What to do at Naka Weekend Market?
Phuket Naka Weekend Market (previously called Chaofa Variety Weekend Market) is an immense night bazaar near Central Festival on the outskirts of Phuket Town, driving south. Occasionally it’s even called ‘Phuket Chatuchak’ by reference to the famous Chatuchak Market in Bangkok, and Thais call it ‘Talad Tairod’, which means ‘Car Boot Sale’.
The Naka Weekend Market is big, crowded, hot, fun and almost overwhelming! We enjoy walking in here for hours, looking at this vast bric-à-brac that makes this kind of night market fun, clothing, food, accessories, souvenirs and tons of things we don’t need, including a lot of fake brands!
We divided the Naka Weekend Market into two sections: 1) the shopping and 2) the food, which is also a lot of fun. We never miss it!
What to buy at Phuket Weekend Market?
We found A lot of clothing, most shops displaying famous brands, but the low prices gave us an instant hint about their authenticity. If you enjoy this shopping, you’ll have tons of fun, but you might also realise sooner rather than later that material, shape, and quality don’t compare. Of course, bags, watches, accessories and even perfumes follow the same rule. Here and there, we found some real local designers, so there is hope.
One of the most popular items we spotted was the elephant pants. There were so many of them because they have become increasingly popular, even with locals now. The prices are very reasonable, 150 to 200 baht, look good and without being too casual, and are extremely light to wear on a hot day. There are a few things we recommend to check when buying elephant pants: first, the length: not too long looks better! Second: is the pattern aligned properly? We saw a few samples where the left and right legs were not aligned. And last: are there pockets and how deep are they? We once bought a pair and the pockets were so shallow, that we could not put our hands in them!
When you see how much copy stuff is on sale in this weekend market and realise that no vendor seems particularly stressed, you get an idea of the efficiency of the anti-piracy campaigns. But, well, you know how it works, as long as the demand is strong enough.
The most surprising shop we spotted was a second-hand shoe shop! we always wondered if it should be called ‘ Second-foot shoe shop, but whatever… we asked ourselves: would we dare to wear used shoes? No way! We once had our shoes stolen long ago in front of our house and we always thought how funny it would be to retrieve our shoes in such a place. We even added it to the 16 Weird and Funny Things in Thailand.
The Food at the Naka Weekend Market
Here is your chance to taste many fun things! We found all the classic street food dishes at the Naka Market: fried, deep-fried, boiled, steamed, crushed, chilled, rolled, sliced and fermented. Don’t be shy; try all you can, even the giant Jack fruits and durian, the much loved Sa-Tor, or the stinky bean!
Like most people, we. like to pick something small and nibble as we walk. When we find something tempting, we order a real dish and sit at one of the tables in the shared area or eat in the back of restaurants. There is a lot of seafood we enjoy, grilled right in front of us, lobsters, prawns and fish. There are plenty of sweets and desserts so we often treat ourselves with the ever-popular mango sticky rice and banana pancakes.
Where is Naka Weekend Market?
From Central Festival Phuket, take the direction of Rawai Beach and turn left at the second traffic light, and it’s right there. There is ample parking in the back, but we usually try to park on the roadside as it gets jammed at night.
There are few other markets in Phuket Town. The most popular now is Phuket Walking Street Market. Another one is called ‘Phuket Indy Market‘, mostly young Thai designers trying to make a name or a bit of money. If you like markets, Chillva Market Plaza, in Phuket Town is one of our favourites. If you stay in Patong, we recommend the Malin Plaza Market.
More Photos of The Naka Market
Naka Weekend Market Info
Location: Phuket Town
Address: Thalang Rd, Tambon Talat Yai, Phuket Town 83000
Open: 4 pm – 10 pm, Saturday and Sunday
Phone: 086 943 1140
Admission: Free
Fast Facts about Naka Weekend Market?
📅 Days open: | Saturday, Sunday |
🕗 Opening hours: | 4 pm to 10 pm |
🎟️ Admission: | Free |
🚙 Distance from Phuket Town: | 3 km |
🚙 Distance from Patong Beach: | 15 km |
🚙 Distance from Kata Beach: | 16 km |
🚙 Distance from Bang Tao Beach: | 24 km |
✈️ Distance from Phuket International Airport: | 34 km |
Naka Weekend Market Map
if you are on mobile, add the map here: https://goo.gl/maps/Jx4sBywQLQbnW2gXA
Other Night Markets in Phuket
More about Phuket Town
Phuket Town – A Walking Guide to Old Phuket Town