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
Featured
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
Featured
A cooking class is one of the easiest ways to fill a wet afternoon, and Phuket Thai Cooking Academy sits in a quiet spot near Kathu Waterfall, between Patong and Phuket Town. The hands-on classes run in English and Chinese, so beginners and confident cooks both feel at home. You prepare Thai staples like pad thai, tom yum and fresh curry pastes, then sit down to eat what you made. A covered market visit is part of the class, and free return transport from Patong, Kathu and Phuket Town keeps you out of the rain.
Classes
Beginner Thai Cooking Class Half-day | 4 dishes | 2,200 THBThai Cooking Masterclass Extended premium class | 4 specialty dishes | 3,200 THB
Phuket 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 slow couple of hours at the spa is the classic rainy-day move in Phuket, and Thailand does massage and spa treatments better than almost anywhere. My tip is simple. If you are staying at a resort with its own spa and the rain sets in early, book your slot straight away. Every other guest has the same idea at the same moment, and by mid-morning the afternoon times are gone. For a famous name like the Banyan Tree Spa, save it for a rainy day rather than a sunny one you would rather spend outside.
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 |
When rain hits Patong, Jungceylon is the easiest place to head for, and most beach hotels are only a short walk away. The shopping centre reopened after a long refit and now covers a huge area in the middle of Patong. Inside you get souvenir shops, a big supermarket over two floors, a department store, restaurants, cinemas and massage spots, plus games and attractions on the upper levels for kids and adults. You can easily lose a full afternoon here without once stepping back into the wet.
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 biggest shopping and lifestyle complex on the island, and it is built for a wet day. The two halves, Festival and Floresta, are joined by a covered bridge, so you can move between them and never feel the rain.
Inside you will find fashion, electronics, cinemas, salons and a wide spread of Thai and international restaurants, plus two food courts. Families can also visit Aquaria Phuket downstairs, one of the largest aquariums in the country. It sits about 20 minutes from Phuket Town. 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 a proper indoor day-saver, tucked on the lower floor of the massive Central Phuket mall near Phuket Town. It is billed as the largest aquarium in Thailand, with thousands of fish and hundreds of species spread across walk-through tunnels and big glass tanks. Kids tend to slow right down here, which is exactly what you want when the sky is grey and the streets are wet. Give yourself around two hours, and you will barely notice the weather outside.
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
Catch a Movie at the Cinema
| Location: Malls across the island |
A film is one of the easiest ways to sit out a downpour, and Phuket now has cinemas all over the island. SF Cinema runs the big screens inside Central Phuket near Phuket Town, at Jungceylon in Patong, at Porto de Phuket over on the Bang Tao and Laguna side, and up north at Robinson in Thalang. Most show the latest international films in English, often with comfy recliner seats, and Jungceylon even has a small 4D screen. Wherever you are staying, a warm, dark, air-conditioned cinema is rarely far away.
Location: malls across the island: Jungceylon, Central Phuket, Robinson Lifestyle Thalang, Robinson Lifestyle Chalong
Duration: 2 to 3 hours
Who is it for: great for everyone
Discover the Many Cafes of Phuket
A cafe is where I always end up when the rain sets in. Phuket has grown a serious cafe scene over the years, and the best of it sits in the old streets of Phuket Town. You can take a window seat with a proper coffee, watch the downpour, and wait for the sky to clear, which it usually does within an hour or two. Many places roast their own beans and bake fresh, and the old shophouse settings look lovely on a grey day. It is my favourite way to turn a washout into a slow, easy afternoon.
Duration: 1 to 2 hours
Try a Thai Cooking Class
A rainy afternoon is the perfect excuse to learn a few Thai dishes properly. Classes across Phuket keep groups small, so the chef can walk you through each step at your own pace. Most start with a covered market visit to pick up fresh herbs and spices, then move to the stoves. Popular names include BrassWok Thai Cooking Studio, Blue Elephant and Phuket Thai Cooking Academy. You come away with real skills and a full stomach, and you have turned a washed-out day into one of the better memories of the trip.
