Explore Phuket Old Town: Top 9 Things to See and Do

9 Best Things to Do in Phuket Old Town

1. Be Amazed of Colorful Colonial Houses Along Thalang Road

Strolling along Thalang Road in Phuket Old Town is one of the highlights of visiting Phuket. Colorful old Chinese-European-style houses reminiscent of those antique houses you often see in countries like Malaysia and Singapore, with a touch of Phuket's charm, are all lined up on both sides of the streets.

There are several souvenir and handicraft shops along the way for you to check out on Thalang Road, as well as awesome cafes and restaurants, which we will discuss later.

You will find many corners of Thalang Road to be extremely photogenic. Still, there is no street more photogenic than Soi Rommani, a small street with colorful colonial-style buildings on both sides and a Buddhist temple in the background.

The Thalang Road strip is not very long, and it should take you a few hours to see all the beautiful parts of the area. The place can be explored anytime during the day, but if you are there on a Sunday, there is quite a treat waiting for you at Phuket Old Town if you drop by in the evening.

Where to Stay in Phuket Old Town?

Budget

Ritsurin Boutique Hotel - SHA Plus

Double Room | $

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👍 Top Pick

Mid-Range

The Blanket Hotel Phuket Town - SHA Plus

Double Room | $$

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High-End

The Memory at On On Hotel - SHA Extra Plus

Junior Suite | $$$

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2. Eat Your Way Through the Old Town Sunday Walking Street 🥘 Best Place to Eat

Every Sunday, the entire main street of Phuket Old Town is transformed into a lively walking street market brimming with street food stalls, local performers, and a multitude of shops selling affordable handicrafts and more.

The Sunday Walking Street really brings new life to the old, peaceful Phuket Old Town, with a ton of people visiting, both locals as well as foreigners, all walking up and down the street, trying out all sorts of delicious street food Thailand is known for.

Phuket Sunday Walking Street starts at around 4 PM and goes on through the night until 10 PM every Sunday. There is a ton of street food you can try here, all sold at a lower price than if you were to buy them in restaurants.

What I often do at Phuket Sunday Walking Street is walk up and down the street, grabbing whatever I want to try as I go, and then finding a nice quiet place to sit at the Golden Dragon Monument. The Golden Dragon Monument is in a small park, where you can easily find a nice, quiet place to sit and enjoy food at your leisure.

3. Visit Phuket Thai Hua Museum 🏛️ Best Museum

As I introduced earlier, Phuket Old Town is full of history, but to fully understand what Phuket is all about, you won't be able to learn about it by just looking at colorful colonial buildings. You have to learn it from the source at Phuket Thai Hua Museum.

Phuket Thai Hua Museum is set inside this stunning 1934 Sino-Portuguese colonial house that used to be a Chinese School. The place houses galleries all dedicated to telling the stories of the Chinese people in Phuket, spread over 2 floors, with an open-air courtyard.

It is a great stop for exploring Phuket Old Town. The entrance fee to Phuket Thai Hua Museum is 200 THB per person, and the museum opens from 9 AM to 5 PM every day, except for public holidays.

4. Spot Beautiful Chinese Shrines in Phuket Old Town

Walking through Phuket Old Town, you will likely spot many Chinese shrines tucked away between all the beautiful Sino-Portuguese colonial buildings. It shows just how well-assimilated the Chinese immigrants were with the town, making it the town we see today.

Many of these Chinese shrines are worth visiting if you are already out exploring Phuket Old Town. The Saeng Tham Shrine on Phangnga Road is a little hidden gem of a shrine with a stunning Chinese-style gate with incredible dragon carvings on the poles and beautiful street art celebrating Thai-Chinese culture.

There is also Hockchew Club, a Chinese shrine with a beautiful gate and often decorated with beautiful Chinese-style lanterns that illuminate the area at night. The shrine is incredibly beautiful during the blue hours, with lights from all the lanterns.

5. Eat Your Way Through Phuket Old Town

There are tons of awesome restaurants in Phuket Old Town that serve tasty traditional dishes you should try. If you are looking for a cheap place to try local food, Lock Tien local food center is the best place to be.

Lock Tien food center is a collection of small street-food-style restaurants where you can try several dishes at your table. They serve the delicious Hokkien noodle dish, fresh spring rolls, Satay Pork on a stick, and more.

If you are looking for a place to try more premium dishes like crab meat in yellow curry, dim sum, and Phuket's unique take on Kanom Jeen (soft and thin noodles made from fermented rice), you can also go with One Chun Cafe or Tu Kab Khao Restaurant.

Both places serve traditional dishes that you can only find in Phuket, and they are all delicious, especially the crab meat in yellow curry. They are more on the expensive side of the spectrum regarding food, but you are really getting your money's worth here.

If all of these places seem overwhelming to you and you would rather discover restaurants as you explore, I highly recommend you go on the Phuket Old Town Food Tour, which should take you to all the hidden gem places not known by many tourists.

