Flights from Melbourne to Phuket

Compare Cheap Flights from Melbourne to Phuket

Located in the south of Thailand, Phuket offers a very different experience to the other major cities in Thailand. Phuket is on an island and is the place to go in Thailand for a relaxed coastal atmosphere. Phuket is made up of many beautiful beaches, and right off Phuket are many smaller islands for you to explore. The area is full of natural beauty and is one of the best places in the world for snorkelling and diving. Back in the city, Phuket has an exciting culture, lots of friendly locals, and some of the best Thai food you can experience. Phuket has so much to offer every type of traveller.

With close to 500 cheap flights from Melbourne to Phuket each week, you have lots of opportunities to visit Thailand. Several of the region’s top airlines offer cheap airfares from Melbourne to Phuket, including Qantas, Virgin Australia, Jetstar, Thai Airways, AirAsia, and Emirates. Direct flights are available from MEL to HKT and will get you into Phuket International Airport (HKT) in less than 9 hours. While the majority of return flights from Melbourne to Phuket depart from Melbourne Airport, Qantas and Jetstar have some flights that depart from Avalon Airport with a short stopover in Sydney.

Ready to make your Thai dreams a reality? Use Webjet to book return flights from Melbourne to Phuket and start planning your trip. Webjet compares cheap airfares from Melbourne to Phuket from all different airlines to help you find the best deal. Pack your bags, brush up on some conversational Thai, and use Webjet’s guide to Phuket to make the most of your MEL to HKT holiday.

Things to do in Phuket

Wat Chalong

Thailand is known for its beautiful temples, and one of the best ones to visit in Phuket is Wat Chalong. Inside this Buddhist temple, you can see several artifacts, including a walking stick that is said to hold healing powers and even a piece of Buddha’s bone. Wall art throughout the temple teaches you about Buddha’s life story, making Wat Chalong a great place to learn about the spiritual side to Phuket. The temple is beautifully designed and a must-visit when you book return flights from Melbourne to Phuket.

Phang Nga Bay

Northwest of Phuket is Phang Nga Bay, which makes for a perfect day trip. Several boat tours are available from Phuket to Phang Nga Bay, or you can hire a private boat for your group. The bay is full of limestone cliffs emerging from the water, and the bay is even home to the famous James Bond Island. On the northern end of Phang Nga Bay, you can also visit a fishing village called Koh Panyi. The floating village is made up of stilt houses that are popular throughout Thailand.

Go to the Beach

With more than 30 beaches, Phuket is an ocean-lover’s dream. There are lots of different beaches that will appeal to different types of travellers. Patong Beach is one of the most popular. It’s close to the centre of Phuket Town and is a popular nightlife area. For a quieter beach experience, Karon Beach, Kata Beach, and Paradise Beach are great spots to go. They have quiet and secluded atmospheres, but are still close to lots of restaurants. All of the Phuket beaches are beautiful with white sand, bright turquoise water, and lots of palm trees.

Big Buddha

Recognised as one of the most prominent symbols of Phuket, this statue is 45 metres tall and sits on a hill overlooking the city. From the Big Buddha, you can get a great view of some of Phuket’s top beaches, including Karon, Kata Noi, and Phang Nga Bay. The Buddha is made of Burmese marble and shines beautifully in the sun. The area around the Big Buddha gets extremely hot in the middle of the day and afternoon, so for the best experience, make it your first stop of the day.

Karon Temple Night Market

There are several night markets throughout Phuket, and this is one of the best. The market is held on Tuesdays and Fridays and is set up right on the Karon Temple grounds. The market is full of local crafts, art, and clothing that will give you a great insight into Phuket culture. The market also has lots of food stalls where you can sample some amazing Thai food. Some of the must-try foods on a visit to Thailand include pad thai, tom yum, panang and green curries, and mango sticky rice for dessert.

Go Island Hopping around Phuket

Phuket is located on an island itself, and all around are many more islands for you to visit. With the close proximity of many of the islands to Phuket Town, you could easily visit for a day, or you could plan to spend a few days on the surrounding islands. All of the islands have beautiful beaches and great snorkelling and diving. The Phi Phi Islands are some of the most popular to visit outside of Phuket. They are just 45 minutes from Phuket by speedboat and 90 minutes by ferry. There are several Phi Phi Islands, with some known for their nightlife and others known as a quiet paradise. The Similan Islands are another beautiful spot, located 45 minutes from Phuket by speedboat. And for a day of diving and snorkelling just off the coast of Phuket, the Koh Kai Islands are only located 20 minutes from town by speedboat.

