Skip to content

Karon Beach ⛱️ ​

​What to do in Karon Beach?

Karon is one of the longest beaches in Phuket, ranking 3rd on our beach popularity page. It enjoys a 3 kilometre stretch of white sand, a decent choice of dining and nightlife, and never seems to draw crowds of tourists, which is a good thing. Karon is known for its big beach with big hotels lined across the frontage road and the small town of Karon.

​Karon Beach Video

Subscribe to our YouTube for more Phuket videos!

WHAT TO DO IN KARON?

Apart from a fantastic beach, many restaurants and bars, there is not much to do around in terms of landmarks and activities, but Kata or Patong are not far.

The Beach

Karon Beach Phuket

The beach of Karon forms an immense crescent with a wide sandy area. The sand is very soft and white and is known to make an unusual sound when you walk on it.

Karon Temple (Wat Suwan Khirikhet)

Karon Temple

Karon temple, locally called Wat Suwan Khirikhet, is beautifully crafted and open to visitors any day of the week. You can walk around freely, take photos and admire the carvings and paintings, but try to make a small donation; it is always a nice gesture. The temple hosts a famous market twice a week with lots of food and little things to buy. Remember to dress politely, just like in any temple in Phuket and Thailand, which means no short skirts, no sleeveless shirts and no topless. Remove caps and shoes if you wish to walk into the temple. (usually, a small signboard will inform you).

Read More!

Dino Park Mini Golf

Dino Park Mini Golf

Dino Park is a Jurassic Park-inspired mini-golf with dinosaurs and even a volcano. It is technically in Kata beach, but it’s not very far from Karon and is always good family fun.

Read More!

The Naga of Karon Beach

karon beach naga

This mystical golden snake or dragon is curled on the beach, not far south of the circle. Thai people come here to make offerings and pay respect.

Parasailing

Parasailing in Karon Beach

Parasailing offers a unique birdview of the bay and a bit of adrenaline rush, but safety issues are somewhat controversial.

Spa Treatments

Spa at Centara Grand Beach Resort

Thailand is well-known for massages and aromatherapy, and it would be a shame not to take advantage of the quality and array of treatments available at this price. Spend the end of your beach day with a spa treatment at Centara Grand Beach Phuket or Paradox Resort, especially on those occasional rainy days!

WHERE TO STAY IN KARON BEACH?

You can consider two hotels on the beach if the price is right for you. Then you have many smaller hotels all around the place, and you shouldn’t have a problem finding accommodation according to your budget.

Avista Grande Phuket Karon – MGallery image 17

Avista Grande Phuket Karon - MGallery

Avista Grande Phuket Karon – MGallery is a luxurious 5-star hotel located in Karon Beach, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Phuket. The hotel, which is at a very short walking distance from the immense beach of Karon, is known for its soft white sand and incredibly clear waters during the high season (December to May). Read more

Swimming pool: 3
Restaurants and bars: 4, including a rooftop
Facilities: Fitness and spa
Distance from the beach: 100 m
Distance from Karon city centre: 2.3 km
Distance from Kata centre: 1 km

Check the rates and book

Other popular hotels in Karon Beach

Don't see the hotel you are looking for? Check the full list here:

See the rates for all hotels in Karon

Booking.com

 

WHERE TO EAT IN KARON BEACH?

Karon Beach offers a wide range of restaurants for everyone to find something to enjoy, from Thai food. On the budget side, you will find good local food in the small restaurants along the roadside, near the lake and even more at Karon Plaza not far from the circle.

EAT Bar & Grill Restaurant

Eat Bar & Grill Restaurant Karon

EAT Bar & Grill Restaurant, on the back road of Karon, is a casual place serving delicious steaks and grilled meats. The restaurant is not very big and is often full, so you should book in advance to save a table.

Address: 250 1 Patak Rd, Karon, Mueang Phuket District, Phuket 83100
Open
: 11 am – 10:30 pm (Closed on Sunday)
Tel: 085 292 5652
Price: Affordable

Read More!

Dinner in the Sky

Dinner in The Sky in Phuket

Dinner in the Sky takes eating to new heights—literally. Suspended by a crane, guests sit at a table high above Karon Beach, taking in the beautiful views while enjoying a delicious dinner. The experience blends thrill and luxury, with guests safely secured into their seats. Chefs cook excellent dishes directly in front of your eyes, delivering an unforgettable gastronomic experience. Whether it’s a romantic date or an adventurous adventure, Dinner in the Sky promises an unforgettable dining experience above the clouds.

Read More!

On The Rock Restaurant

On The Rock restaurant

A good place for dinner with a sea view is On The Rock restaurant, at the south end of the beach. The restaurant serves Thai food and seafood and is part of the Marina Phuket Resort.