6. Go Cafe-Hopping

Now, if you are craving delicious coffee, there are many awesome cafes you can check out in the Old Town area. From a local kopitiam-style cafe serving Thai-traditional coffee to a more modern, cozy cafe where you can sit for hours drinking properly roasted coffee.

For a traditional cafe, Kopitiam, a kopitiam-style open-air cafe that you often see in Singapore and Malaysia, is highly recommended. They serve the traditional sweet and strong kopi (coffee), as well as other sweets to go with it, with the coffee price starting at 60 THB.

For a nice, quiet, and cozy place to rest after a hot day, Campus Coffee Roaster and its creative coffee choices and traditional Thai school decor are my definite go-to place. They have some really interesting coffee choices like Dirty Coffee, which is my favorite, as well as other pastries and baked goods to go with it.

There are more cafes in Phuket Old Town than I could count, but these two are my favorites. If you are looking for a place to hide from the unforgiving heat while exploring Phuket's Old Town, be sure to drop by these two cafes.

7. Stay In A Traditional Colonial-Style Hotel

There are many awesome and affordable hotels in Phuket Old Town, but if you really want to immerse yourself in the rich Phuket culture, I highly recommend you stay at The Memory at On On Hotel, one of the most stunning colonial-style hotels you will find here.

The hotel is located in a renovated traditional Sino-Portuguese architecture, and it is filled with retro decors to the brim. Walking around the hotel truly gives you the feeling of being in Phuket during the tin rush in the 20th Century.

It is also very affordable, with the cheapest room for 43 USD and the Junior Suite for 56 USD. If you are looking for a colonial-style hotel to enrich your experience in Phuket, I highly recommend you check out The Memory at On On Hotel.

8. Go For A Thai Massage At Kim's Massage

Now, you can't come to Thailand without experiencing the incredibly relaxing Thai Massage. Kim's Massage is the best place to go if you are looking for a nice and cozy massage experience.

The price is more on the expensive side, with a Thai Massage starting at 350 THB. However, my entire experience with them was well worth every cent. The masseurs are well-trained and professional and adapt to your needs instead of following strict message guidelines. I asked them to focus on the shoulder blade, and they did great at it.

Many Kim's Massage places exist in the Old Town Area. I went with the one on Phangnga Road, and they were excellent. The place opens from 10:30 AM to 10 PM every day, and you can expect to pay around 350+ THB, not including tips.

9. Hike Up to Khao Rang Viewpoint ❤️ Must Visit

If you are looking for a nice viewpoint near Phuket Old Town to enjoy a beautiful sunset over the city, there is no better place to be than at Khao Rang Viewpoint. Located within walking distance of the old town, the Khao Rang Viewpoint offers a great vantage point where you can see as far as the island's southeastern coast.

You can either walk up Khao Rang Viewpoint from the Old Town, which should take around 30-45 minutes one way, or you can rent a motorbike and ride up to the viewpoint. I highly recommend going up there an hour before sunset and spending some time there.

Once you are at Khao Rang Viewpoint, you will find a few restaurants and shops where you can replenish your energy. Just watch out for monkeys if you are planning to buy something to eat at the viewpoint.

Khao Rang Viewpoint also makes for a great place to exercise, as many locals climb to the top on foot every evening for the sunset. It is one of my favorite places in Phuket Old Town, and I highly recommend you visit the viewpoint before leaving Phuket Old Town and exploring other parts of the island.

10. Extra: Check Out Wat Chalong

Technically, Wat Chalong is not in Phuket Old Town, but since it isn't too far and you are renting a moped, I highly recommend you check it out on your way out of Phuket Old Town.

The temple is located just southwest of Phuket Old Town, and it can easily be reached by motorcycle on your way to the coasts. Within the temple, you will find several stunning architectures and a massive pagoda where you can climb out to see the view of the surrounding area.

You can spend around half an hour here, walking the temple grounds, checking out all the stunning ordination halls, and hiking up to the top of the pagoda. From the top of the pagoda, you will be able to see the Big Buddha statue on top of a mountain and the surrounding landscape. The temple opens from 8 AM to 5 PM every day, and like most temples in Thailand, you can enter for free.

Looking for a complete Phuket itinerary? Check out:7 Days Backpacking Phuket Itinerary

Where to Eat and Drink in Phuket Old Town?

Try Traditional Food at Lock Tien Food Center

For the cheapest place to try all kinds of local food in Phuket Old Town, Lock Tien local food center is one of the best places to be. The food center has several restaurants where you can order local dishes such as Hokkien Noodles, fresh spring rolls, satay pork on sticks, and more.

A dish at Lock Tien Food Center often goes for around 50-60 THB, which is pretty cheap considering it is in the middle of a tourist area. The place opens from 9 AM to 5 PM, making it an excellent stop for lunch in between your Phuket Old Town exploration.

Try Premium Local Dish at One Chun Cafe

One Chun Cafe is a colonial-style restaurant that serves premium local dishes such as fresh crab meat in yellow curry soup, stir-fried crab meat with various seasonings, tiger prawn Pad Thai, and much more.

