Phuket Old Town: Sino-Portuguese Shophouses, Alleys and Street Art
Phuket Old Town, in the heart of Phuket Town, is the island's historic quarter, a world away from the beaches and nightlife of Patong. Its streets of colourful shophouses, Sino-Portuguese mansions built in the tin-mining era, Chinese shrines and cafés tell a different story of Phuket, that of the merchants who came from China and Malaysia. The area is walkable in half a day; it works well as a morning before heading to the sea, or on a Sunday evening, when Thalang Road turns into a market.
Highlights
Thalang Road
The main street of the old town, lined with pastel shophouses and covered walkways that shelter you from sun and rain. Cafés, craft shops and restaurants follow one another; on Sunday late afternoon it becomes the Lard Yai pedestrian market.
Soi Rommanee
This short lane, known for its coloured façades and small cafés, is one of the most photographed corners of the quarter. It is quiet early in the morning and fills with visitors and photographers by mid-morning.
The murals
Wall paintings decorate alleys around Thalang Road and Phang Nga Road. The nicest way to see them is to wander without a map: several works appear around the corner of a small street.
Museums and mansions
The Thai Hua Museum, housed in a former Chinese school, and Chinpracha House let you step into the history of Phuket's Chinese community. The Jui Tui Shrine is the best-known Chinese shrine in the centre.
Practical info
Tips
- Bring comfortable shoes, a hat and water: it is hot and humid all year, and pavements can be narrow or blocked. The area is flat and small: three to four hours are enough for the main streets, longer if you go into the museums. For a walking route, cafés and restaurants, read our Phuket Town guide. Mansions and temples ask for proper dress (shoulders and knees covered). The information on this page comes from travel guides and public sources, not from an official website of the quarter.
How to get there
The old town is in Phuket Town, half an hour to an hour by road from the west-coast beaches depending on traffic. From the beaches use a taxi, a ride-hailing app or a minibus; see getting around Phuket. Once there, everything is done on foot.
Opening hours
Our guides that feature it
Nearby
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