Address: Marina Phuket Resort, 47 Karon Road, Karon Beach, Phuket 83100
Hours: 12 am – 11.30 pm
Tel: +66 76 330 625
Price: Expensive

Read More!

North Karon roadside restaurants

Karon roadside seafood restaurants

Just before reaching the hill that leads to Kata Beach, visitors can see a line of small seafood restaurants. The fresh seafood is kept on ice in front of the restaurants and you can pick what you want them to cook, or choose and Thai dish directly from their menu. It’s quite cheap and has a fun local feel to it.

Karon Plaza

karon night bazaar restaurants

Karon Plaza, situated on Beach Road in Karon Beach, is a dynamic marketplace that caters to visitors by offering an extensive variety of products and foods. This bazaar is ideally located, only a short stroll from the beach and in close proximity to Karon Circle, making it easily accessible on foot, by car, or by motorbike. With an array of vendors selling colorful and diverse products, including clothing, souvenirs, jewelry, handicrafts, and accessories, Karon Plaza is a lively and vivid spot. Note that the prices of the bazaar itself may not be as budget-friendly as you expect, but the food area is ok.

Read More!

Karon Town

Two Chefs restaurant in Karon Beach

Karon Beach Square at Paradox Hotel

karon beach square

Karon Beach Square offers plenty of dining and drinking options with great music, such as Brazilian Churrasco, Thai Cuisine and a bakery. The many large sofas that look like outdoor beds are perfect for hanging after a hard walking day, perfecting to enjoy the evening al fresco!

Read More!

Seafood restaurants by the lake

Karon Lake Seafood Restaurants

For seafood or Thai food, you can choose one of the many small restaurants in front of the stadium or those by the lake. They are relatively cheap, and while they are not serving haute cuisine, they have a unique exotic charm and a beach view. It would be difficult to recommend one in particular, so walk around and look at the well-illustrated menu always displayed in front. They also serve a decent European breakfast of eggs or omelette, toast with butter and jam, sausages and bacon. It’s simple but goes so well with the beach to start the day!

KARON BEACH NIGHTLIFE

There is a bit of nightlife in Karon beach, but it’s nothing like what you will experience in Bangla Walking Street of Patong Beach. Karon nightlife rotates around three areas: the best know is near the Karon Circle, with few bars and live music, a little further is a small alley once called ‘Little Bangla’, and an L-shaped street near Kata Beach, where you can enjoy some beer bars.

Tann Terrace

Tann Terrace Phuket in Karon Beach

Tann Terrace is a new restaurant with an immense beachfront wooden terrace at the very south of Karon Beach, just next to Beyond Resort Karon and opposite the old football stadium. The restaurant mostly serves Italian and Thai food and has an excellent bakery, perfect for enjoying breakfast on the beach.

Address: Patak Rd, Karon, Mueang Phuket District, Phuket 83100
Hours: 10 am – 9 pm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tannterracephuket/

Read More!

Coast Beach Club

Coast Beach Club at Centara Grande Beach Resort Phuket

Coast Beach Club is an excellent place to enjoy a couple of drinks at the end of the day. The bar is not exactly on the beach but quite near and is part of the Centara Grand Beach Phuket.

Read More!

Patak Road

the garage karon

Patak road is the main nightlife area, and while it’s relatively modest, it’s always fun. Angus O’Tool’s is a long-time Irish pub, and the neighbourhood is full of tiny beer bars such as Clapton Bar and a great live band bar called The Garage.

Mini Bangla on Luam Por Chuan Road

karon beach nightlife

Further down the beach, just before the hill leading to Kata Beach, is an L-Shaped street with a dozen old-fashioned beer bars where ladies always loudly invite you for a drink. Walking around is easy-going and safe, so stopping for a beer is okay.

SHOPPING AT KARON BEACH

Karon Beach has enough shopping options to keep everyone happy, even those who don’t like shopping but need convenience stores or forgot something important at home. There are also some markets, bazaars and, of course, night markets.

Karon Temple Market

karon temple market

If live music and bars are not your things after dinner, check out the Karon Temple Market, which opens only twice a week: Tuesdays and Fridays, from 4 pm to 10 pm. Wat Suwan Khirikhet, the temple at the end of Soi Patak in Karon, is an excellent photo opportunity and is famous for the popular night market held every Tuesday and Friday. Never miss a chance to visit it; it’s full of fun things to try, games to play and fun local food. You might even try fried insects and giant water bugs or take a photo to share back home.

Location map: https://goo.gl/maps/VdyEiJ3j8zDzBze29
Address
: Patak Rd, Karon, Mueang Phuket District, Phuket 83100
Open: 4 pm – 10 pm, Tuesday and Friday
Price: Free

Read More!

