Sunday Walking Street (Lard Yai)
Every Sunday, from about 4 to 10 pm, Thalang Road closes to traffic and becomes Lard Yai, the Old Town's walking street.
4 places
Phuket's markets, compared
The Old Town's Sunday market, Chillva in Phuket Town and the markets of Patong side by side: when they run, how long to allow, and the best time to go.
Phuket's markets run on a weekly rhythm, so the day you are on the island decides which ones you can see. In Phuket Town, the Sunday Walking Street (Lard Yai) fills Thalang Road every Sunday from about 4 to 10 pm, and Chillva opens its container stalls from Monday to Saturday, 5 to 11 pm. In Patong, Banzaan is the fresh market, best in the morning, and Malin Plaza a daily market at the southern end of town, best in the early evening.
Opening hours differ between sources for several of them: check locally before you cross the island for one. Carry cash in small notes, and ask for the total before you order seafood sold by weight. Our night markets guide covers every market day by day, including the Naka weekend market, and the island's dishes to look for.
Compare at a glance
| Places | Access | Entry | Time to allow | Best time | Distance (from Patong) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday Walking Street (Lard Yai) | By road | An evening | Sunday, 4 pm to walk, 7 pm for the atmosphere | 10 km | |
| Chillva Market | By road | An evening | A weekday evening; closed on Sunday | 9 km | |
| Banzaan Market | By road | A look round, or a meal | In the morning, when the stalls are full | 1 km | |
| Malin Plaza | By road | An evening meal | Around 6 to 7 pm | 2 km |
Chillva Market
An evening market of brightly painted containers, open Monday to Saturday from 5 to 11 pm.
Banzaan Market
Patong's fresh market: produce and seafood downstairs, and a food court upstairs that cooks what you bought.
Malin Plaza
A daily market of food and souvenirs at the southern end of Patong, best in the early evening.
See these places with us
Things to do · night markets
Night markets
Phuket's markets run on a weekly rhythm: the Old Town's Sunday Walking Street, the weekend market at Naka, container stalls at Chillva from Monday to Saturday, and markets every evening in Patong and Kata. The food is the reason to go, and the day you are on the island decides which one you can see.
Things to do · the Old Town
Old Town
A grid of painted shophouses built on tin money, a food culture that earned Phuket a UNESCO City of Gastronomy title, and a Sunday market that fills Thalang Road: the Old Town is the part of Phuket that is not about the sea.
Things to do · Patong
Patong
Patong is Phuket's busiest resort: a 3 km beach in a bay on the west coast, a town of hotels, malls and markets behind it, and Bangla Road, the island's nightlife street. It is convenient, loud and very easy to enjoy if you know where its rules and its traps are.
Where to stay · Old Town
Old Town
The island's only real town, with shophouses, markets and its own food, and no beach. Which streets to sleep in, what the evenings are like, and who would be happier by the sea.
Common questions
Which Phuket market can I see on a Sunday?
The Sunday Walking Street on Thalang Road in the Old Town, from about 4 to 10 pm; it is busiest from 6 to 9 pm. Chillva is closed on Sunday.
Is Banzaan a night market?
No. Banzaan is Patong's fresh market, behind the Jungceylon mall, best in the morning; upstairs, a food court cooks what you bought for a small charge. The Bangla night market, at the inland end of Bangla Road, is a different place.