Best Ways to Holiday in Phuket

There are many things a traveler can do in Phuket, and it all comes down to your personal preferences when you are choosing the time of the year to embark on a trip to this Thailand city. The city is great for those who enjoy water sports, shopping, sunbathing, and experiencing a new culture which are all year round activities.

Songkran is the name of the New Year in Thailand, and it is one of the most popular celebrations in Phuket. It is held during the 13th to 15th of April. The way the locals celebrate the beginning of the New Year is completely out of the ordinary. The tradition demands that people pour water on each other, but the sense was somehow lost and now the traditional of water pouring is a free for all water fight.

While getting into a water fight may not be to your liking, you can simply step aside and watch the locals celebrate. Everything is allowed: water guns, pipes, and even buckets and barrels filled with water. If you want to get into the heat of the action, the best place to be is Patong where people throw water on one another all through the night. No one is excluded,and everybody wanting to hop in is allowed.

Phuket is a city rich in festivals and the Vegetarian Festival is something you do not want to miss if you do not mind extreme manifestations. The festival is held in October and it has a religious connotation, but the rituals are like no other. The participants walk around the city in a trance like state which is believed to allow them to feel no pain. To demonstrate this belief they pierce their skin with all kinds of sharp objects.

The festival is not called the Vegetarian Festival for no reason. During the celebrations, the restaurants in the city will not serve meat under any circumstances. Other out of the ordinary experiences are offered by the city of Phuket, if you find your way towards the Chinese temples. Saphan Hin is the place where the festival ends with people tossing firecrackers in the way of the people in trance that take part in the religious rituals.

Chinese cuisine is a fixture in Phuket restaurants, so if you like this type of food you can taste the best dishes during the Chinese New Year. The celebrations mirror those from China, without the same glamor, but they are still something to attend if you happen to be in Phuket during the month of February.

If you want to take part in the Thai New Year's celebrations, you can buy some firecrackers from street vendors, but be aware of that accidents may happen.

Traveling to Phuket during summer guarantees a quiet vacation. If you do not like the crowd and the noisy celebrations, it is a good idea to visit the city from May until October when most tourists do not come to this destination. Still, the weather is great and you can enjoy all the city has to offer without fighting the crowds.

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Best Ways to Holiday in Phuket is a travel guide from Tripopedia, a travel encyclopedia. Learn about things to do in Phuket, places to see and places to eat.