Phuket Town: what to see and do in Thailand's historic pearl
Explore a unique old town in the heart of the main Thai resort.
Phuket Old Town, or Phuket Town, is often overlooked by tourists who come to the island for the sake of beaches, sea and sun. And in vain! This is a great place to explore the island's history and culture. You can get around it in one day, and if it gets too hot, you can always hide in one of the many cafes. We tell the story of this city and walk along its most interesting streets!
History and architecture of Phuket Town
Long before becoming Thailand's most popular resort, Phuket was an important center of trade and industry. Here they produced rubber and mined tin. Merchants from all over Asia and Europe came here to exchange them for spices and goods.
Merchants from China played a particularly important role in the development of Phuket's Old Town. They started building shophouses here — two-story houses with housing on the top and shops on the bottom. Such buildings are also common, for example, in Malaysia's Penang and Singapore.
A characteristic feature of shophouses is their small width, as if the houses are compressed on both sides. The fact is that in the past, the amount of property tax depended on the width of the facade. Merchants built narrow but tall and long houses. The area was large, and the tax was minimal.
Phuket Town's shophouses feature inventive facades with stucco molding, carved shutters and raised columns, and their roofs are covered with red tiles. This style is very rare in Thailand.
Main streets of Phuket Town
Before walking around an unfamiliar city, it is always useful to learn about its main streets. Phuket Town is no exception. Here are the most interesting parts of it:
- Ranong Road-Central market and Jui Tui Temple are located here.
- Yaowarat Road-the main street of Phuket Town starts from the ring where Ranong, Ratsada and Bangkok streets meet.
- Dibuk Road - go here for sweets and admire the facades of shophouses.
- Phang Nga Road — here is the old Memory at On On Hotel, ateliers, pastry shops and art galleries like Drawing Room.
- Ratsada Road — this is where the Thavorn Hotel Museum is located.
- Soi-Rommani is literally a red light street: shopphouses are decorated with red paper lanterns. The perfect instagram spot. In the past, this street was infamous for its brothels and opium dens, but now it is quiet and peaceful.
- Talang Road — Home to China Inn Cafe and Sunday night Market. A great place to experience the local cuisine.
- Krabi Road-Phuket Thai Hua Museum is located here.
Phuket Town's attractions can be reached in half a day. You can go directly to the list. Start at around 11am to catch lunch at the Blue Elephant restaurant. If the day is too hot, then wait out the heat and go the same route in the evening. The Phuket Town night market is also a very interesting place.
The Memory at On On Hotel
This hotel became famous thanks to the movie "The Beach". The opening scenes of the film were shot here. It's not the most luxurious hotel in Phuket, but it's the best place to discover what the island was like in the past.
The Memory at On On opened in 1929. This is the oldest hotel in Phuket. The interiors are decorated with antiques from the period of tin mining on the island, so that when you cross the threshold, you will immediately be transported to another era.
The Memory at On On
Coordinates: 7.883821, 98.388471
China Inn Cafe
From Memory at On On, head to China Inn, a cafe and vintage furniture store with a beautiful backyard garden. The interiors are decorated with Chinese lacquer boxes and Chinese fabrics. The air is dispersed by old fans. The owners of the establishment took three years to restore and re-furnish this ancient shophouse.
Here you should stop for at least a cup of coffee. At any time of the day, this is a great shelter from the heat.
China Inn
Coordinates: 7.884711, 98.388020
Facebook: @chinainnphuket
Tai Hua Museum
Further down the street is the Tai Hua Museum, located in a beautiful building in the Chinese Baroque style (a mixture of Chinese and Portuguese architecture). In 1934, the first Chinese language school in Phuket opened here.
The Tai Hua Museum is dedicated to the history of the Chinese people in Thailand as a whole; the Chinese make up the largest diaspora in the country. In the museum, you will learn about what regions of China immigrants came to Thailand from and where they worked, as well as about tin mining in Phuket, an industry that brought prosperity and wealth to the island. There are also sections dedicated to the architecture of Phuket Town and Malaysian Penang and Malacca, and specifically to shophouses.
Tai Hua Museum
Coordinates: 7.884995, 98.386773
Сайт: phuketthaihua.ac.th
Pra Pitaka Chinpracha Mansion and Blue Elephant Restaurant
You can finish your morning walk with lunch at the Phra Pitaka Chinpracha Mansion. Located here, Blue Elephant Restaurant serves and teaches royal Thai cuisine.
Blue Elephant is famous all over the world, the restaurant has branches in London, Dubai and Brussels (it first opened there). Phuket Town is probably the most beautiful place in the chain. Fine local dishes are served in the chic dark wood dining room with silver cutlery and elephant-patterned dishes.
Blue Elephant
Coordinates: 7.885741, 98.384001
Сайт: blueelephant.com
Soi-Romani Street
Time seemed to stand still on this short street. It was once one of Phuket's hot spots, where brothels, opium dens and gambling dens were opened. Now it is one of the most peaceful places in the city. The houses here are painted in pastel colors, with old motorcycles and pots of plants standing next to them, and descendants of Chinese immigrants relax in local coffee shops. The landscape here is a little reminiscent of the alleys of old Beijing and quiet provincial cities. The perfect instagram spot.
