Phuket Temples by Car

What is where

Three groups, in three parts of the island. In the south, Wat Chalong and the Big Buddha on the hill above it, which are close enough together to be one stop. In the north, the older temples around Thalang, quieter and far less visited. And in the middle, the Chinese shrines of the old town.

That spread is why a temple day works by car and does not work any other way. Public transport reaches none of them properly and a tour reaches them on somebody else's schedule.

The Chinese shrines

The shrines in Phuket Town are small, working places of worship tucked into the old streets. They take fifteen minutes each and they are the part of a temple day most visitors skip and then wish they had not.

What it means for the car

Nothing on this route needs a special vehicle. Everything is sealed road and any ordinary car does all of it. What the day asks for is brakes in good condition and a driver who uses the gearbox.

The climb and the descent

The road up Nakkerd Hill is long, steady and perfectly manageable. Keep it in a low gear so the engine pulls rather than the box hunting. Coming down is the part that matters: select L or the minus position and let the engine hold the car. Riding the brakes for the whole descent is how rental cars arrive at the bottom smelling hot with a soft pedal.

Parking on a slope

Several temple car parks are on a gradient. Handbrake on properly, leave the car in park, and turn the wheels towards the kerb. It sounds obvious and it is the thing people forget in a hurry.

Where to park at each one

Wat Chalong has a large car park and it is rarely a problem outside the middle of the day, when tour groups arrive together.

The Big Buddha

There is parking near the top and it fills, especially late afternoon. If the upper area is full, use the lower one and walk up rather than waiting on a narrow road with vehicles trying to turn around behind you.

In the old town, the shrines have no parking of their own. Use one of the covered car parks in the centre and walk between them; they are close together and walking the old streets is half the point.

In Thalang the temples have their own space and it is usually empty.

• Go early to Wat Chalong to avoid the tour arrivals
• Use the lower car park at the Big Buddha if the top is full
• Park once in the old town and walk between the shrines
• Turn the wheels to the kerb on sloped temple car parks

How to build a temple day

Start in the north while it is cool and quiet, come down through the old town in the middle of the day when you want shade and lunch, and finish in the south with Wat Chalong and the hill.

That order works because it saves the busiest and most photogenic stop for the light, and it means you are not fighting the tour buses at their peak anywhere.

Dress properly at every stop: shoulders and knees covered, shoes off where indicated. Keep a light long-sleeved layer in the car rather than buying a sarong at each gate.

The evening finish

The view from the hill in the late afternoon is the natural end of the day. Just remember the descent afterwards, when everyone leaves at once in fading light. Wait fifteen minutes and drive down on an empty road instead.

Cars that suit this

Any ordinary car does this route. A compact is fine and parks easily in the old town, which is the tightest part of the day.

For four people with a full afternoon of getting in and out in the heat, a crossover is more comfortable and the higher view on the hill road is a small bonus.

The detail that decides it

Air conditioning. A temple day is a sequence of hot walks with short drives between them, and the car is where everybody recovers. Check it cools at idle before you set off. Ask us on WhatsApp or Telegram and we will have the car at your hotel early enough for a proper start.