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
Limitless Golf Studio Phuket
| Location: Phuket Town |
Golf and rain do not usually mix, but Limitless Golf Studio solves that with a fully air-conditioned indoor set-up near Central Phuket, in Wichit. You hit into TrackMan and Foresight simulators that measure every shot, so you can work on your swing with real numbers rather than guesswork. A TrackMan Master certified coach runs the lessons, and they suit everyone from first-timers to low handicappers. Children from six years old can play too. It sits right next to Decathlon with easy parking, which is handy when you are dashing in from a downpour.
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’s museums are an easy win on a wet day, and most sit close together in Phuket Town so you can hop between them under one umbrella. The Thai Hua Museum gives a thoughtful look at the island’s Chinese roots inside a lovely old mansion. Nearby, the Chinpracha House is still lived in by the original family, and the Thavorn Phuket Museum displays vintage pieces from the island’s old hotels.
For more scale, the Phuket Mining Museum tells the tin-mining story with life-size models and real equipment. None of these take long, so you can link two or three together and stay dry for most of a grey afternoon.
Admission: 100-200 baht
Duration: 1 to 1.5 hours
AR Trick Eye Museum Phuket
| Location: in Central Phuket near Phuket Town |
The AR Trick Eye Museum is another dry, playful option inside Central Floresta, on the Phuket Town side of the road to Patong. The trick here is augmented reality laid over painted 3D scenes, so you step into the artwork and it moves in your photos and videos. Backdrops run from underwater worlds to dinosaurs, fantasy scenes and dancing ballerinas. It is an easy hour or two with kids, and everyone leaves with a phone full of daft pictures. Since it is right in the mall, you can pair it with lunch and shopping if the rain keeps coming.
Location: Phuket Town – Central Phuket
Open: 11 am – 6 pm
Duration: 1 to 2 hours
Who is it for: great with kids
Let the Kids Loose at a Kids’ Club
| Location: Many inside the malls |
Rain and restless children do not mix, so an indoor kids’ club is a lifesaver. Phuket has plenty of them, from big soft-play centres like OTO Play Park and Kidzoona inside the malls to Kids Playorama and Froggy’s Fun Park. Most are air-conditioned, padded and safe, with slides, ball pits and climbing frames that let little ones burn off energy while you sit with a coffee nearby. Many sit inside shopping centres, so you can fold in lunch and some dry shopping. A good club buys you a couple of easy, calm hours.
Location: across the island, many inside malls
Duration: 1 to 2 hours
Who is it for: great with younger kids
Indoor Go Karts
| Location: Near Phuket Town |
Formula Fun Karting is Thailand’s first indoor electric go-kart track, sitting just outside Phuket Town, and it is a great place to burn off energy when it is pouring. The karts are quick and quiet, the track is fully covered, and there is a driving academy and racing simulators if you want to take it more seriously. It works for families and groups, and there is a Paddock Club area for parties. Older kids and teenagers tend to love it most. The weather outside stops mattering the moment you pull on the helmet.
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 works surprisingly well in the rainy season. Most gyms are indoors or under big roofs, so a downpour never stops the session, and the cooler, cloudier air makes hard training a lot more bearable than in the hot months.
A typical day mixes pad work, bag rounds, conditioning and technique, usually split between morning and afternoon. Low season often brings smaller groups and lower rates, so you get more attention from the trainers. Every level is welcome, from a first taster class to serious daily training.
Price: 400-600 baht/day for group sessions
Phuket Batik Painting Class
A batik workshop is a lovely, low-key way to sit out the rain and make something you can take home. You do not need any art skills to join. The Phuket Batik Painting Class walks you through the whole process, from sketching your design on paper, to drawing it in wax on fabric, to painting it with traditional dyes. It is calm, hands-on and easy for all ages, so it suits families as much as couples. A few hours later you leave with your own piece of Phuket art and dry shoes.
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
Get an Amazing Tattoo!
