Big Buddha1 h
leave 10:50
Plan your day in Phuket
Pick your hotel and the places you'd like to see. We work out the hours you need and the price for each car.
A rough plan to help you choose your hours. You pay by the hour, and your driver can change the plan with you on the day.
Where should your driver pick you up?
Your hotel, villa or Airbnb. Drive times start from here.
Not chosen yet. Until you do, the times below start from Patong Beach. Type your hotel, then tap it in the list.
Guests
2
Your day: which places do you want to see?
Start from an idea, then change anything
Example day. Change it, or start fresh.
- 09:00Pick-up · Patong Beach (until you choose yours)
- about 40 min drive (estimate)09:40
- about 40 min drive (estimate)11:30Wat Chalong45 minleave 12:25
- about 40 min drive (estimate)13:05Phuket Old Town1 h 30 minleave 15:20 · +35 min free time, already in your hours
- 16:00Back at your pick-up
about 40 min drive (estimate)
Driving
2 h 40 min
At places
4 h 20 min
You need
7 hours
A rough plan, with traffic and parking time added. Your driver can change it with you on the day.
You might also like
Lunch break
Your day runs past midday
Sunday Walking Street (Lard Yai)
Close to Phuket Old Town
Bookhemian Café
Close to Phuket Old Town
7 hours · ฿2,400
Sedan and driver · tickets not included
How many hours do you need?
A day out with a private driver in Phuket usually takes 6 to 8 hours once you add up the drives, the time at each place and about 10 minutes per stop for parking. Temples and Old Town is 7 hours, South coast and sunset is 6 hours, Jungle and a quiet beach is 8 hours. The minimum booking is 4 hours and you pay by the hour, so add your places in the planner and it counts the hours for you.
Sample days from Patong
Worked out the same way as your plan, with traffic and parking time included.
Temples and Old Town
The classic first day. Big Buddha before the heat, then the old Sino-Portuguese streets.
Big Buddha → Wat Chalong → Phuket Old Town
7 hours
about 7 h door to door · sedan ฿2,400
Open this planSouth coast and sunset
An afternoon on the beach, then Promthep Cape for the sunset.
Karon Viewpoint → Kata Noi Beach → Promthep Cape
6 hours
about 6 h door to door · sedan ฿2,100
Open this planJungle and a quiet beach
The green north-east of the island, then a swim on the west coast.
Gibbon Rehabilitation Project → Bang Pae Waterfall → Banana Beach
8 hours
about 7 h 50 min door to door · sedan ฿2,700
Open this planDriving times from where you stay
Minutes by car, with time added for traffic. In the evening rush (16:00–19:00) allow about a quarter longer. Add about 10 minutes at each stop for parking and walking in.
| From | Big Buddha | Wat Chalong | Phuket Old Town | Promthep Cape | Karon Viewpoint | Central Phuket | Naka Weekend Market | Phuket Elephant Sanctuary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patong | 50 min | 40 min | 35 min | 45 min | 35 min | 30 min | 30 min | 55 min |
| Karon | 40 min | 30 min | 40 min | 35 min | 20 min | 40 min | 40 min | 65 min |
| Kata | 35 min | 30 min | 40 min | 30 min | 15 min | 35 min | 35 min | 65 min |
| Kamala | 60 min | 50 min | 45 min | 60 min | 45 min | 40 min | 40 min | 50 min |
| Bang Tao / Laguna (Cherng Talay) | 70 min | 55 min | 50 min | 70 min | 60 min | 50 min | 50 min | 40 min |
| Rawai / Nai Harn | 40 min | 30 min | 40 min | 20 min | 20 min | 40 min | 40 min | 70 min |
| Phuket Old Town | 40 min | 30 min | 5 min | 45 min | 40 min | 15 min | 10 min | 45 min |
How long to spend at each place
The usual time our guests spend, and opening hours where we could confirm them (October 2026). Please check with the place before you go.