Dishes at One Chun Cafe start at around 100 THB and go all the way up to 500 THB, so it is quite expensive. However, the food they serve here is of top quality, and you are really getting your money's worth with all the fresh seafood they provide.

One Chun Cafe restaurant is located in the Old Town, and it opens from 11 AM to 9 PM every day.

Try Out the Unique Dry Rice Porridge Dish

Phuket may be known for its abundant seafood, but there are also other types of Thai food that are unique to Phuket, which you should try while you are here. One of those dishes is the dry rice porridge served at Go Benz Restaurant.

The place is trendy among Thai people, with the main highlight being their dry rice porridge, which is often served as a soup form in other places but not here.

At Go Benz Restaurant, you get the porridge dried and full of seasonings, which makes the taste more intense. The porridge often comes with steamed pork offals, which are surprisingly smooth and don't smell like internal organs.

The dry rice porridge dish starts at 70 THB and goes up by 10 THB for larger sizes, which is expensive for a rice porridge. However, since it is unique, I think it is worth paying to try it out. I highly recommend going with the 80 THB one, as I found the 70 THB one too small.

Go Benz Restaurant opens from 5 PM to midnight daily, except on Mondays. The restaurant is located right before you turn right to go up the Khao Rang Viewpoint in Phuket Old Town.

P.S. If you like the dish so much and would like to recreate the famous Go Benz's dry rice porridge at home, you can also check out this homemade recipe here.

Drink Traditional Coffee at Kopitiam

For coffee lovers, you need to try out the traditional kopi (coffee) at Kopitiam, a Kopitiam-style cafe that reminisces the old Chinese-inspired tea houses you often find in Singapore and Malaysia.

The coffee menu costs between 60-100 THB, and you can order it with all kinds of traditional snacks that go really well with the traditional coffee.

Since it is located right on the main street of Phuket Old Town, it is a great place to drop by if you want to replenish your energy after a hot day exploring the Old Town. The café opens from 11 AM to 8 PM every day except Wednesday.

Try Unique Coffee at Campus Coffee Roaster

If you are looking for a cozier cafe where you can sit for a few hours and cool down, one of my favorite places in the Old Town is Campus Coffee Roasters.

The café is adorned with old-style school furniture from my childhood, including wooden tables and tiny chairs. It is particularly favored by digital nomads. They also provide a variety of intriguing coffee options to select from, such as my personal favorite, Dirty Coffee. The pricing typically hovers around 100 THB, which is quite reasonable.

If you are looking for a cozy cafe to relax in, you can't go wrong with Campus Coffee Roaster. The cafe's opening hours are from 8 AM to 6 PM every day.

Further Reading for Southern Thailand

Looking for more information for your trip to Southern Thailand? Here are a collection of articles about Southern Thailand that you might find useful:

• Looking for a comprehensive travel guide to Southeast Asia? You should check out our 3 Months Backpacking Itinerary for Southeast Asia.
• Looking for an itinerary for Thailand? Check out 10 Days Itinerary for Thailand.
• One of the best places to go snorkeling in Thailand is Koh Lipe, an island in the far south of Thailand. Here is The Ultimate Snorkeling Guide to Koh Lipe.
• Looking to change things up a little? How about we head down to the south of Thailand and explore one of my favorite places in Thailand? Here is How to Travel to Khao Sok National Park, Backpacking-style.
• Looking for a complete Phuket itinerary? Check out: 7 Days Backpacking Phuket Itinerary.
• The pearl of the Andaman Sea, Phuket, is an island full of history, cultures, and stunning beaches waiting for you to explore. Here are the 11 Best Things to Do in Phuket.
• There are over 30+ beaches in Phuket, and it can get quite overwhelming to find the perfect beach to stay at. Don't worry, I've got you covered. Here are the 8 Most Beautiful Beaches in Phuket.
• If you are traveling to Thailand, it is important for you to know what you should and shouldn't do. Here are 10 Tips for Traveling in Thailand.
• Thai Street Foods are among the best in the world, and to help guide you through the street food cuisine of Thailand, be sure to check out the 15 Best Street Foods in Thailand to Try.
• Learning a bit of Thai phrases will go a long way for you when you visit Thailand. Here are 15 Thai Phrases You Should Know.
• Photos are worth a thousand words, but what is worth more than photos? A video. Here are travel videos I made for Thailand: Timeless Thailand, a journey into the North of Thailand, Long Tail Thailand, exploring the beautiful south of Thailand, and taking it slow with Slowed Down Bangkok travel video.
• Wondering where to go after Thailand? How about continuing on to Malaysia, Myanmar, or Indonesia?
• Want to explore other parts of Thailand? How about exploring Northern Thailand or Central Thailand?
• For all articles about Thailand, visit Thailand Travel Guide page.
• Looking to travel to Southeast Asia? Check out all of my articles about Southeast Asia here: Southeast Asia Travel Guide page.
• You can see all of my Asia-related articles here: Asia Travel Guide page.
• For more of my travel guides like this, visit my Destinations page.