Phuket Guide
Phuket Old Town
Colourful Sino-Portuguese shophouses, Chinese shrines, small museums and some of the best food on the island. Phuket Town is where the island’s tin-mining history and its Chinese, Malay and Thai communities still meet, and it makes a rewarding half-day or evening away from the beaches.
From Kamala
Across the island on the east side; allow time for traffic.
Best for
Architecture, cafés, local food and history.
Sunday evening
Lard Yai market on Phang Nga Road.
Famous festival
The Vegetarian Festival, rooted in Chinese heritage.
Why go
A different side of Phuket
The Old Town grew wealthy on tin, and its merchants built the elegant Sino-Portuguese shophouses you see today. Walk Thalang Road and the lanes around it slowly: the details are in the tiles, shutters and shrines.
The town is a melting pot. The Phuket Vegetarian Festival and the Baba Wedding Festival celebrate its Chinese and Peranakan heritage, and the Thai Hua Museum is a good place to understand the story.
What to eat
Old Town flavours
Phuket Town’s cooking blends Thai, Chinese and Malay influences. Look for Hokkien mee (stir-fried yellow noodles), moo hong (braised pork belly) and roti with curry.
Thalang Road is the heart of the food scene, and the town’s small cafés and tea houses are made for a slow afternoon out of the sun.
A little history
How Phuket came to be
The name Phuket is thought to come from the Malay word bukit, meaning hill, a fair description of the island’s green interior. Its position on Indian Ocean trade routes brought traders from India, Arabia, China and later Europe.
In 1785 the island, then known as Thalang, repelled a Burmese invasion, led by two sisters, Thao Thep Krasattri and Thao Sri Sunthon. They remain local heroines to this day.
Tin mining, and later rubber, shaped Phuket’s fortunes. The historic On On Hotel, founded in 1927 in the heart of the Old Town, is one of the buildings that remembers those years.
Plan your visit
Practical notes
Go in the late afternoon, when the heat eases and the shophouse fronts glow, and stay for dinner or a market. On Sundays, combine a walk with Lard Yai market.
Traffic across the island can be slow at peak times. Taxis and private transfers are available from the estate; ask the team about the best time to leave.
Phuket markets
Sunday lanterns, weekend bazaars and early-morning fresh markets. See the markets →
Temples and culture
Temple manners, the Big Buddha and everyday etiquette. Read the guide →
Thai food
The five tastes, regional cooking and dishes to try. Read our Thai food guide →
Stay in Kamala
Explore by day, return to quiet
Spacious one- and two-bedroom holiday apartments in a quiet tropical seaside estate in Kamala, with the rest of Phuket within easy reach.
Check availability