When should you book cheap flights from Melbourne to Phuket?

Phuket is located in the tropics, so its temperatures are stable throughout the year. It gets hot during the day, and nighttime cools down but stays at a comfortable 24-25 degrees. Although the temperature doesn’t change much, Phuket experiences vastly different weather throughout the year.

Due to its tropical location, Thailand experiences a wet season and a dry season. The dry season is the best time to book cheap airfares from Melbourne to Phuket and lasts from November to April. January and February are the busiest months, so if you plan cheap flights from Melbourne to Phuket during this time, be sure to book your hotel far in advance. Monsoon season lasts from May to October. These months experience a lot of rain, and some attractions close for the wet season. The ocean can be dangerous during monsoon season, and swimming and diving are not recommended due to powerful waves and rip currents. Prices drop during the wet season, so it could be a good option for travellers who aren’t planning to dive or snorkel in Phuket.

It’s always exciting to book return flights from Melbourne to Phuket for one of their big celebrations! It’s a great way to learn more about the Thai culture and see how locals celebrate their holidays. The Songkran Water Festival is held in April to celebrate the Thai New Year. The festival involves water fights and people dumping buckets of water over each other. Water is seen as purifying in Thailand, so being soaked during the festival is a way to purify yourself of the bad memories from the previous year and start the new year with a clean slate. For a more relaxed festival, you can look at cheap airfares from Melbourne to Phuket for the Loy Krathong Festival in November. During Loy Krathong, hundreds of floating lanterns are released into the sky, making for some beautiful sights.

Departing from Melbourne

Melbourne Airport (also known to locals as Melbourne Tullamarine) is located north of the city and is the departure point for most international flights leaving Melbourne. There are around 70 cheap flights from Melbourne to Phuket every day on many of the top airlines, including Virgin Australia, Qantas, Thai Airways, AirAsia, and Emirates. Avalon Airport is Melbourne’s second airport. It’s a small airport with flights within Australia, but some international flights depart from Avalon if they are connecting through Sydney. Qantas and Jetstar have some MEL to HKT flights that depart from Avalon Airport.

Getting to Melbourne Airport (MEL)

The SkyBus is the most stress-free way to get to Melbourne Airport with five different express routes. Each bus route runs every day of the week and is equipped with Wifi onboard.

The Melbourne City Express gets you from Southern Cross Station to Melbourne Airport in less than 45 minutes. Buses run every 10 minutes between 4:30AM-midnight, so you’ll be to the airport and on your way to Phuket Airport in no time. The City Express runs 24 hours, so even in the early hours of the morning, you can catch a ride to the airport every 15-30 minutes. Tickets for the City Express are $18 online or $19.50 at Southern Cross Station.

The Southbank Docklands Express has six different pick-up points around the Southbank and Docklands. This SkyBus runs between 7AM-7PM and departs regularly for the airport. Buses leave every half hour during the week and every hour during the weekend. Tickets for the Southbank Docklands Express can be purchased online for $18.

If you’re travelling from St Kilda, you can catch the St Kilda Express from four different locations. The bus runs every half hour during the week between 6:15AM-8PM and every hour during the weekend between 6AM-7PM. The St Kilda Express to the airport is $19 and will get you to Melbourne Airport in about an hour.

Coming from a bit further south of the city? The Peninsula Express has 16 pick-up points along the Mornington Peninsula and southeastern beaches, including Brighton and Frankston. Fares vary between $22-$55 based on your departure point, and there are buses scheduled throughout the day. Check the SkyBus website for your stop’s timetable.

If you’re coming from the western suburbs, you can catch the Western Express with pick-up points in Werribee and Tarneit. Tickets are $21, and buses depart each hour between 6:15AM-6:30PM.

Prefer to take a taxi or an Uber? Leaving from the CBD, a taxi will have you at Melbourne Airport in less than a half hour. From the CBD, taxi fare to the airport costs about $55-$75.

