Phuket Town vs Ubon Ratchathani
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More island-hopping options
Boat excursions are available from Phuket’s piers, but reaching them from town usually takes a road transfer.
A small advantage for keeping costs down
Simple rooms and local meals suit modest budgets, with private transport for provincial sightseeing the main extra expense.
Side by side
What feels different
Our editorial assessments · Select a factor to see how we scored each place.
Why we rate Phuket Town 0/10
Phuket Town is inland from the island’s main beaches, so a beach holiday needs separate transport.
Why we rate Ubon Ratchathani 0/10
This inland city has no sea-beach offering; riverfront areas are a different experience.
What we assess
Beach appeal, convenient access and variety during a beach-focused stay, within the destination itself.
Why we rate Phuket Town 4/10
Nearby hills offer views over the town and coast, but the central stay area is urban rather than a scenic beach or mountain retreat.
Why we rate Ubon Ratchathani 4/10
Riverfront and temple settings add interest, but the dramatic Mekong landscapes require longer provincial journeys.
What we assess
The visual impact of natural surroundings and how central those landscapes are to a typical stay.
Why we rate Phuket Town 9/10
Historic shophouses, temples, museums and local neighbourhoods make Phuket Town one of the island’s strongest cultural bases.
Why we rate Ubon Ratchathani 8/10
City temples and candle-making traditions provide strong Isaan cultural interest, with the festival adding a seasonal highlight.
What we assess
The variety, depth and practical access to historic places, temples, architecture, traditions and cultural experiences during a typical stay.
Why we rate Phuket Town 9/10
Southern Thai specialities, market food, cafés and acclaimed local restaurants make exploring the food scene a highlight.
Why we rate Ubon Ratchathani 8/10
Isaan, Vietnamese-influenced and Chinese-Thai food gives independent city dining strong variety and character.
What we assess
Food quality, variety, distinctive local cooking and how readily visitors can find good places to eat, regardless of price.
Why we rate Phuket Town 6/10
Bars, live music and atmospheric old-town venues offer varied evenings, though late-night clubbing is limited.
Why we rate Ubon Ratchathani 6/10
Local pubs, clubs and riverside bars provide worthwhile evening choice beyond food markets.
What we assess
The choice, variety and liveliness of evening venues, their opening hours and how easily you can enjoy a typical night out.
Why we rate Phuket Town 5/10
Quieter streets and stays are easy to find, while traffic and busy market areas make the centre feel urban.
Why we rate Ubon Ratchathani 5/10
Quieter hotel areas are available, but the normal stay is in a working regional city with busy roads and evening venues.
What we assess
How easily you can enjoy a peaceful stay, considering traffic, nightlife noise, crowds and practical quieter bases.
Why we rate Phuket Town 6/10
Boat excursions are available from Phuket’s piers, but reaching them from town usually takes a road transfer.
Why we rate Ubon Ratchathani 0/10
Ubon is inland and has no practical sea-island excursions.
What we assess
The variety of worthwhile sea-island trips, convenient departures, journey times and flexibility under normal operating conditions.
Why we rate Phuket Town 8/10
The old town is walkable, with taxis, ride-hailing and local buses for airport, beach and pier trips.
Why we rate Ubon Ratchathani 7/10
Airport, rail and local rides make a city stay workable without riding; dispersed sights and distant outings need transport.
What we assess
Freedom to explore without renting a scooter, using walking, public transport, taxis, tuk-tuks, ride-hailing or boats; transport price is assessed separately.
Why we rate Phuket Town 7/10
Local restaurants and guesthouses make it easy to spend less than in beachfront resorts, though beach and pier transfers add up.
Why we rate Ubon Ratchathani 8/10
Simple rooms and local meals suit modest budgets, with private transport for provincial sightseeing the main extra expense.
What we assess
How easily you can enjoy a typical stay on a modest budget, including simple accommodation, food, realistic transport and characteristic activities.
Scores out of 10 · Higher means more of that characteristic About these scores
How to read the scale
Scores run from 0 to 10 and describe how strongly a destination offers each characteristic.
Higher does not always mean better
A higher nightlife score means a livelier scene. A higher quietness score means a calmer atmosphere. The right balance depends on your trip.
Close scores mean similar experiences
Small differences should not decide your trip on their own.
Phuket Town
Choose Phuket Town if...
- You’re a foodie who wants to explore Phuket’s local dishes, markets and cafés.
- You want walkable historic streets, shophouses and museums alongside local food and cafés.
- You prefer walkable urban exploring and atmospheric evenings to staying beside a resort beach.
The trade-off
The main resort beaches are a separate ride away. Choose a coastal base instead if stepping straight from your accommodation into beach days is central to your trip.
Ubon Ratchathani
Choose Ubon Ratchathani if...
- Wat Phrathat Nong Bua
- Thung Si Mueang and city cultural life
- Isaan food and seasonal Candle Festival traditions
The trade-off
City sights are dispersed, and the best-known provincial nature attractions are not close to every city hotel.
