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Major city · Thailand

Karonหาดกะรน

Stay 3 nights if you want a quiet 3 km beach with resort comfort; skip Karon if you want nightlife or a walkable old town — that is Patong or Phuket Town.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
THB
Best months
Nov–Apr (Andaman dry season)
avoid May–Oct southwest monsoon: rough surf and rip currents; Sep–Oct wettest
Airport
HKT
Nights
3
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
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Rules in force · 6Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore…
  • Southeast Asia ↗Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Brunei and Myanmar; never carry a bag or parcel for anyone.
  • Southeast Asia ↗Carry a passport valid for at least six months from entry with two blank pages; airlines refuse boarding on less.
  • Thailand ↗Check entry rules and any arrival card on the official Thai government sites for your passport; visa-exempt stays and pre-arrival forms change.
  • Thailand ↗Do not criticise or mock the monarchy: insulting the royal family is a criminal offence.
  • Thailand ↗Temples and palaces: shoulders and knees covered, shoes off before entering halls.
  • Thailand ↗E-cigarettes and vapes are illegal to import or use; do not pack them.

Karon is Phuket's second-largest tourist beach: 3 km of white sand, 8 km south of Patong on Route 4233 and about 20 km from Phuket Town. Almost no hotel sits on the sand — the beach is public and unbuilt, with resorts across the beach road. Business clusters at the north traffic circle and at the south end near Bangla Rd. It is a beach-and-resort base, not a sightseeing town, so 3 nights covers it and 5 suits slow days with day trips.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Karon, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • Coffee฿60–120 (≈ US$2–4)
  • Street or quick mealThai noodle or rice dish at a local shop฿60–120 (≈ US$2–4)
  • Beerdraught pint / 7-Eleven can฿120–210 (≈ US$4–7)฿40–60 (≈ US$2)
  • Taxi, about 5 kmTuk-tuk Karon–Patong฿350–400 (≈ US$11–13)
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a week฿300–500 (≈ US$10–16)
  • Budget bedGuesthouse double room, a night, per room฿500 (≈ US$16)
  • Mid-range bedGuesthouse double room, a night, per room฿900 (≈ US$30)
  • High-end bedGuesthouse double room, a night, per room฿1,500 (≈ US$50)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget ฿1,500 (≈ US$50) · Mid ฿3,000 (≈ US$95) · High ฿6,000 (≈ US$190)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

3 km white-sand beach with squeaking sandSunset-facing west coastQuiet alternative to PatongNong Harn Lake park at the north endSnorkelling and dive shops
Airports
HKT Phuket International (About 1 h by road; airport transport booth sells a flat-rate voucher (about ฿750) and minibus seats (about ฿200))

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Karon: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

32°C

24°C

4 rd

Feb

33°C

24°C

3 rd

Mar

33°C

25°C

6 rd

Apr

33°C

25°C

11 rd

May

32°C

25°C

18 rd

Jun

32°C

25°C

18 rd

Jul

31°C

25°C

18 rd

Aug

31°C

25°C

19 rd

Sep

31°C

24°C

22 rd

Oct

31°C

24°C

22 rd

Nov

31°C

24°C

14 rd

Dec

31°C

24°C

7 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

The beach road and a parallel path are walkable end to end (about 3 km). Songthaew buses run to Phuket Town roughly hourly for about ฿40. Tuk-tuk Karon–Patong is quoted around ฿400 per ride. Renting a motorbike (about ฿150–200 per 24 h) is the cheapest way to reach other beaches, but Phuket traffic and the winding coast road are not for a first-time rider. Metered taxis exist but are scarce away from the airport.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Patong

go

Door to door: About 20–30 min

Tuk-tuk or taxi over the hill on Route 4233 (≈ US$140)

Go for the evening: Bangla Road nightlife and shopping, then return by agreed-fare taxi.

Kata and Kata Noi

go

Door to door: About 10–15 min

Songthaew or tuk-tuk south along the coast road

Smaller, busier beach with a walkable strip of cafés; easy half-day.

Phuket Town

go

Door to door: About 30–40 min

Local songthaew bus, roughly hourly, about ฿40 (≈ US$2)

Old-town shophouses, markets and the main bus connections onward.

Kamala

caution

Door to door: About 30 min

Taxi or motorbike north past Patong

Quieter village beach; the drive is long enough that a taxi fare adds up.

Chalong Bay

caution

Door to door: About 40–50 min

Taxi or motorbike via Phuket Town

Pier for island boats and a different, less beachy side of the island.

