Phuket Walking Street Market

Weather :

Tags : Commercial Street

Timings : 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM every Sunday

Time Required : 2-3 hours

Entry Fee : No entry fee

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Phuket Weekend Market, Phuket Overview

Phuket Walking Street is a weekend market on Thalang Road in old Phuket town. Makeshift shops are set up along the 350 meters long commercial street that also features multiple permanent shops, restaurants, and guest houses. This carnival-like atmosphere provides an added attraction for tourists who can buy souvenirs, handicrafts, clothing, and electronic goods most affordably here.

The Phuket Walking Street is one of the best venues to sample local food, with numerous vendors hawking barbecued meat, Thai sweetmeats, and other delicious eatables. The Sino-Portuguese influence is evident in the decorations and colored neon-lit area. Lardyai Phuket (big market), as the weekly market is called in the local Thai dialect, literally converts into a fair with thousands of people thronging the street that becomes chock-a-block with people selling and buying different things. 

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What to Buy at Phuket Walking Street Market

This stretch of Thalang Road converts into a bustling market where one can find youngsters selling hand crafted, innovative products that make excellent souvenirs and gift items from the heart of Thailand. There are plenty of clothes available here as well with jeans and T-Shirts selling the most. There are tools, toys, sports goods and traditional herbal medicines being sold briskly along both sides of the street too. However, the weekend market on the bustling street is noted for an enormous amount of inexpensive copes of big brands that are bought eagerly by the local population.

Costume jewelry and a number of handicraft items designed by the teenagers happen to be a big draw at the Phuket Walking Street and visitors are mesmerized to watch impromptu street performances by the young Thai population who do not ask for money but it is conventional to hand them a tip as a thankful gesture. Eager shoppers are amused to find huge stuffed toys put up for sale all over the place with Indigo casual wear shirts attracting many of the young men. Fabrics with prints, local flip flops as well as a number of accessories are picked up at throw away prices with both the seller and the buyer enjoying the intense haggling session. Avid shoppers also enjoy a brief moment of respite from screaming children who are entertained by means of a trampoline arena that keeps them engaged happily.

What to Eat at Phuket Walking Street Market

The entire street is decorated with colorful lights turning the weekend market into a carnival where one comes across numerous stalls selling Thai sweets and other delicacies. Chicken and fish on skewers are highly popular here with many of the locals buying food at the stalls in order to take the items home for dinner. The shoppers nibble on the tasty snacks even as they walk from stall to stall on the street.

There are a number of strange food items sold here as well with the horseshoe crab salad topping the list. The ubiquitous Mango Sticky Rice can be bought off the food carts but there are a number of tiny cafes, bars and restaurants located along the street where it is possible to drop by and enjoy a cup of hot coffee and taste the best charcoal grilled burgers. The Ka Chai Ice cream has many takers too with khanoms, the traditional Thai sweet being extremely popular. An old tuk tuk converted into a food stall draws the eye with the visitors delighted to taste hamburgers handed out from the ancient vehicle.

How to Reach Phuket Walking Street Night Market

The entrance to the weekend night market is through the Thalang Road that lies at the heart of Phuket city. The best way to reach the market would be to walk down from the Phuket Town Central Market. Tourists reaching by car have to park their vehicle outside the street making it inconvenient to drive through the market. Locals prefer to catch Songthaews that are available readily and run from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM every day.

Tips

1. Wearing loose, comfortable clothes is a must along with sturdy walking shoes
2. It is essential to carry cash as the makeshift shops do not accept cards
3. Many visitors carry their own shopping bags

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