Central Phuket 🛍️

What to Do at Central Phuket?

Central Phuket is one of the biggest malls on the island, split into two massive wings on either side of a wide road — Festival and Floresta. If you’re just exploring, it can feel like two different malls, but it’s actually one big complex. We don’t usually include shopping malls as one of the best things to do in Phuket, but on a rainy day or when you just want to escape the heat, it’s not a bad place to spend a few hours. These days, malls in Thailand feel more like places to hang out, eat something, catch a movie, maybe grab a shirt if something catches your eye.

What is Central Phuket?

If you’ve come across names like Festival and Floresta and wondered what they mean, they’re just two parts of the same Central Phuket mall, located in Phuket Town.

• Festival Wing is the original side, opened in 2004.
• Floresta Wing came later in 2018, built across the street on the old Thai Naan Restaurant site.

There’s a large glass sky bridge connecting both sides, so you don’t have to cross the road. If you’re in other parts of the island, there’s also Central Patong, Jungceylon, and Porto de Phuket up in Bang Tao.

CENTRAL PHUKET FESTIVAL WING

The older wing still gets the most foot traffic, especially on weekends when something’s going on. It’s built in a wide loop with a central courtyard that often becomes a beer garden or event zone. It’s louder at the end of the month when there are car shows or sales events, but quieter on weekdays.

Central Phuket Shopping Gallery

The main shopping gallery is immense, often hosting loud commercial events on the weekend, and it gets even louder at the end of the month, such as motors show and property shows. The rest of the time, the area is a vast discounted items display. Surrounding the central areas are the usual fashion and cosmetic shops: Sephora, Guess, Zara, Esprit, and Mango (MNG)

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1st Floor

This is where you’ll find the supermarket, everyday fashion, and the first food court.

• Central Food Hall – Good mix of imported groceries and deli items.
• Fashion stores – Jaspal, CC-OO, Uniqlo, and other Thai mid-range brands.
• Food court – Easy and cheap meals.

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2nd Floor

This level has the busiest gallery, surrounded by familiar international brands, chain restaurants, and big sports stores.

• Main gallery – Zara, Mango, Esprit, H&M, and others.
• Franchise restaurants – Pizza Company, Hachiban Ramen, Sizzler, Black Canyon.
• Sports & lifestyle – SuperSports, Under Armour, The North Face, New Balance. (RevRunnr, where we used to check out running shoes, has closed recently.)

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3rd Floor

3rd Floor – Fast Food and Cinema

• Mostly food and entertainment here, with a second food court and the mall’s cinema.
• Food Court #2 – A fast-food zone with more Asian options.
• SFX Cinema – Movie theatres, including VIP sofas.

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4th Floor

4th Floor – Beauty and Hair Salons

• The uppermost floor is all about beauty. Haircuts, nail salons, skincare — this is the salon level.
• Beauty zone – Haircuts, nails, brows, slimming clinics — the usual suspects

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The Food at Central Festival Phuket

People used to shop first and eat later. These days, it’s the opposite — food is often the main reason to go. Our usual spots:

• Wine Connection – Good selection of Western and Thai dishes.
• HaidiLao Hot Pot – Known for over-the-top service and gadgets.
• Ootoya & Fuji – Classic Japanese comfort food.
• MK Suki, Oishi, S&P, Sizzler – Always busy.

Some of our favourites:

Haidi Lao Hot Pot

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CENTRAL PHUKET FLORESTA WING

Across the road, the Floresta Wing feels more refined and less crowded. It’s where most of the designer brands and luxury cosmetics are — all air-conditioned under high ceilings.

Ground Floor – Luxury Fashion and Beauty

The ground level is all about designer brands and cosmetics — mostly high-end boutiques, plus Central’s premium department store section.

• Luxury brands – Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Hermès, Prada, Chanel, Dior, and the rest.
• Cosmetics & fashion – The Central Department Store here stocks the usual premium brands.

Basement – Aquarium, Floating Market and Food

The basement is more fun and family-friendly, though quieter now. It’s where you’ll find Aquaria and food stalls styled like a Thai market.

• Aquaria Phuket – Thailand’s largest aquarium, right inside the mall.
• Andasi Restaurant – A unique underwater dining experience inside Aquaria.
• Tales of Thailand feels like walking through a floating market — there are regional snacks, little souvenir stands, and a lot of photo ops.
• Another Central Food Hall – Smaller than the one at Festival, but still well stocked.
• Homeware & kids section – Moved here from the old wing.

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How do you get to Central Phuket from Patong?

You can smoothly go from Patong to Central Phuket by using the free shuttle that runs every hour or every hour and a half from 11 am to 7 pm from Patong and from noon to 8.30 pm from Central Phuket (see schedule).

Keep in mind that while the bus stop in Patong is easy to find near Bangla Walking Street, Central Phuket Town is a bit on the outskirts of town, so you will need a second bus ride if you wish to continue to Old Town (Old Town is about 3 km away)

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Central Phuket Photos

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Phuket