At over 3 km, Karon Beach is one of the longest beaches on Phuket and the longest of the major resorts.

Karon town itself has a very lively town street with a strong local character and a main road with a pedestrian promenade along the beach lined with large hotels and resorts.

Check rates for hostels and resorts in Karon

Beach and swimming

Karon Beach is really long and very spacious. It's covered in fine white sand and boasts a gradual entry into the sea.

It is separated from the main road with a pedestrian promenade by a wide strip of grass and palm trees, making it a very peaceful place.

There are many sun lounger and umbrella rentals on the beach, as well as a variety of water sports on offer.

The centre of Karon is about 600 metres from the beach and there are no houses immediately adjacent to the beach. This is why it is the calmest of all the large beaches on the west coast of Phuket, but at the same time probably the least photogenic.

Karon beach

Karon Resort

The town itself doesn't look very nice and consists of one main street full of local shops and tourist agencies offering tours and one transit road along the beach, where mainly hotels are located.

The hotel part of Karon is quieter, and overall the resort is suitable for people who like to have facilities close at hand, but also prefer quieter places than Patong or the neighbouring resort of Kata.

Karon Promenade

Karon

Accommodation Karon

Karon offers a wide range of accommodation from very cheap apartments with prices from 30 usd to the most luxurious resorts.

In general, Karon is one of the cheaper resorts and even very good quality hotels can be found here at relatively decent prices by Phuket standards.

Which hotels in each category would we recommend?

Cheapest (up to 40 usd) - Baan Chaylay Resort Karon **
Best value for money right on the beach (do 70 usd) - Coral Inn ***
Luxury resort - Pullman Phuker Karon Beach Resort *****

Transportation to Karon

You can get to town by bus, songthaews and of course also by Grab or Bolt.

There is a pretty big parking lot at the north end of the beach, where you can park if you need to drive.

Buses

There are two classic bus lines that run through Karon.

Smart Bus - single price 100 thb or 299 thb for a day ticket
- Runs between HKT Airport - Surin - Kamala - Patong - Karon - Kata - Rawai
- Frequency 30 to 60 minutes
- Timetable and information: phuketsmartbus.com
Phuket Bus Express - prices vary by distance from 80 thb to 150 thb
- Runs on the route HKT Airport - Kathu - Patong - Karon - Kata
- Frequency 60 minutes
- Timetable and information: phuketbusexpress.com

Buses stop at the north and south end of the beach.

Songthaew (Blue Bus)

Local buses, pick-ups converted to carry passengers, run to Phuket Town and the neighbouring resort of Kata.

They have a punctual timetable and run every 30 minutes from about 6:30am to 4:30pm.

The fare is 40 thb and they run along the entire promenade and then through the centre of Karon inland. When travelling from Phuket Town, the bus always goes first to Karon and then to Kata resort.