Temples & old town
- Big Buddha
- 1 h
- Nakkerd Hill, Chalong · 09:00–18:00
- Wat Chalong
- 45 min
- Chalong · 07:00–17:00
- Phuket Old Town
- 1 h 30 min
- Phuket Town · Check before you go
- Phuket Trickeye Museum
- 1 h
- Phuket Old Town · Check before you go
- Upside Down House
- 45 min
- Kathu · Check before you go
Viewpoints
- Karon Viewpoint
- 20 min
- Between Kata and Nai Harn · Open all day
- Windmill Viewpoint
- 20 min
- Nai Harn · Open all day
- Promthep Cape
- 45 min
- Rawai · Open all day
- Khao Rang Viewpoint
- 30 min
- Phuket Town · Open all day
- Laem Sing Viewpoint
- 15 min
- Between Kamala and Surin · Open all day
Beaches
- Patong Beach
- 2 h
- Patong · Open all day
- Karon Beach
- 2 h
- Karon · Open all day
- Kata Beach
- 2 h
- Kata · Open all day
- Kata Noi Beach
- 2 h
- Kata · Open all day
- Nai Harn Beach
- 2 h
- Nai Harn · Open all day
- Ya Nui Beach
- 1 h 30 min
- Nai Harn · Open all day
- Kamala Beach
- 2 h
- Kamala · Open all day
- Surin Beach
- 2 h
- Surin · Open all day
- Bang Tao Beach
- 2 h
- Bang Tao · Open all day
- Banana Beach
- 2 h
- Between Bang Tao and Nai Thon · Open all day
- Nai Yang Beach
- 2 h
- Near the airport · Open all day
Markets
- Naka Weekend Market
- 1 h 30 min
- Phuket Town · 16:00–22:00 · Sat, Sun
- Sunday Walking Street (Lard Yai)
- 1 h 30 min
- Thalang Road, Old Town · 16:00–22:00 · Sundays
- Chillva Market
- 1 h 15 min
- Phuket Town · 17:00–23:00 · Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat
- Bangla Road
- 1 h 30 min
- Patong · Check before you go
Shopping
- Central Phuket
- 2 h
- Near Phuket Town · 10:00–22:00
- Jungceylon
- 1 h 30 min
- Patong · Check before you go
Nature & animals
- Phuket Elephant Sanctuary
- 3 h 30 min
- Paklok · no riding · Check before you go
- Gibbon Rehabilitation Project
- 45 min
- Bang Pae, Khao Phra Thaeo park · Check before you go
- Bang Pae Waterfall
- 1 h
- Khao Phra Thaeo park · Check before you go
- Ton Sai Waterfall
- 45 min
- Khao Phra Thaeo park · Check before you go
- Kathu Waterfall
- 45 min
- Kathu · Check before you go
- Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation
- 45 min
- Mai Khao · Check before you go
Shows
- Simon Cabaret
- 1 h 30 min
- Patong–Karon road · Shows 18:00, 19:30, 21:00
- Phuket FantaSea
- 4 h
- Kamala · 17:30–23:30 · Sun, Tue, Fri
- Aquaria Phuket
- 1 h 30 min
- Central Phuket · 10:30–19:00
Water parks & adventure
- Andamanda Water Park
- 4 h
- Kathu · 10:00–18:00
- Splash Jungle Water Park
- 4 h
- Mai Khao, near the airport · Check before you go
- Hanuman World (zipline)
- 3 h
- Wichit, near Phuket Town · Check before you go
Spa & massage
- Let's Relax Spa Patong
- 2 h
- Patong · Check before you go
- Phannara Spa
- 2 h
- Wichit, near Phuket Town · Check before you go
Cafés
- Graph Coffee
- 45 min
- Phuket Old Town · Check before you go
- Bookhemian Café
- 45 min
- Thalang Road, Phuket Old Town · Check before you go
- A Blanket & A Pillow (sea-view café)
- 1 h
- Laem Sai, Karon · 10:30–19:30 · Sun, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat
- Moonstone Café over the Sea
- 1 h
- Cape Panwa · 09:00–18:00
- The Neighbors Café
- 1 h
- Phang Nga Road, Phuket Old Town · Check before you go
Questions about the planner
How many hours do I need for a private driver in Phuket?＋
A day out with a private driver in Phuket usually takes 6 to 8 hours once you add up the drives, the time at each place and about 10 minutes per stop for parking. Temples and Old Town is 7 hours, South coast and sunset is 6 hours, Jungle and a quiet beach is 8 hours. The minimum booking is 4 hours and you pay by the hour, so add your places in the planner and it counts the hours for you.
How does the planner work out my hours?＋
It adds up the drive between each place, the time you choose at each one, 10 minutes per stop for parking and walking in, and the drive back. Drive times come from road data, checked against Google Maps traffic on 50 routes across Phuket: each drive gets 30% plus up to 10 minutes added, and 65% plus up to 12 minutes when it sets off in the evening rush (16:00–19:00). The total is rounded up to whole hours, and any minutes left over are added to your last place, so your timeline ends exactly when your hours do.
Do I have to follow the plan on the day?＋
No. The plan only helps you choose how many hours to book. On the day you can change places, stay longer or skip a stop — just tell your driver. You pay by the hour, not by the plan.
When do my hours start and end?＋
Your hours begin at the pick-up time you choose, so it's best to pick a time when you'll be ready to go. Your driver will be there a little early. They end when you are back at your hotel, or wherever you finish.
What if my day runs longer than I booked?＋
Tell your driver. Up to 2 extra hours can be added on the day: ฿350 an hour for a sedan or SUV and ฿400 for a van on bookings under 8 hours, ฿300 an hour from 8 hours. After midnight, every hour is ฿500. Booking the longer day up front always costs less than adding hours.
Are opening hours in the planner always right?＋
We checked them against several public listings in October 2026, and show them only where the listings agree. Places can change their hours, especially on public holidays, so please check with the place before you go — the planner says so wherever we are not sure.
Can my day end somewhere else, or outside Phuket?＋
Yes. Ending at another hotel in Phuket or at the airport costs nothing extra. A day that ends outside Phuket — Ao Nang or Khao Lak, say — is your touring hours in Phuket plus the one-way transfer fare there, and a day trip off the island and back adds a fixed amount per day. For Phang Nga and Krabi the planner adds that amount and you can book straight away; a day that ends outside Phuket, or goes further afield, we confirm with you on WhatsApp.
Can I add a place that isn't on the list?＋
Yes. Search any place or drop a pin on the map. We estimate the times, and add the place to our list once we have checked it.
Prefer to book by the hour straight away? See private driver rates.