Parking at Melbourne Airport

If you plan on driving to the airport, Melbourne Airport has a couple of parking options to choose from. The best option for budget-conscious travellers parking for more than a couple days is the Long Term car park. You can park for less than $10 a day, and the sooner you reserve your spot, the lower your rate will be. A free shuttle bus is available to take you from the car park to the airport terminals in less than 5 minutes, so you can be on your way to Phuket Airport in no time!

Getting to Avalon Airport (AVV)

Avalon Airport is located about 50 km southwest of Melbourne’s CBD, just outside of Geelong. The Skybus has an Avalon City Express route, which picks up passengers from Southern Cross Station and on Synnot Street in Werribee. Tickets from the CBD cost $22, and tickets from Werribee are $19. The Skybus Avalon timetable changes a little bit each day, but has buses scheduled to meet all departing and arriving flights. The Skybus will get you to Avalon Airport in 50 minutes from the CBD and 30 minutes from Werribee.

Parking at Avalon Airport

Avalon Airport has a “tap and go” system for its car park. When you arrive, you can either take a ticket or tap your credit card. If you choose to get a ticket, you can pay via a pay machine at the end of your trip when you’re leaving the airport. With the tap and go system, you simply tap off with the same credit card you used when you arrived, and you will be charged the corresponding amount. The cost of parking varies and the price per day goes down for each day you are parked. A short 4-day trip from MEL to HKT would cost $77 to park. However, if you book cheap flights from Melbourne to Phuket for two weeks, you’ll only pay $132 to park. The car park is under 24-hour surveillance and is located just outside the airport, so you can be inside the terminal within a few minutes.

Arriving in Phuket

Phuket is home to the third busiest airport in Thailand, just after the two Bangkok airports. Located 30 km north of the city, Phuket Airport is the gateway to southern Thailand and many of the Thai islands. The airport is made up of three terminals. Terminal 2 receives international flights from MEL to HKT, domestic flights land in Terminal 3, and Terminal X receives charter flights and private planes. Your return flights from Melbourne to Phuket will most likely fly into Terminal 2. However, your flight may arrive to Terminal 3 if you have a stopover in Bangkok.

Getting to your hotel from Phuket International Airport (HKT)

The most budget-friendly way to get from Phuket Airport into town is on the Phuket Airport Bus. This bus offers a route between the Phuket International Airport (HKT) and Phuket Bus Terminal in the town centre. Other stops along the bus route include the Phuket Boat Lagoon, Sarakul Stadium, and Pranang Srang Temple. From the Phuket Bus Terminal, you can transfer to buses heading to other areas of Phuket, including Patong, Kata, Karon, and the Rassada Pier. The Phuket Airport Bus picks up passengers outside Arrivals for Terminals 2 and 3. The bus departs from Phuket International Airport (HKT) every 60 to 90 minutes and arrives to the Phuket Bus Terminal in a little over an hour. Tickets are available to purchase on the bus and cost 100 Thai baht (about $4.20).

For an easy transfer from Phuket International Airport (HKT) to your hotel, you can catch a taxi outside of your terminal. A taxi into the centre of Phuket Town costs about 400 baht and takes 30 minutes. A taxi ride to Patong costs about 550 baht and takes 40 minutes. If you are staying at a hotel in Kata or Karon, taxi fare from the airport costs about 600 baht and takes an hour. When you catch a taxi from Phuket International Airport (HKT), there is also a 100 baht surcharge that gets added onto your fare.

Looking for a unique Thai experience to start off your holiday? Tuk tuks are a popular method of transportation for visitors to Thailand. Tuk tuks are not very big, so taking one from Phuket Airport may not be possible if you have several pieces of luggage. Due to the popularity of tuk tuks, they are often more expensive to take than taxis. In recent years, Phuket has set maximum rates for tuk tuks to avoid tourists being overcharged. Maximum rates from Phuket Airport include 1,000 baht to Kata and Karon, 800 baht to Patong, and 550 to Phuket Town. While these are the maximum fares, tuk tuk drivers will expect you to negotiate down the price, and you can often get a tuk tuk ride for about the same cost as a taxi.