What to Do on a Rainy Day in Phuket?
Phuket has more than 20 indoor and rain-friendly activities spread across the island, from cooking classes and indoor go-karts to spa treatments and museum visits. Most are in Phuket Town or Patong Beach, so you are never far from something to do. Rain in Phuket rarely lasts all day. Even during the wettest months (September and October), showers tend to come in short bursts, often in the afternoon. A rainy morning can turn into a sunny afternoon.
This is my list of the best things to do when it rains in Phuket. I update it regularly, and I have personally tried most of these activities over the years. Bookmark this page before your trip. Hopefully, you will never need it.
The Upside Down House Museum and Fun Attractions in Phuket
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The Upside Down House Museum and Fun Attractions is one of the most unique and popular tourist attractions in Phuket. It's a great place to get creative and snap some mind-boggling images and videos. With plenty of crazy things to do, this wacky museum is sure to provide hours of amusement for visitors of all ages. Read more
Phuket Thai Cooking Academy
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Phuket Thai Cooking Academy is located near Kathu Waterfall in a quiet residential area between Patong Beach and Phuket Town. The school offers hands-on Thai cooking classes in English and Chinese, suitable for beginners and experienced cooks alike. Students learn to prepare classic Thai dishes such as pad thai, som tam, tom yum, and various curries, while also learning essential techniques like making fresh curry pastes and balancing authentic Thai flavors. Each class includes a guided local market visit and free round-trip transportation from Patong, Kathu, and Phuket Town. Vegetarian options and dietary adjustments are available upon request.
Classes
Beginner Thai Cooking Class Half-day | 4 dishes | 2,200 THB Thai Cooking Masterclass Extended premium class | 4 specialty dishes | 3,200 THBPhuket Thai Cooking Academy Contacts Location: Kathu Address: 104/5 Soi Namtok, Kathu, Amphoe Kathu, Chang Wat Phuket 83120 Phone: 098 885 4462 Website: https://www.phuketthaicookingacademy.com/ Facebook: click here
Get a Spa Treatment!
| Most popular – Book early! |
A couple of hours at the spa may come to mind on a rainy day. For both men and women, Thailand is the perfect place to enjoy all kinds of spas and massage treatments.
Except if you want to experience one of Phuket’s most famous wellness centres, like the Banyan Tree Spa, I’d advise you not to book this activity in advance: keep it for that occasional rainy day! However, if you are staying in a spa resort and it starts raining seriously, make a booking as early as possible on a rainy day: every single guest at your hotel will have the same idea simultaneously!
Duration: 1 to 6 hours
Prices for basic massages: 300-500 baht/hour at local shops
Prices for spa treatments in resort spas: 2,500-8,500 baht
Best for: Great for couples
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Shop, Eat and Have fun at the new Jungceylon
| Location: Patong Beach |
After extensive renovations, Jungceylon Shopping Centre has mostly reopened. Located at the centre of Patong Beach, it is Phuket Island’s largest complex, spanning 200,000 square meters, resembling a city within a city. Inside, you’ll discover numerous souvenir shops, restaurants, a department store, cinemas, electronic stores, massage services, a two-story supermarket, and a variety of upper-level attractions catering to both children and adults.
Location: Patong Beach
Open: 11 am – 10 pm
Phone: 076 600 111
Admission: free
Duration: up to you!
Shop at Central Phuket
| Location: Near Phuket Town |
Central Phuket is the largest shopping and lifestyle hub on the island, making it a popular retreat when the rain approaches. Two main zones, Festival and Floresta, are linked by a covered bridge, so visitors can move between them without stepping outside. Inside, there’s a mix of luxury brands, everyday fashion, electronics, and fun activities: Aquaria Phuket, the country’s biggest aquarium, features walk-through tunnels and tanks filled with marine life.
Nearby, the 3D museum is a fun playground with augmented reality effects. Those looking to relax can visit hair salons or book a massage. Multiple cinemas screen the latest films. Most importantly, there is a huge range of restaurants serving both Thai and international dishes, two food courts and many cafes. Read more
Location: Phuket Town
Open: 10.30 am – 10 pm
Phone: 076 291 111
Admission: free
Duration: up to you!
