Sightseeing in Phuket

There are quite a few things to do in Phuket and they're usually difficult for the individual tourist to arrange by oneself. So, you could use a tour operator to take that trouble for you. If you can strike a good deal with your operator then they'll give you a chauffeur driven car for the entire day, for you to explore the city at leisure. Free of charge! Couple this with the free transfers to and from the airport, I'd say its wise to stick to one tour operator who convinces you of good rates.

What's the catch then? Well if you don't do your research and trust your driver to take you to all the tourist spots, then he'll most probably take you to a "pearl farm" (read pearl store with samples of oyster shells and corresponding pearls) and a "gem factory" (read gem store) and a "cashew factory" (read cashew products shop with one machine to skin the cashews). As you might have guessed, your driver gets handsome commissions for taking you to these spots and more if you end up buying stuff. The staff at each of these shops are trained to make you feel awful for not buying stuff; so even if you do land into one of these -- remember you don't have to buy something if you don't need it!

My advice is to research what you want to see and skip all of the gimmicky store hopping. In fact, decide in advance where you'd like to eat as well since the seafood joint that your driver might take you to could also be a "bring a customer and get a free meal" joint. Which is not bad, except that these joints tend to be overpriced in comparision to the most of the local fare.

Here are some of the sights I recommend at Phuket:

• Wat Chalong - Phuket's most revered shrine
  
• Wat Phra Thong - Home to the Half buried Buddha
  
• Phuket's Chinese Temples - evidence of the widespread Chinese population of Phuket
  
• Phuket Aquarium
  
• Phuket Butterfly Garden and Insectarium
  
• The Thalang Museum - A showcase of the history of Phuket and Thailand
  
• Walking down Thannon Thalang, admiring the Sino Portugese architecture of the area
  
• The Heroines Monument - dedicated to two ladies that defended the town against the Burmese
  
• The Sunset at Prompthep Cape
  

There's obviously loads to see by way of beaches, islands and night-life but I figure that's more obvious and you wouldn't need help figuring that out.