Phuket Old Town
History and Character of Phuket Old Town Phuket Old Town is the historic centre of Phuket Town, built on the wealth of the island's nineteenth-century tin boom. Chinese, Malay, Thai and Portuguese influences met here, and the result is the Sino-Portuguese architecture the quarter is known for: arcaded shophouses with shuttered upper floors, painted in ochre, pink and pale blue, and a handful of much larger merchant mansions behind them. Exploring the Streets of Phuket Old Town The core is walkable in an afternoon. Thalang Road is the busiest of the old streets, with narrow Soi Romanee running off it; Dibuk, Krabi and Phang Nga Roads hold more of the mansions and civic buildings. Many of the restored shophouses are now cafés, galleries, small museums and guesthouses, and street food is easy to find at any hour. Markets and Evening Life in Phuket Old Town On Sunday evenings Thalang Road closes to traffic for the Lard Yai walking street market, when the shophouse façades are lit up and stalls line the road for browsing on foot. Getting to Phuket Old Town The quarter sits inland from the island's main piers, which makes it a straightforward half-day either side of a ferry. Travellers can pair a stop here with onward journeys such as ferries to Koh Phi Phi or Krabi, or arrive by bus or minivan into Phuket Town before heading out to the coast. Read destination information.
Phuket Old Town
Phuket Old Town is the historic centre of Phuket Town, built on the wealth of the island's nineteenth-century tin boom. Chinese, Malay, Thai and Portuguese influences met here, and the result is the Sino-Portuguese architecture the quarter is known for: arcaded shophouses with shuttered upper floors, painted in ochre, pink and pale blue, and a handful of much larger merchant mansions behind them.
The core is walkable in an afternoon. Thalang Road is the busiest of the old streets, with narrow Soi Romanee running off it; Dibuk, Krabi and Phang Nga Roads hold more of the mansions and civic buildings. Many of the restored shophouses are now cafés, galleries, small museums and guesthouses, and street food is easy to find at any hour.
On Sunday evenings Thalang Road closes to traffic for the Lard Yai walking street market. The quarter sits inland from the island's main piers, which makes it a straightforward half-day either side of a ferry.
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