Phi Phi or Phang Nga Bay

go

Door to door: 2–3 h each way

Hotel pickup minibus to a pier, then a boat

Book a full-day tour; the pickup and boat legs eat most of the day.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

North Karon (traffic circle and Nong Harn Lake)

Restaurants, bars and tour offices cluster here; the northern third of the beach is the quietest stretch.

Central Karon (Patak Rd beach road)

Resorts line the inland side of the road; the beach path runs the full length. Best for a first stay.

South Karon (Bangla Rd end)

Smaller businesses and the narrow link road toward Kata; closest to Kata's restaurants on foot.

Karon Noi and the headland

Upmarket resorts on the bay between Karon and Patong; you need a taxi or motorbike for everything.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
฿1,200–2,000 (≈ US$40–65) excl. bed
Mid
฿2,000–4,000 (≈ US$65–130) excl. bed
High
฿4,000 (≈ US$130)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Mid-range resort double1 × 3 nights × ฿2,200฿6,600
Food, local transport, entries2 × 3 days × ฿3,000฿18,000
Airport transfer, both ways2 × ฿900฿1,800
Motorbike rental, one day2 × ฿200฿400
eSIM, about a week of data2 × ฿350฿700
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurge฿2,750
Trip total≈ ฿5,040 per person per day, bed included฿30,250≈ US$950

2026 estimate in baht; flights excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Thai noodle or rice dish at a local shop฿60–120 (≈ US$2–4)
Beer: draught pint / 7-Eleven can฿120–210 (≈ US$4–7) / ฿40–60 (≈ US$2)
Coffee฿60–120 (≈ US$2–4)
Beach umbrella and mat rental, per day฿100–200 (≈ US$4–7)
Tuk-tuk Karon–Patong฿350–400 (≈ US$11–13)
Songthaew to Phuket Town฿40 (≈ US$2)
eSIM or data SIM, about a week฿300–500 (≈ US$10–16)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Karon is a low-crime resort strip; the real risk is the sea. Rip currents during the May–Oct monsoon have drowned swimmers, so stay between the flags and never swim on a red flag. Petty theft is rare but keep valuables out of sight on the sand.
  • Rip currents: the Andaman surf kills swimmers every season — swim between the red-and-yellow flags and obey no-swim flags in the monsoon months.
  • Tuk-tuk and taxi fares in Karon are high and loosely fixed; agree the price before you get in.
  • Motorbike rental: wear a helmet, check the bike for damage, and confirm your travel insurance covers riding.
  • Jet-ski and motorbike damage claims are a known dispute pattern; photograph the machine before you take it.
  • The beach is public and free; anyone charging an access fee to a public beach is not legitimate.

Emergency numbers

Police
191
Ambulance and rescue
1669
Tourist police (English)
1155

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Karonหาดกะรน

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

ไปที่ที่อยู่นี้Please take me to this address

Emergency

  • Police191
  • Ambulance and rescue1669
  • Tourist police (English)1155

Embassy

No embassies in Karon; most are in Bangkok, with consulates in Phuket Town and Chiang Mai (check).

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • HKT airport → Karon, transport booth voucher: about ฿750 (≈ US$25), under 1 h
  • HKT airport → Karon, shared minibus: about ฿200 (≈ US$7), longer with drop-offs
  • Tuk-tuk Karon → Patong: ฿350–400 (≈ US$11–13) per ride

Say or show

  • สวัสดี — Hello (sawatdee)
  • ขอบคุณ — Thank you (khop khun)
  • เท่าไหร่ — How much? (tao rai)
  • แพงไป — Too expensive (phaeng pai)
  • ไม่เผ็ด — No spicy, please (mai phet)
  • ช่วยด้วย — Help (chuay duay)

Beach flags are the rule that matters: red means no swimming.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Karon. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Nov–Apr (Andaman dry season) · avoid May–Oct southwest monsoon: rough surf and rip currents; Sep–Oct wettest · month by month →
  2. 1 airport and 4 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 6 day-trips, door to door
  6. 5 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for HKT: voucher, minibus and metered-taxi options with last-departure checks.
  2. Four walking clusters with rescue anchors: north traffic circle, central Patak Rd, south Bangla Rd, Karon Noi.
  3. Beach-safety fixture: flag system, monsoon no-swim months and lifeguard coverage.

Meanwhile

Back to Thailand

Sources