Phuket Sunday market

If you like a market then you will love Phuket Town on a Sunday evening because you have two to choose from. Both markets are great places to get tasty local food, people watch and shop for souvenirs.

Naka Market

The biggest of the two markets is the Talad Tai Rot market (Naka market) which is outside of town a short distance south of Central Festival mall off ChaoFa Road West. It’s actually a weekend market open on Saturday’s as well as Sunday’s. It runs from about 4pm to 9pm. Either go early or late to avoid traffic and get a parking spot. While it is popular with tourists this is still a “local” market as you’ll see just by looking at the food stalls. The market sells second hand clothes and all the usually tat that can be bought in the street markets in Patong like copy designer gear, DVDs and sunglasses. Prices tend to be a bit cheaper though. You can also buy small pets and fish, fishing gear, wooden furniture and many other oddities, it’s like a smaller version of Bangkok’s famous Chatuchak market. Much of the market is covered which will be annoying for anyone over 6ft tall because the tarp is too low meaning that you’ll be hunched over much of the time. The large food section is uncovered and is actually the best part of the market with lots of local dishes to sample.

Lard Yai Walking Street

Lard Yai walking street market is on Thalang Road in the centre of old Phuket town. It’s a relatively new venture and is proving very successful. This market is mainly about the food but there are also stalls selling nik naks and souvenirs.  The stalls start to emerge at about 4.30pm and stay until 9 or 10pm. It’s best to arrive early to get a parking spot and to get a  seat under the eves if you want to sit and eat. Our tactic is usually for the men to grab a table and sit with a jug of beer or three while the women go off and shop and bring back food.

Thalang road is an attractive road with it’s renovated Sino-Portuguese architecture and it’s a lovely place to sit and people watch for a while. At night the upper floors of the shop houses are illuminated in changing colours. Just off Thalang road is soi Romanee, probably the prettiest street in Phuket. There are also a few cool bars nearby, especially if you like live music.

Also see Chillva Market