Aquaria Phuket
| Location: In Central Phuket near Phuket Town |
Aquaria Phuket is an attraction in Phuket Town, on the lower floor of the immense Central Phuket shopping complex. The place covers a large surface and is advertised as the largest aquarium in Thailand, with 25,000 animals and 300 species, which I didn’t take the time to count.
Location: B1 floor, Central Floresta, Phuket Town
Open: 10.30 am – 7 pm
Price: Adults 1,161 baht, children 630 baht (3-11 years old)
Length of visit: 1 hour and 45 minutes for your visit. Last admission occurs 1 hour before closing each day.
Who is it for: great with kids
Try a Thai Cooking Class
Thai cooking classes in Phuket are a fun way to spend a few hours indoors, especially when it rains! Many schools are beginner-friendly, with patient chefs guiding you through each step. Others offer advanced lessons for those who want to try more complex recipes. Some courses also include a trip to a local market, giving you a closer look at the fresh herbs and spices used in Thai cuisine.
Popular choices include BrassWok Thai Cooking Studio, Blue Elephant Cooking Class and Phuket Thai Cooking Academy. Most keep groups small so you can ask questions and get direct help. Taking part is not only a fun activity but also a way to bring home real cooking skills and a new appreciation for Thai food culture.
Price: varies with each school, usually starts around 3,000 baht
Duration: 2-4 hours (may be longer when the class includes a visit to a local market)
Who is it for: Great for couples and even with kids
Popular Ways to Discover Thai Cooking Classes
Limitless Golf Studio Phuket
| Location: Phuket Town |
Limitless Golf Studio is a fully air-conditioned indoor golf facility near Central Phuket, in Wichit. Rain or shine, you can practise and improve your swing using TrackMan and Foresight Sports simulators that track every shot with real data. A TrackMan Master certified instructor leads all coaching sessions, with lessons designed for every level, from first-timers to competitive players. Kids from 6 years old can join too. The studio is right next to Decathlon with easy parking.
Location: Phuket Town – next to Decathlon
Address: 89 (Zone C, 1st Floor, Room C1/5-8), Moo 5, Wichit Subdistrict, Mueang District, Phuket, Thailand, 83000
Hours: 10 am – 10 pm
Phone: +66 88 751 7173
Go to Museums
Phuket has a decent mix of museums that may help you understand the island’s history and culture; some were recently renovated. They’re a great option when it’s raining or you want a break from the beach. Highlights include the Thai Hua Museum in Phuket Town, with its thoughtful look at Phuket’s Chinese heritage, and the Chinpracha House Museum, still occupied by its original family. The Thavorn Phuket Museum, now updated and more engaging, displays vintage artefacts from old local hotels.
The Phuket Mining Museum covers the area’s tin mining past using creative models and real equipment. Other modest sites include the Peranakan Phuket Museum and the restored Phuket Philatelic Museum in the old post office. These museums are mostly in Phuket Town and make for a worthwhile rainy-day visit, especially if you want a closer look at the everyday life and historical roots that shaped the island.
Admission: 100-200 baht
Duration: 1 to 1.5 hours
The Upside Down House Museum and Fun Attractions
| Location: Near Phuket Town |
The Upside Down House Museum and Fun Attractions, or Baan Teelanka, is precisely what the name says. This incredible house standing on its roof on the bypass road outside Phuket Town will challenge your senses and offer plenty of silly photo opportunities. Each of the three floors of Baan Teelanka (meaning upside-down house in Thai) is a replica of a real house but inverted. A living room, kitchen, bedroom, and even a tuk-tuk appear to be hanging from the ceiling until your brain realises that you might be in the wrong place! Lots of fun! Read more
Location: Near Phuket Town (Bypass road)
Address: 51/11 Chalermprakiet Ratchakan Thi 9 Road (known as By-Pass Road)
Open: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Phone: 076 376 245
Who is it for: great with kids
AR Trick Eye Museum Phuket
| Location: in Central Phuket near Phuket Town |
The AR Trick Eye Museum Phuket is an interactive attraction located at Central Floresta near Phuket Town, on the way to Patong Beach. It features 3D artworks enhanced with augmented reality (AR) technology, allowing visitors to step into the scenes for creative photos and videos. Themes include underwater settings, fantasy worlds, dinosaurs, and ballet dancing.
