ShoppingGetting a football shirt printed in Thailand
The souvenir plenty of travellers bring home: a blank shirt printed with your name, your number or a group joke. How it works, ideas, the traps, and why never a club logo.
Going out & exploringPhuket's shopping malls: which one to choose
The island has more of them than you'd think, and they're nothing alike: a luxury giant near the Old Town, two malls in Patong, a whole open-air district in Bang Tao, and an outlet on the airport road. Here's which one to pick, and what for.
Central Phuket, on the edge of the Old Town: the biggest, and the only one with luxury brands
Two wings linked by travelators, in Vichit, a few minutes from Phuket Town. It's the island's reference mall, the one people mention first.
The Festival wing, opened in 2004, covers everyday shopping: Uniqlo, Superdry, New Balance, Jaspal, a big food court and a cinema. Zara is set to open its largest store in southern Thailand there. The Floresta wing, opened in 2018, covers the high end: some fifteen luxury houses, including Louis Vuitton (its largest extended store in southern Thailand), Gucci, Dior, Prada, Hermès, Bvlgari, Tiffany & Co., Versace, Burberry, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Saint Laurent, Zegna and Omega, plus the Aquaria Phuket aquarium.
More than 800 shops in total across the two wings, on 111 rai of land. It's by far the biggest mall on the island, and the only one worth the trip for a specific luxury brand.
Patong has two shopping malls, not one
Jungceylon and Central Patong are a few hundred metres apart, near Bangla Road, and they serve different purposes.
Jungceylon is the older and bigger of the two, with more than 300 shops since its renovation at the end of 2024: Uniqlo, Adidas, Puma, Coach, Levi's, Billabong, Rip Curl, Charles & Keith, a large Big C, a Robinson department store and a cinema. It's the mall you think of first from Patong.
Central Patong, opened in 2019 right next door, is smaller and designed differently: cosmetics and accessories on the ground floor, fashion upstairs, luggage and homeware higher up, and in the basement a Central Food Hall supermarket with a proper food court. You go there more to eat and shop for groceries than for the boutiques.
Bang Tao and Cherngtalay: Boat Avenue and Porto de Phuket, in the open air
In the north-west, at the entrance to the Laguna complex, two open-air shopping districts face each other instead of one enclosed building.
Boat Avenue, opened in 2016, is built around Villa Market, an upmarket supermarket. Around it: Paul Ropp, Quiksilver, Dalaya Fashion Boutique, Chandra, tailors, spas, and a night market every Friday evening in the car park.
Porto de Phuket, right next door, opened at the end of 2019 under the Central Group banner: a district completely open to the outside, two-thirds green space, organised around a Central Food Hall, with a kids' area and a wellness hub.
The outlet, the hypermarkets, and the two Robinsons that aren't in Phuket Town
Three places you go to for a specific reason rather than to browse.
Premium Outlet Phuket is in Ko Kaeo, on the road linking the airport and the Old Town, not in town. Around sixty shops in a setting styled like a Mediterranean village: Nike, Adidas, Puma, Reebok, Lacoste, Converse, Timberland, Levi's, Lee and Guess, at reduced prices.
Robinson Lifestyle has two locations on the island, and neither is in Phuket Town, despite what you might assume: one in the north, in Thalang, near the airport road, and one in the south, in Chalong. They're neighbourhood malls, designed for residents more than passing visitors.
For a classic grocery run, Big C and Lotus's face each other on the Phuket Town bypass, in Wichit. There's also a smaller Big C inside Jungceylon, in Patong.
On a rainy day, a mall is a serious option
Central Phuket and Jungceylon each have a cinema, and Central Phuket also has the Aquaria aquarium. Enough to spend a good part of the afternoon in the dry.
Getting there from where you're staying
None of these malls is walkable from the beaches, except Jungceylon and Central Patong if you're already staying in Patong.
From Kata, Karon, Bang Tao or the south of the island, you'll go by car or scooter. Central Phuket, Jungceylon and Central Patong can usually be combined in one trip; Boat Avenue and Porto de Phuket are the closest if you're already staying in the north-west.
FAQ
Phuket's shopping malls: common questions
What is the biggest shopping mall in Phuket?
Central Phuket, on the edge of the Old Town, in the Vichit area. It has two wings linked by travelators, Festival, opened in 2004, and the newer Floresta, with more than 800 shops in total. It's also the only mall on the island with some fifteen international luxury houses.
Is there a shopping mall in Patong?
Two, a few hundred metres apart. Jungceylon, the older and bigger one, with more than 300 shops since its renovation at the end of 2024. And Central Patong, opened in 2019 right next to Bangla Road, smaller and more focused on food and a supermarket.
Where can I find international brands in Phuket?
For luxury (Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Dior, Prada, Hermès, Tiffany & Co.), it's the Floresta wing of Central Phuket, and nowhere else on the island at that scale. For mid-range brands (Uniqlo, Adidas, Coach, Levi's, Superdry), Jungceylon in Patong and the Festival wing of Central Phuket cover most of it. For discounted sports brands, head to the Premium Outlet, between the airport and the Old Town.
What can I do in a Phuket mall on a rainy day?
Central Phuket has a cinema in its Festival wing and the Aquaria aquarium in its Floresta wing. Jungceylon, in Patong, has its own cinema too. Either way, you can spend a good part of the afternoon in the dry, air-conditioned restaurants included. Our full rainy-day guide lists eleven other options.
Where can I do my grocery shopping in Phuket?
Villa Market, at Boat Avenue, in the north-west of the island. Central Food Hall, in the basement of Central Patong or in the Porto de Phuket complex, right next to Boat Avenue. And the two hypermarkets, Big C and Lotus's, facing each other on the Phuket Town bypass; there's also a smaller Big C inside Jungceylon, in Patong.
Is there an outlet mall in Phuket?
Yes, Premium Outlet Phuket, on the road linking the airport and the Old Town. Around sixty discounted sports and fashion shops (Nike, Adidas, Lacoste, Levi's, Timberland) in a setting styled like a Mediterranean village.
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