast beaches, but also lower prices and lush scenery. Similan and Surin islands close completely from mid-May to mid-October.

Most Western nationalities — including the US, UK, most of the EU, Australia and New Zealand — can enter Thailand visa-exempt for tourism through Phuket International Airport, but the exact permitted stay and entry requirements change periodically. Check the current rules for your nationality with the Royal Thai embassy or consulate before booking, make sure your passport has at least six months of validity, and confirm any arrival-card or online registration requirement in advance.

The Thai baht (THB, ฿) is the only currency accepted. Cash is still king at markets, street food stalls and small guesthouses, while cards and mobile payments work in malls, chain restaurants and bigger hotels. ATMs are everywhere but charge a foreign-transaction fee on every withdrawal; airport exchange counters offer worse rates than currency-exchange booths in Patong or Phuket Old Town. Expect roughly 33-36 THB per US dollar and 36-39 THB per euro, but always check a live rate before changing money.

Tipping isn't compulsory in Thailand but is increasingly expected in tourist-facing venues. Round up or leave 20-50 B for restaurant service when no service charge is added (many mid-range and upscale places already add 10%), a similar amount after a Thai massage, and a small note for hotel porters and housekeeping is appreciated. Nobody expects a tip at street-food stalls or from scooter-taxi drivers.

Phuket ranks low for violent crime against tourists, but the real risks are drowning, road accidents and low-grade scams. Rip currents and rough monsoon swells make west-coast beaches dangerous when red flags are flying — never swim against them, since drowning is the leading cause of tourist deaths on the island. Scooter accidents are common on Phuket's steep, busy roads; wear a helmet and check rental insurance carefully. Jet-ski operators staging fake 'damage' claims and overpriced meter-less taxis are the most common scams — agree a price or use Grab before you get in.

4G/5G coverage is solid across the island, though it gets patchy on boat trips and remote west-coast headlands. Most hotels and cafes offer free wifi. A prepaid Thai SIM or eSIM, bought at the airport or activated online before arrival, is cheap and gives the most reliable connection for maps, ride-hailing apps and translation tools.

Thailand runs on 220V/50Hz, with sockets that accept flat two-pin (Type A), round two-pin (Type C) and three-pin (Type B) plugs. Most modern hotels have universal outlets that take US, UK and EU plugs directly, but it's worth packing a compact adapter and a surge-safe power strip if you're travelling with several devices.

Phuket has no train or metro. A rented scooter (roughly 250-400 B a day) is the most flexible option but requires an international driving permit, a helmet and caution on steep, busy roads. Grab and Bolt give fixed-fare, app-based rides without haggling; metered taxis are rare, so agree a price first if you flag one down. Songthaew shared trucks run cheap fixed routes, for example between Phuket Town and Patong, Karon or Kata. From Phuket International Airport (HKT), expect roughly 45-60 minutes by road to Patong.

Thai is the official language, written in its own script. English is widely spoken in tourist areas like Patong, Kata, Karon and Phuket Old Town, but far less so in local markets and mainland day-trip destinations. A few basic Thai phrases — sawasdee (hello) and khob khun (thank you) — go a long way, and the camera-translation feature in Google Translate helps with menus written only in Thai script.

Southern Thai cooking is spicier and more seafood-driven than Bangkok's. Try moo hong (slow-braised pork belly), gaeng tai pla (an intense fermented-fish curry), roti pancakes from night-market stalls, and fresh catch picked and grilled at Rawai's seafood market. Phuket Old Town's Sino-Portuguese heritage also shows up in dishes like hokkien mee, especially during the Vegetarian Festival in September or October.