Best Shopping Destinations in Phuket

Do you plan to do some shopping on your upcoming trip to Phuket? Whether you’re looking for souvenirs to take home or you want to treat yourself to some luxury goods, there’s some retail therapy for everyone here!

Shopping on holiday isn’t so much a necessity but rather a fun and entertaining way to sample the local culture.

For many visitors to our island, finding the best shopping destinations is as important as other must-do activities, like elephant experiences in Phuket, island hopping, and visiting Phuket’s best beach clubs.

At Phuket Elephant Nature Reserve, we’re experts in life on the island. Our team is always happy to provide recommendations to help make your time here even more enjoyable.

That’s why we’re using this blog to give our tips for the best shopping destinations in Phuket.

If you have any questions about our ethical elephant activities in Phuket, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Take a Stroll Around Easy-Going Porto de Phuket

This new open-air community mall is in the Cherngtalay district, a short distance from Bangtao Beach. It’s next to the highly popular Boat Avenue Phuket, which you can find on the list below.

Porto de Phuket is located near the entrance to Laguna Phuket, and unlike other names on this list, it only has a single storey. But what this mall lacks in height, it makes up for in its footprint — Porto de Phuket is an impressively large site!

And this makes perfect sense given that it has a huge supermarket alongside its shops and restaurants. The Central Food Hall supermarket is arguably the most impressive outlet here as it covers a massive surface area.

With local and imported goods, you can find all the food you need for your stay in Phuket!

Porto de Phuket also has a branch of Super Sports filled with everything from swimwear to shoes to football shirts!

You may find this a useful destination if you followed the advice in our blog What to Pack for a Trip to Phuket and travelled light.

Boat Avenue Phuket

As mentioned above, Boat Avenue is essentially next door to Porto de Phuket. This provides the benefit of being able to visit two of the best shopping destinations in Phuket on the same day.

This shopping and dining neighbourhood has grown organically over the years. Initially a modest size, the site attracted an increasing number of trendy shops, restaurants, and bars until it cemented a reputation as a fashionable place to shop, eat, and hang out.

Taking inspiration from a similar project in Christchurch, New Zealand, Boat Avenue is Thailand’s first shipping container mall. Today, this Phuket shopping destination draws local and international visitors from the Bangtao, Layan, Surin, and Kamala beach areas.

Boat Avenue is home to an impressive range of dining establishments serving local and international cuisine. With a supermarket, boutiques, personal care centres, and a lively Friday night market, Boat Avenue Phuket is a great place to spend an afternoon or evening!

Robinson Lifestyle Mall

This department store recently opened in September 2022, is located near the Phuket heroines’ monument roundabout, closer to the east coast than the west. From the Bangtao Beach area, it’s an approximate 20-minute drive, so it’s easily within reach by car or taxi.

You will also pass the Phuket Elephant Nature Reserve on the way so why not spend a morning shopping and an afternoon visiting our beautiful rescued elephants!

Encompassing a site of over 44,000 sqm, Robinson Lifestyle Mall is an all-in-one modern shopping destination. It is packed with popular shops selling brand-name products, a dedicated food park, and entertaining zones designed to keep kids busy.

If you’re wondering what to do on a rainy day in Phuket, Robinson Lifestyle Mall also has a cinema.

Central Phuket

Located just outside Old Phuket Town, this air-conditioned shopping mall has long been considered one of the top shopping destinations in Phuket. With more than 400 outlets selling everything from laptops to clothes, and books to silk, it’s easy to see why!

Since the opening of Central Phuket Floresta (see below) this is now the original main wing of a much larger site. Built in a circular shape and divided into several levels, the mall wraps around an open-air Biergarten on the ground floor.

In Central Phuket, you can find an extensive shopping gallery with many world-famous fashion and cosmetic stores, a large supermarket and deli, sports, electronics and appliance stores, an inviting food hall, and an SFX cinema.

And when it’s time to move on, this shopping destination is connected to its sister mall, Central Phuket Floresta, via a covered glass sky bridge.

Central Phuket Floresta

In the most literal sense, Central Phuket Floresta is across the street from Central Phuket. And it’s this street that the connecting sky bridge spans, allowing visitors to pass between the two with ease.

In many ways, Central Phuket Floresta is a huge, more modern extension of the original Central Phuket. When combined, the two wings, both of which are 3 to 4 storeys tall, cover an immense surface area.

Central Phuket Floresta alone is the largest shopping mall in Phuket, so the two combined offer almost endless opportunities for shopping, dining, and entertainment.

This shopping mall has luxury stores, a huge department store, and many typical shops aimed as much at locals as tourists. On the lower floor, you can find a supermarket complete with a wine cellar and food court, the latter of which has branches of excellent local restaurants.

The Happy Kids Club keeps kids entertained, but you could say the same for Aquaria, the incredible on-site aquarium. Home to an incredible 25,000 animals, Aquaria is Thailand’s largest aquarium!

When You Finish Shopping, Visit Phuket Elephant Nature Reserve for Ethical Elephant Activities in Phuket!

Shopping can be a tiring and stressful experience, so look to one of Phuket’s most quintessential experiences to centre yourself again.

Our ethical elephant activities in Phuket are the perfect way to find balance before or after a day of shopping!

You can watch our amazing rescued animals in their natural habitat and learn about what makes them such incredible creatures.

And you will have complete peace of mind from start to finish. At Phuket Elephant Nature Reserve, we understand the importance of elephant conservation. The welfare and well-being of our animals are our priorities.

Are you ready to book your own elephant experiences in Phuket? Please contact us with all your queries and questions so we can recommend the perfect activity for you.