Location: Phuket Town – Central Phuket
Open: 11 am – 6 pm
Duration: 1 to 2 hours
Who is it for: great with kids
Indoor Go Karts
| Location: Near Phuket Town |
Formula Fun Karting, Thailand’s first indoor electric go-kart track near Phuket Town, offers thrilling racing experiences, a driving academy, cutting-edge simulators, and a Paddock Club for celebrations, making it a perfect motorsport adventure for all ages and skill levels.
Location: near Phuket Town
Address: 138, 1 Bypass Road, Ratsada, Mueang, Phuket 83000
Hours: 9 am – 7 pm
Phone: 081 103 8654
Duration: 1 to 2 hours
Who is it for: great with older kids
Try Thai Boxing
Training at a Muay Thai camp in Phuket can be especially practical during the rainy season. Most facilities are located indoors or under large roofed areas, so rain does not affect the schedule. Cooler temperatures compared to the hot season make long training sessions more comfortable. Common activities include pad work, bag drills, conditioning, and technique sessions, often scheduled in both mornings and afternoons.
Many camps offer lower rates during the low season, making it a cost-effective time to train for extended periods. Group sizes are often smaller, allowing for more focused instruction from experienced trainers. Programs typically cater to all skill levels, from beginners to advanced fighters, with structured routines designed to improve fitness, strength, and technique.
Price: 400-600 baht/day for group sessions
Popular Ways to Discover the Thai Boxing Experience
Phuket Batik Painting Class
A batik workshop is an ideal activity for a break from the beach or as a thing to do in Phuket on a rainy day. No matter your age or level of expertise, you can participate in a batik class. The Phuket Batik Painting Class will guide you through the batik process step by step, starting from designing on paper, drawing your imagination with wax onto your handcrafted piece, and painting using traditional techniques. Create a unique handcrafted souvenir from your Phuket trip to cherish the wonderful memories of your journey.
Location: Phuket Town
Phone: 66 089-4756998/ 093-6871999
Hours: Mon-Fri: 9 am – 6 pm, Sat: 10 am – 6 pm, Sunday: Closed
Who is it for: great with kids
Facebook: https://bit.ly/4dlL34p
Website: https://nattanitap.wixsite.com/phuketbatikpaintingc
Explore Old Phuket Town
You’ll need an umbrella, but it is a great place to enjoy on a (light) rainy day. The temperature is more agreeable than on a sunny day, and the old streets, markets, amazing Sino-Portuguese mansions and temples are close enough to each other to make this a pleasant stroll. And you’ll find enough little cafes and coffee shops on your way to take plenty of selfies and Instagram photos or even sample some real local food.
Duration: 2 to 4 hours
Get an Amazing Tattoo!
Tattoos are incredibly popular in Phuket, and if you want a small tattoo, you can always walk into any of the studios listed on my page and talk to the artists. Based on my research and suggestions from readers, here is a list of studios known for their outstanding work quality, whether it’s a new tattoo or a cover-up, your design or one selected from their vast collections.
Join a Great Yoga Class
There’s a growing number of yoga studios on the island that can help heal your body and mind while you’re on holiday. You can find yoga classes at many Phuket resorts, but if you’re searching for a specific style or method of yoga, you’re best to drop by one of the independent yoga studios around the island.
Visit Phang Nga Bay
You can’t travel half the globe and not explore these incredible limestone formations, full of holes, caves and mysterious enclosed lagoons. Discovering it in a kayak is the best way to go, silently gliding on the water and through narrow caves and passages to reveal secret places. It looks great in the sun; it looks better in the rain!
Popular Ways to Discover Phang Nga Bay
Phuket Aquarium
| Location: Cape Panwa |
Phuket Aquarium is modest but features a short glass tunnel and a good selection of tropical fish. And Cape Panwa is quite far, so going there will take you long enough to see a bit of the island. Read more
Location: Cape Panwa
Address: 51 Sakdidet Road, Cape Panwa
Open: Daily from 8.30 am – 4.30 pm
Phone: 076 391 126
Get even wetter in a water park!
