Phuket Old Town
The terraced Sino-European shophouses of Phuket Town, built on tin-mining wealth by settlers of Chinese, Indian, European and Muslim origin.
The tin-mining town behind the beaches
Phuket Old Town is the historic core of Phuket Town, in Mueang Phuket district on the south-east of the island. The tourism authority describes it as a district of terraced Sino-European buildings, left by settlers of Chinese, Indian, European and Muslim origin, and it names Thalang, Dibuk, Phang Nga, Yaowarat and Krabi roads and Soi Romanee as the streets to look for. The buildings explain the island as much as the beaches do. They date from the tin-mining boom, when mining was the island's main industry and Chinese migrants, many of them 19th-century arrivals, built the town's wealth. Reference sources usually call the style Sino-Portuguese, while the tourism authority says Sino-European; both describe the same mix of Chinese and European design. The frontages are typically one or two storeys high, narrow at the street and deep inside, with decorative tiles, doors and perforated windows that blend the two traditions. Along the streets Buddhist temples stand beside Hindu shrines holding figures of Ganesha and Brahma, a reminder of how mixed the settler population was. The town's Peranakan community, sometimes called the Phuket Babas, has historical links with Penang and Malacca. This is a different Phuket from the west-coast beaches: a town-centre walk through streets rather than a single sight.
Explore Phuket Old Town on the map
City locations, drawn from our published destination data. Attractions, hotels and restaurants are not mapped yet.
What to look for
The sight is the streetscape itself, so this is a walk with your head up.
The buildings
- Narrow-fronted, deep terraced buildings of one or two storeys, the standard pattern of the Old Town.
- Decorative tiles, doors and perforated windows that combine Chinese and European details.
The streets
- Thalang Road, where TAT lists the Sunday walking street.
- Dibuk, Phang Nga, Yaowarat and Krabi roads, and the lane called Soi Romanee, are the other streets TAT names.
Shrines and temples
- Hindu shrines with statues of Ganesha and Brahma stand along the streets, alongside the town's Buddhist temples.
Finding your way
Only the placement is given here; check local sources for transport.
Arriving
- The Old Town is in Phuket Town, in Mueang Phuket district on the island's south-east.
- It is separate from the west-coast beaches, which lie across the island.
- Wat Chalong, the Big Buddha and Laem Phromthep are also in Mueang Phuket, in the south.
What nobody tells you
A few things that make the Old Town easier to read.
Practical
- The same architecture is labelled Sino-European by TAT and Sino-Portuguese in most reference books; you will meet both terms.
- The wealth behind the buildings was tin: TAT places the height of the island's tin trade in the reign of Rama IV, and the shophouses reflect that wealth.
- In 2015 UNESCO's Creative Cities Network named Phuket a City of Gastronomy, according to published accounts.
- The Sunday walking street is a weekly event; details can change, so use the official TAT page for current information.
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