Karon Bazaar

Karon Bazaar

The Karon Bazaar is a vast covered market situated just next to the Paradox Karon Resort. You will mostly find tee shirts, bags, trousers, beach toys and accessories and cheap souvenirs. It’s fun and colourful but can be hot during the day. Most vendors can speak decent English (they are not often Thai), so don’t forget to bargain hard!

Read More!

Creative Karon Tailors

Creative Karon Tailor Creative Tailors is a third-generation family-owned business located in a beautiful shop on the beach road of Karon beach in Phuket.

Location: Karon Beach – click for a map
Address: 192/36 Unit B1-B2, Soi Withet, Karon Road, Karon, Beach, Phuket 83100
Open: Mon-Sat: 10 am – 10 pm, Sunday: 5 pm – 10 pm
Phone: 081 891 5784, 081 899 0939
Website: www.creativephuket.com

The geography of Karon

Did you know? Karon consists of 3 areas: Karon Center (a small town), the Lake area and the beachfront road that ends at the hill reaching Kata Beach.

1. Karon Center and Patak Rd

Patak Road is mostly a street going perpendicularly inland from the very fancy and convoluted ‘Karon Circle’ to the temple. It’s small, messy and feels rather old; additionally, parking there is impossible. Around here, you will find a few long-established restaurants, convenience stores, ‘ Hellooooo you want massage‘ parlours, and lots and lots of bars in all sizes and shapes. Just like everyone else, walk up and down Patak road and pick one bar; ultimately, they are all the same same but different.

Karon Circle in Phuket

2. The Lake

The Lake near the circle has also been the subject of many attempts to make the area an upmarket zone or a convention centre. Once in a while, especially during Songkran Festival, the lake hosts one of those popular local funfairs where you can play some typical funfair games, try local food and even shop.

Karon Beach

3. Beach Front Road

karon beach road

The beachfront road goes from the lake to Kata Beach, mostly occupied by large resorts with a few small hotels. At the beginning of the beach road, you’ll find Karon Beach Square, the Night Bazaar, a temporary roofed market selling mostly tee-shirts and beach toys, including all the usual fake brands.

Karon Night Bazaar

More interesting is Soi Aroonson, a small street in the middle of the beach road. Some good restaurants, lots of massages, and a few convenience shops have opened here. It’s still quiet but doesn’t feel as messy as Karon Center.

karon-beach

Then you’ll reach the end of Beach Road when a small hill leads to Kata Beach (boundaries have never been visible). Noticeable around here is the restaurant built on the beach, a football stadium (also used for cricket competitions) and one of the two nightlife areas around. This very narrow and hard-to-spot alley is called ‘Bangla Plaza’ and has always been here, but nothing to compare with Soi Bangla in Patong Beach nightlife. You won’t find more than a few beer bars with colourful spotlights, even more, colourful staff, and plenty of tiny shops and foot massages.

More Photos of Karon Beach

karon beach phuket

See More Photos

Fast Facts about Karon

⛱️ Beach condition:Great
⛱️ Beach length3.3 km
⛱️ Other beach nearby:Kata Beach
🛍️ Best shopping:Karon Plaza
🍴 Best restaurant:EAT Bar & Grill
🍹 Best beach clubTann Terrace
🛎️ Best luxury hotel: Avista Grande Phuket Karon
🧳 Best mid range hotel: Beyond Resort Karon
🚙 Distance to Patong Beach:17 km
🚙 Distance to Phuket Town:17 km
✈️ Distance from Phuket International Airport:43 km

Karon Beach Map

Get the directions on your phone: https://goo.gl/maps/FA3raog3WUFJVWjd6

See all Phuket Maps!

Your Karon Beach Travel Guide

More beaches in Phuket

FAQs about Karon

a. Beyond the beach itself, Karon doesn’t have many attractions or activities to offer, but other beaches are nearby:
The Beach
Karon Temple Market
Coast Beach Club
Dino Park Mini Golf

a. There are dozens of hotels to choose from, and a few are facing the beach, just across the beachroad, here are some favourites:
Centara Grand Beach Resort
Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort
Beyond Resort Karon

a. There are a few restaurants for all tastes and all budgets in the small city center, a few on the beach and many on the back road:
Beachside restaurants
On The Rock Restaurant
EAT Bar and Grill
The Pad Thai Shop

a. Karon Beach is:
43 km from Phuket International Airport
16 km from Phuket Town
2.22 km from Patong Beach

a. Karon Beach can get quite busy during peak season (December to March), but it is relatively less crowded compared to other popular beaches in Phuket.

4.4/5 - (169 votes)