Coordinates: 7.885383, 98.389194
Tavorn Hotel and Museum
The Thavorn Hotel is not as old as The Memory at On On, but it also takes you back to the pre-tourist era of Phuket. The founders of this place, the Tavorn family, anticipated the future popularity of the island and were the first to open an all-inclusive hotel here.
Unfortunately, they were in a hurry. The airport on the island was built only a few years later, and the hotel never gained the desired popularity. Now it plays more of a museum role: the walls are decorated with old paintings and newspaper clippings, and the rooms are furnished with antique furniture.
Tavorn Hotel
Coordinates: 7.882918, 98.389931
Website: thavornhotels.com
The Drawing Room
Across the street from the Tavorn Hotel is The Drawing Room, a workshop and gallery where local artists work and exhibit. The interiors here combine the old and modern. Vespa scooters and collage paintings are juxtaposed with full-length canvases. Here you can not only see works of art, but also talk with their authors and drink coffee. Local clutter inspires your own creativity.
"Living room"
Coordinates: 7.883594, 98.389512
Facebook: @DrawingRoomPhuket
Temples and sanctuaries
Phuket Town has several Chinese shrines worth visiting. Probably the most famous of these is the Saeng Tham Shrine near The Memory at On On Hotel. It was founded in 1891. There is a legend that for many years the temple was located in the backyard of another building, and only local residents knew about it. However, after the restoration, the entrance was expanded, and now everyone can get here. Entrance to the temple is free, but you can leave a donation. Don't forget to take off your shoes!
Coordinates: 7.883857, 98.387889
Another important temple in Phuket Town is the sanctuaryJui-Tui. If you find yourself in Phuket during the annual Vegetarian Festival (which begins on the ninth day of the ninth month of the lunar calendar, this year it was held from October 5 to 14), you will most likely spend a lot of time there. The temple was originally located on Soi Romani Street, but after a fire destroyed the original building, it was moved to Ranong Road.
The main deity in one of the oldest temples in Phuket is the Chinese god of artists and dancers Tean Hu Huang Soi. Take a walk in the beautiful temple garden and find out your future with the help of fortune sticks. The predictions are written in Thai and Chinese, but you can keep them so you can ask someone to translate them later.
Coordinates: 7.883221, 98.383211
Сайт: juitui.com
Phuket Town Markets
Phuket Town has several markets, but the two most popular are the Central (Talad Sod Satarana) and Sunday (Lard Yai) markets.
The Central Market, located on Ranong Road, offers everything from fabrics and fresh fruit to raincoats and incense. They also sell interesting delicacies that are sometimes not found in restaurants. The market is open from 5 am to 11 am daily. Price tags in Thai and English.
If you find yourself in Phuket Town on a Sunday, head to the Sunday Evening Market. There is real Thai street food. The market is open from 16 to 21 hours on Thalang Road.
Where to eat in Phuket Town
Did you know that Phuket Town is the first city in Asia to receive the status of "City of Gastronomy" by UNESCO? It is full of places that will delight the most discerning gourmet. We've compiled a list of authentic restaurants and fast food outlets that are definitely worth visiting.
Tunk-Ka Cafe
Here, enjoy authentic Thai cuisine and great views from Khao Rang Hill. Local specialties include mu-hong (braised pork belly) and steamed fish with lemon juice and chili. The atmosphere here is quite romantic and even magical, especially in the evening.
Coordinates: 7.892276, 98.380759
Facebook: @TunkkaCafePhuket
Mee Ao Kae
This modest cafe serves mostly local food and serves spotless Chinese noodles. It is mixed with soy sauce and sugar, supplemented with vegetables, fish balls, chopped pork and soft-boiled egg. It turns out perfectly. One of the best places in Phuket town.
Coordinates: 7.876173, 98.38861
Website: wongnai.com
Boonrat Dim Sum
For a traditional Thai breakfast, head to Boonrat Dim Sum. Order dim sum, the recipe of which has not changed since the establishment opened in 1917, and enjoy the original taste of old Guangzhou. You should definitely try Chinese dumplings with pork and shrimp.
Coordinates: 7.881247, 98.395120
Website: boonratdimsum.com
Tu Kab Khao
The chef at this restaurant, Khun Kim, specializes in modern cuisine of southern Thailand, but does not forget about the past. Located in a Sino-Portuguese building dating back 130 years, Tu Kab Khao is decorated with old photos of Phuket Town. It serves fantastic mu-hong. Other menu items, however, are not inferior to it.
Coordinates: 7.883617, 98.388008
Facebook: @tukabkhao
Torry’s Ice Cream
This is not just an ice cream shop — the owners of this place, brother and sister Torri and Fern Wongwattanakit, reinvent their favorite sweets from childhood. They sell only natural ice cream in a wide variety of flavors, from corn milk and coconut to pumpkin and avocado. Make sure to try o-au (Phuket's icy dessert) with red beans and jelly and apong, local crepes with coconut milk made in a wok heated over coals. Of course, they are served with ice cream.
Coordinates: 7.885387, 98.389236
Facebook: @torrysicecream
Keng-Tin
Don't miss this pastry shop, which has been operating since 1942. If you want to try one thing, take tau sar piah-a puff pastry with a sweet or salty filling, which can only be found here and in bakeries in Malaysia. Also try pung pia puffs, Phuket Taro sesame puffs, and black pepper cookies.
Coordinates: 7.877072, 98.393402
Instagram: @phuketbakery1