You are already wet, so why not add some sensations to it? There are two water parks now in Phuket. The main one is Andamanda Phuket, located in Phuket Town, and the other is Splash Jungle, located in Mai Khao Beach, not far from the airport. Read more
Play with cats at B Cat Cafe!
| Location: Phuket Town |
B Cat Cafe is a fun spot to sit with up to 15 furry friends while enjoying cakes and drinks. The location near the old historical street of Phuket Town makes it very convenient for a well-deserved break. Read more
Location: Phuket Town
Address: 33/34 Thepkasattri Road, Mueang, Phuket 83110
Open: 10 am – 8.30 pm, Wednesday closed
Phone: 089 471 7776
Scare yourself at Game Space!
| Location: Patong Beach |
Open for a few years on Bangla Road in Patong Beach, Game Space has a lot of great games and virtual reality rides to enjoy for an hour or two. And just watching those who dare climb in those spinning contraptions is fun too! It’s very popular at night, but it’s also a fun way to spend an occasional rainy day. Kids will love it too!
Location: Bangla Road, Patong Beach
Go Ice Skating
| Location: Near Phuket Town |
Located behind Villa Market at the Boat Lagoon, not too far from Phuket Town, Ice Arena is an excellent place to spend a few hours of fun. Remember to wear something warm, as, in this tropical weather, you tend to forget that ice rinks are cold! Ice Arena offers many classes and training, but you will probably only spend a couple of hours here. The price is 590 baht per hour and per person, including skates. The practice penguin comes with an additional cost of 250 baht per hour, so you’d better learn fast! Read more
Location: Boat Lagoon Marina
Address: Amphoe Muang Phuket, Phuket, Thailand 83000
Open: 9 am – 10 pm (note that it’s closed for cleaning at 12.00 noon – 12:30 pm, 2.30 pm – 3 pm, 6 pm – 7 pm)
Phone: 094 591 5595
This story was first published on June 6, 2016
Insider Tips
Rain in Phuket almost never lasts a full day. I have lived here since 1994 and can count on one hand the number of times it rained non-stop for 24 hours. The typical pattern is a heavy downpour for 30 minutes to 2 hours, then it clears. If you wake up to grey skies, do not cancel your plans. Wait it out with a coffee and check again.
If you are staying at a resort and it starts raining in the morning, call the spa immediately. I mean it. Every guest in the hotel will have the exact same idea at the exact same time. By 10 am, the afternoon slots are already full. This is the single most useful piece of advice on this page.
Phuket Town is actually better in light rain than in full sunshine. The temperature drops, the streets feel cooler, and the Sino-Portuguese buildings look more photogenic when the colours are saturated by the wet pavement. Grab an umbrella and go.
If you are visiting between June and September and enjoy surfing, the west coast beaches (Kata, Kalim, Surin, Bang Tao) get proper waves during the monsoon. Several surf schools operate specifically during the rainy season because that is when the conditions are right.
One last thing: if you are in Patong and it starts raining, Jungceylon is a 5-minute walk from almost anywhere. It is the easiest fallback. For those staying near Bang Tao or Laguna, Blue Tree Phuket is a good alternative with indoor and covered activities.
Rainy Days Through the Years
Phuket has changed a lot since the late 1990s when it came to rainy day options. Back then, a rainy day meant sitting in the hotel lobby or finding a bar with a pool table. There were no shopping malls, no indoor go-karts, no aquariums. If it rained for two days straight during low season, you could feel the frustration across the whole island.
The first real turning point was Jungceylon opening in Patong around 2007. Suddenly, there was somewhere to go that could absorb an entire afternoon. Central Festival (now Central Phuket) followed and kept expanding. When Aquaria opened inside Central Floresta, it gave families a proper indoor attraction for the first time.
More recently, Formula Fun Karting brought indoor electric go-karts to the island, and places like Blue Tree Phuket added covered entertainment zones. Today, I would say there are almost too many rainy-day options, which is a problem I am happy to have after decades of watching tourists stare at the rain from hotel lobbies with nothing to do.
More about Phuket Weather
