Kata Beach and Phuket Old Town are two popular tourist destinations in Phuket and they have totally different vibe. Kata is a beach town located on the west coast of the island, while Phuket Old Town is the historic town located on the east coast.
In this article, I will help you to choose which area is better to stay in, Kata or Phuket Old Town. I will give you an overview of the location, nightlife, shopping, food, accommodations, beaches, and cultural attractions of these two areas.
Is it better to stay in Kata Beach or Phuket Old Town?
I stayed in both Phuket Old Town and the Kata/ Karon area, and I rented a scooter to explore the island. I’d say Kata is a better choice if you want to stay right on the beach and be close to Patong, which is the island’s nightlife hub. You will be close but not right inside the noisy Patong.
Phuket Old Town is a better choice if you don’t mind further away from the beaches, and you’re interested in cultural attractions, historic atmosphere, and authentic local food.
Phuket Old Town is a more popular day trip. Most visitors come to Phuket for beaches and stay on the beaches on the west coast like Kata. You can stay in Kata then take day trips to the old town.
They are located only around 15km apart, which takes around 30 hours depending on traffic. You can easily use riding share services such as Grab, Bolt, InDrive, or even local buses to travel between Kata and the Old Town.
If you have more time in Phuket, like I did, you can consider splitting your stay between both towns to fully experience what each has to offer.
Top recommended stays in Phuket Old Town:
- mid-range: The Memory at On On Hotel
- mid-range: Casa Blanca Boutique Hotel
- budget: Capsule Bed Phuket
My recommended hotels to stay in Kata:
- luxury: Katathani Resort
- mid-range: Sawasdee Village
- budget: Blue Palm Kata Resort
Location
Kata is located on the south west coast of Phuket, 10 km south of Patong, and 46 km south of Phuket International Airport.
Phuket Old Town is located on the central east coast of Phuket, 14 km east of Patong, and 31 km south of Phuket International Airport.
Phuket is well-known for its heavy traffic and relatively expensive taxi services. Phuket Old Town is a bit closer to the airport than Kata Beach, which means you can save time and money on transportation when traveling between your hotel and the airport if you’re staying in the old town.
Kata is an excellent base to explore the beaches and attractions on the south of Phuket. You can easily explore Karon Beach, Kata Noi Beach, Patong Beach, Promthep Viewpoint, Nai Harn Beach, and major cultural attractions like Big Buddha and Wat Chalong.
Phuket Old Town is a perfect choice for exploring cultural attractions, shopping, and dining. It is close to the famous Big Buddha and Wat Chalong. You are also close to the island’s top malls and night markets like Central Phuket and Chillva Market.
The Old Town is also an excellent location for island hopping. Most piers on the island are located on the east coast near the old town. You can easily take boat trips to Koh Yao Yai, Koh Yao Noi, Phi Phi island, James Bond island, and many other destinations in Krabi like Ao Nang, Koh Lanta, and Koh Hong.
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Beaches
If you are on a beach holiday in Phuket, it is best to stay in Kata. Kata Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in Phuket. The beach is ideal for swimming, sunbathing, surfing, and enjoying watersport activities such as Jet skiing or banana boat.
If you stay in Kata, you can easily walk to the beach at any time of the day. This area is also close to many other beautiful beaches like Karon Beach and Kata Noi Beach. Staying in Kata means you will have easy access to a range of beaches both on foot and a few minutes Grab taxi ride.
There are no swimmable beaches located within walking distance from Phuket Old Town. You will need to take a taxi or rent a scooter to get to nearby beaches for at least 20-30 minutes drive. Some beaches near the old town include Ao Yon and Khao Khad (11km away) or Patong (14km away).
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Cultural Attractions
Speaking about historical and cultural attractions, Phuket Old Town is the winner. This historic part of the island is full of ancient Sino‑Portuguese buildings, Chinese shrines, Buddhist temples, Museums, and charming lanes.
You can explore the colorful colonial-era shophouses in the center of the old town on Thalang Road, Soi Rommanee, and Dibuk Road dating from the 19th century during the mining boom period.
There are no significant cultural attractions within Kata Town, but it is a short drive away from the famous Big Buddha and Wat Chalong, which are two most famous temples on Phuket.
