Patong Beach

Why go

Because it is where everything is: the beach sits right in front of the hotels, restaurants and bars of Patong, with Bangla Road behind it. It is the wrong place if you want a quiet beach; its northern and southern ends are less noisy than the middle, but not quiet.

What you will find

About 3 km of sand, with jet-skis, parasailing and vendors, and most hotels on the other side of Beach Road. Loungers and parasols are allowed only in designated zones.

Lifeguards work by day, and night patrols cover some stretches.

Getting there

From the airport, the Phuket Smart Bus runs down the west coast to Patong for a flat 100 baht (November 2026), in about an hour and a half, and stops on the main road, not at hotels. By road, the airport is about 40 to 50 minutes away outside rush hour.

Before you go

In the monsoon, from May to October, the red flag is up on many days: it means swimming is prohibited. In June 2025, lifeguards pulled 86 people out of currents here. Do not swim at night: lifeguards send home groups who do.

Patong is the only beach in Phuket covered by the national smoking ban, since February 2018: smoking or vaping outside the designated areas can cost up to 100,000 baht. Selling alcohol on the beach is banned.

If you hire a jet-ski, take photos and a video of the whole machine before you leave the beach, read the contract, and ask what the insurance covers and up to what amount.