The trip to the Thai island of Phuket is already planned, and of course accommodation in one of the famous beach resorts such as Patong, Karon or Kata Beach? Of course! Proximity to the beautiful sandy beaches is a must in Thailand!

When it comes to planning your sightseeing itinerary, there is another must-see destination – Phuket's capital city of the same name: Phuket (Town).

Phuket Town - the pearl of Phuket

Although I have been in Patong Beach for two and a half months now, I have only been to Phuket Town twice (shame on me). The first time doesn't really count – it was just a quick detour for a coffee in the blazing midday sun, when it was at its hottest. I quickly made my way back, as it was simply too hot to explore the city. Besides, the light around midday is simply terrible for taking nice photos!

Last Sunday, however, I went there twice in one day – early in the morning to watch the sunrise (Patong is located in the west, so if you want to admire the sunrise, you have to drag yourself out of bed early to cross the island) and for an unusual breakfast, and then again in the afternoon to the Phuket Central Festival shopping centre and the famous Phuket Sunday Night Market.

Sunrise in Phuket at Saphan Hin Park

An incredible sight, isn't it?

Saphan Hin Park is located on the east coast of Phuket, on the southern edge of Phuket Town. When I was there, the entire beach promenade was under construction, which meant it was dusty and full of rubble, but that didn't detract from the fantastic beauty of this sunrise.

If you love sunrises, then go there and treat yourself to the spectacle. Incidentally, on the way there, I was briefly unsure whether it was such a good idea to go to a park alone as a woman in the dark. Don't worry – you won't be alone there. When I arrived at around 6:15 a.m., there were already numerous workers and athletes on site. Besides, it gets light quickly. Furthermore, the park is less of a forest and more of a large area for sports and leisure activities.

In addition to its fantastic view, Saphan Hin Park offers another highlight: the gleaming golden Chinese Kua Tian Keng Saphan Hin Shrine. Last week was Chinese New Year, so everything was beautifully decorated with Chinese lanterns.

An unusual breakfast: dim sum

So, after sunrise, I'm standing in Saphan Hin Park and asking Google for a breakfast place that's already open at this time (7:30). And I discover something unusual for our European breakfast stomachs on a website, namely Chinese dim sum at Boonrat Dim Sum. So let's go!
Boonrat Dim Sum

The small restaurant has its dim sum stacked up fresh and steaming at the entrance; it looks great. I have no idea what anything is or what's inside. I look around – I definitely don't need to ask anyone here, it doesn't look like they speak English. The restaurant is full of locals, no tourists. Well, it's still early, the restaurant closes at 10 a.m., and who eats dim sum for breakfast (except Asians)? So, it's obvious.

Ich frage einen Angestellten mit Händen und Füßen, ob hier Selbstbedienung herrscht. Er versteht was ich meine, schnappt sich ein Tablett und lädt mir alles auf, worauf ich blindlings zeige. Zum Glück bin ich nicht heikel, und kulinarische Überraschungen wie diese liebe ich.

I take a seat at a table with my haul. Hot black tea is available in pots on every table, and you can help yourself freely. I receive two different sauces and get started.

And it's delicious! I made five good choices, even though I can still only guess at which filling was in which dumpling. My five small plates were more than enough for my breakfast, and I paid 80 baht, which is just over 2 euros. I'm perfectly happy with that and leave the great dim sum restaurant in high spirits, determined to come back again.

A coffee break? For hipsters and cat lovers

Phuket Town offers one coffee house highlight after another. I now know two that I can definitely recommend. Both are centrally located and ideal for a relaxing stopover.

The Macchiato House is located on Thalang Road and offers impeccable hipster interior design. I would dare to say that the décor of this coffee house could be replicated 1:1 in Berlin. The coffee is excellent, the seats are spacious and the WiFi is good enough to work on your laptop for a few hours. Expat life, olé! Auch Katzenfreunde werden sich Kaffeehaustechnisch in Phuket Town bestens versorgt fühlen: Wer zumindest einen Kaffee und Kuchen konsumiert, darf im B Cat Cafe die Miezen nicht nur durch die Glaswand, sondern hautnah erleben. Hier verbringen ungefähr 10 sehr dicke, schläfrige und geduldige Katzen ihr Dasein und lassen sich geduldig von Touristen streicheln, während sie dabei nicht mal ein Auge öffnen.

As a big cat lover, I found it a bit unpleasant that there were lots of small children in the room annoying the cats, but I was reassured when I saw that the four-legged friends had plenty of places to retreat to, out of reach of the visitors. I stroked them all and was also delighted with the tiramisu I ordered. I actually only ordered it so that I could go into the cat room, but it tasted just as good as the original in Italy. The prices are, of course, cat-friendly, but still reasonable.

The ingenious Thalang Sunday Night Market in Phuket

It starts at 4 p.m. – then Thalang Road, the main street, turns into one big street food market, lined with shops on both sides that move their goods and offers outside.

Really – this night market and the street food are worth it. Because if you live in Patong Beach, like I do, you quickly realise that every street food market there offers the same thing. In Phuket Town, it's different. It's more colourful, more authentic and, above all, cheaper.

Here, too, I was lucky that a second Chinese street food market had been set up just around the corner to celebrate Chinese New Year. If you come to Phuket, take a Sunday and treat yourself to this great market.

Phuket Town is very lively, beautiful and full of wonderful surprises, especially when it comes to coffee houses. Work in progress! 😊