Accommodations
As a more popular tourist destination, accommodations in Kata are more expensive in Phuket Old Town. Kata also has a wider range of accommodations for all budgets. You can easily find 5-star resorts, mid-range hotels, and budget-friendly hostels.
Accommodations in Phuket old town are typical small guest houses and hostels budget to mid-range. Many hotels are boutique hotels that are converted from ancient building.
Whether you choose to stay, make sure to book your accommodations well in advance, especially if you are visiting the island in the high season from November to May. Phuket is a very popular tourist island, and accommodations are often sold out in the high season.
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Nightlife
Both Kata and Phuket Old Town have relaxing nightlife with a wide range of restaurants, shops, bars, and night markets. Kata has the advantage of being closer to Patong, so you can easily get to Patong for more bars and night clubs.
Nightlife in the two areas are mostly about searching for a night restaurant to eat, browsing at the night markets for street food and souvenirs.
Food
From my observation, Kata has a wider range of international dishes. Phuket Old Town is more about local Thai and Chinese food. In Kata, there are many food stalls in the Kata Night Market, KT Plaza, and lots of independent restaurants on the Kata Road.
In Phuket Old Town, there are several night markets and restaurants like the Sunday Walking Street Night Market on Thalang Road, The Indy Night Market near Dibuk Road, as well as Chillva Night Market and Naka Weekend Market located a bit outside of the old town.
Shopping
Phuket Old Town is a better place to go shopping. It is home to large shopping malls and many night markets. You can find almost everything in modern shopping malls like Central Phuket and King Powder as well as markets like Chillva Market, or Walking Street Night Market.
There are no big modern shopping malls in Kata like in Phuket Old Town. The town still has good enough shops and night markets for buying souvenirs and necessary goods. You can always travel to the nearby Patong for more shopping options.
Hiking Opportunities
Both Kata and Phuket Old Town offer great hiking opportunities. If you are hiking enthusiastic, you can find some good trails in and around these two areas.
In Kata, you can hike to the Big Buddha. This is a moderate to challenging trail starting from Karon Foothills to Big Buddha. The trail is around 5km and it will take around 3-5 hours depending on your fitness level.
Within a short drive south of Kata, you can check the trail to Black Rock Viewpoint, or Cape Krathing to Nai Harn Beach.
In the old town, you can check out the hiking trail to Monkey Hill Viewpoint. It is a hard trail, it took me around 1.5 hours to get to the top. Along the upper part of the trail, you can see many monkeys.
Viewpoints
Both towns have stunning viewpoints to explore, some are easily accessible by car and scooter, and some are only reachable by hiking.
In Kata, you can check out the Karon Viewpoint, Black Rock Viewpoint, and the Big Buddha. You can use a vehicle to get to Karon Viewpoint and the Big Buddha while to reach the Black Rock Viewpoint, you need a 15 minutes hike from the parking area.
In the Phuket Old Town area, you can explore the Monkey Hill Viewpoint and the Khao Rang viewpoint. Both viewpoints have stunning views of Phuket City and the ocean.
Both Kata and Old Town are close to Windmill Viewpoint and Promthep viewpoint. These places are at the southern tip of the island, and have stunning views of the sea, especially at sunset. It is easily reachable by car and scooter.
Getting to and Getting Around
Getting to and around both Kata and the old town are easily by metered taxi, riding shared services like Grab, Bolt, and InDrive. The taxi ride from Phuket airport to Kata is around 800-1500 baht, and it takes one to 2 hours on the road.
The taxi ride from Phuket Airport to the old town is around 600-900 baht, and it takes around 45-90 minutes to drive depending on traffic.
Both towns are connected with the airport by bus, so if you are on a budget, you can take this option. The bus ride is usually 100 baht for any destination.
Getting around both Kata and Phuket Old Town are also easy on foot, by local tuk tuk, or riding share services like Grab, Bolt, and Indriver. Both town centers are compact, so it’s best to explore on foot.
See more:
- How I Spend 5-7 Days In Phuket
- Ultimate guide to where to stay in Phuket
- 50 Best Things to Do in Phuket
So you have a brief comparison between Kata and Phuket Old Town. Generally speaking, if you want to stay right on the beach and be close to the wild nightlife in Patong, Kata is the best choice. If you don’t mind being further from the beaches and into authentic local food, it’s best to base in the Old Town. If you have enough time, you can consider staying in each town for a few nights.