Plan your trip
When to go
See how temperature, rainfall and travel conditions change through the year. Select a month to focus your comparison.
| Factor | Phuket Town | Ubon Ratchathani |
|---|---|---|
| Average daytime high | 33°C | 32°C |
| Monthly Rainfall | 50 mm | 3 mm |
| Rainy days | 5.6 | 0.6 |
| Crowds | High | Unknown |
| Stay prices | High | Unknown |
| Sea conditions | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Average daytime high | 34°C | 34°C |
| Monthly Rainfall | 24 mm | 11 mm |
| Rainy days | 3.4 | 1.4 |
| Crowds | High | Unknown |
| Stay prices | High | Unknown |
| Sea conditions | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Average daytime high | 34°C | 36°C |
| Monthly Rainfall | 81 mm | 29 mm |
| Rainy days | 7.5 | 3.7 |
| Crowds | High | Unknown |
| Stay prices | High | Unknown |
| Sea conditions | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Average daytime high | 34°C | 37°C |
| Monthly Rainfall | 135 mm | 83 mm |
| Rainy days | 11.7 | 6.5 |
| Crowds | Moderate | Unknown |
| Stay prices | Typical | Unknown |
| Sea conditions | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Average daytime high | 33°C | 35°C |
| Monthly Rainfall | 237 mm | 223 mm |
| Rainy days | 18.9 | 14.8 |
| Crowds | Low | Unknown |
| Stay prices | Low | Unknown |
| Sea conditions | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Average daytime high | 33°C | 34°C |
| Monthly Rainfall | 249 mm | 237 mm |
| Rainy days | 18.6 | 16.7 |
| Crowds | Low | Unknown |
| Stay prices | Low | Unknown |
| Sea conditions | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Average daytime high | 32°C | 33°C |
| Monthly Rainfall | 240 mm | 294 mm |
| Rainy days | 19.1 | 19 |
| Crowds | Low | Unknown |
| Stay prices | Low | Unknown |
| Sea conditions | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Average daytime high | 32°C | 32°C |
| Monthly Rainfall | 309 mm | 291 mm |
| Rainy days | 19.5 | 20.6 |
| Crowds | Low | Unknown |
| Stay prices | Low | Unknown |
| Sea conditions | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Average daytime high | 32°C | 32°C |
| Monthly Rainfall | 350 mm | 314 mm |
| Rainy days | 21.7 | 19.1 |
| Crowds | Low | Unknown |
| Stay prices | Low | Unknown |
| Sea conditions | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Average daytime high | 32°C | 32°C |
| Monthly Rainfall | 336 mm | 112 mm |
| Rainy days | 22.7 | 9.9 |
| Crowds | Low | Unknown |
| Stay prices | Low | Unknown |
| Sea conditions | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Average daytime high | 32°C | 32°C |
| Monthly Rainfall | 178 mm | 22 mm |
| Rainy days | 15.9 | 2.9 |
| Crowds | Moderate | Unknown |
| Stay prices | Typical | Unknown |
| Sea conditions | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Average daytime high | 32°C | 31°C |
| Monthly Rainfall | 82 mm | 5 mm |
| Rainy days | 10.3 | 0.8 |
| Crowds | High | Unknown |
| Stay prices | High | Unknown |
| Sea conditions | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Destination | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average daytime high | ||||||||||||
| Phuket Town |
33°C
|
34°C
|
34°C
|
34°C
|
33°C
|
33°C
|
32°C
|
32°C
|
32°C
|
32°C
|
32°C
|
32°C
|
| Ubon Ratchathani |
32°C
|
34°C
|
36°C
|
37°C
|
35°C
|
34°C
|
33°C
|
32°C
|
32°C
|
32°C
|
32°C
|
31°C
|
| Monthly Rainfall | ||||||||||||
| Phuket Town |
50 mm
|
24 mm
|
81 mm
|
135 mm
|
237 mm
|
249 mm
|
240 mm
|
309 mm
|
350 mm
|
336 mm
|
178 mm
|
82 mm
|
| Ubon Ratchathani |
3 mm
|
11 mm
|
29 mm
|
83 mm
|
223 mm
|
237 mm
|
294 mm
|
291 mm
|
314 mm
|
112 mm
|
22 mm
|
5 mm
|
| Rainy days | ||||||||||||
| Phuket Town | 5.6 | 3.4 | 7.5 | 11.7 | 18.9 | 18.6 | 19.1 | 19.5 | 21.7 | 22.7 | 15.9 | 10.3 |
| Ubon Ratchathani | 0.6 | 1.4 | 3.7 | 6.5 | 14.8 | 16.7 | 19 | 20.6 | 19.1 | 9.9 | 2.9 | 0.8 |
| Crowds | ||||||||||||
| Phuket Town | High | High | High | Moderate | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Moderate | High |
| Ubon Ratchathani | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| Stay prices | ||||||||||||
| Phuket Town | High | High | High | Typical | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Typical | High |
| Ubon Ratchathani | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| Sea conditions | ||||||||||||
| Phuket Town | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Ubon Ratchathani | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Temperatures are historical average daytime highs, not the highest temperatures you might experience. Rainfall and rainy days are monthly averages, not a forecast. A rainy day need not mean rain all day.
Stay prices are relative to each destination’s usual rates. Holidays can bring extra crowds and higher prices. Sea conditions vary by beach and day; check local conditions before boat trips.
Phuket Town: Thai Meteorological Department — PHUKET, 1991–2020.
Ubon Ratchathani: Thai Meteorological Department - UBON RATCHATHANI (48407), 1991-2020.
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