Getting a tattoo is a natural rainy-day plan, since you are indoors for a good while anyway. Phuket has a strong tattoo scene, and for a small design you can often just walk into a studio and chat with the artists on the day. For anything bigger or a cover-up, it is worth booking ahead. The studios on my list are the ones known for clean work and careful hygiene, whether you bring your own design or pick one from their flash. A wet afternoon in the chair beats staring at the rain from your hotel window.
Join a Great Yoga Class
A yoga class is an easy way to spend a grey morning and reset a little while you are on holiday. Studios have opened up all over the island, and many resorts run their own sessions if you would rather not travel far in the wet. If you follow a particular style or method, it is worth heading to one of the independent studios, where the teaching tends to be more focused. Rain on the roof and a quiet mat is not the worst way to wait out a downpour. Most classes suit complete beginners too.
Get Soaked Anyway at Andamanda Water Park
| Location: Kathu, between Patong and Phuket Town |
Andamanda is the biggest water park in Phuket, sitting in Kathu between Patong and Phuket Town, and rain barely matters here. You are getting wet on the slides anyway, and the park itself says they are more fun in light rain, with shorter queues too. There are more than 25 rides, a huge wave pool and gentler themed zones for smaller children. The water stays warm even under grey skies. The park only pauses briefly for thunder and lightning, so a normal Phuket shower will not spoil the day.
Location: Kathu, between Patong and Phuket Town
Open: 9 am to 5 pm
Duration: half a day
Who is it for: great with kids
Visit Phang Nga Bay
You have come a long way, so do not let a bit of rain keep you from Phang Nga Bay and its towering limestone karsts, sea caves and hidden lagoons. Exploring it by kayak is the best way to see it. You glide quietly through low caves and narrow gaps into lagoons most people never reach. The bay looks dramatic in sunshine, but it looks even better under moody grey skies and a light drizzle. Just pack a dry bag for your phone and enjoy the weather for what it is.
Phuket Aquarium
| Location: Cape Panwa |
The Phuket Aquarium at Cape Panwa is smaller than Aquaria, but it has a short glass tunnel and a good run of tropical fish and reef life. Part of the appeal on a wet day is the drive itself. Cape Panwa sits out at the far southeast tip, so getting there and back eats up a chunk of the afternoon and shows you a quieter side of the island. It is a calm, low-cost option that works well with younger kids. Bring an umbrella for the short walks between the buildings.
Location: Cape Panwa
Address: 51 Sakdidet Road, Cape Panwa
Open: Daily from 8.30 am – 4.30 pm
Phone: 076 391 126
Play with cats at B Cat Cafe!
| Location: Phuket Town |
Few things beat a cat cafe when the rain is hammering down outside. B Cat Cafe lets you hang out with around fifteen cats while you work through cake and a drink. It sits close to the old historic streets of Phuket Town, so it is an easy stop to fold into a wet day of wandering and coffee. The cats set the mood, calm and unbothered, which is oddly relaxing when your plans have just been rained off. It is a small, friendly spot, so it fills up fast on wet afternoons. Get there earlier rather than later. 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
Go Ice Skating
| Location: Near Phuket Town |
Ice skating in the tropics sounds odd, but it is a genuinely fun way to escape a downpour. Ice Arena sits behind Villa Market at the Boat Lagoon, not far from Phuket Town. Wear something warm, because it is easy to forget an ice rink is cold when it is thirty degrees outside. Skate hire is included, and there are lessons if you want them, though most people just skate around for an hour or two. It is good fun with kids and teenagers, and the rain becomes the last thing on your mind. Read more
Location: Boat Lagoon Marina
Address: Amphoe Muang Phuket, Phuket, Thailand 83000
Open: 9 am ‚Äì 10 pm (note that it’s closed for cleaning at 12.00 noon ‚Äì 12:30 pm, 2.30 pm ‚Äì 3 pm, 6 pm ‚Äì 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, head to Porto de Phuket or Boat Avenue, where the shops, cafes and cinema all sit under cover.
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 Andamanda opened as one of the biggest water parks in the country. 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
FAQs about Phuket Rainy Activities
