Phuket Old Town

Phuket made its money from tin long before it made any from beaches, and the old town is what that money built. Chinese merchants and Straits-influenced builders put up rows of narrow shophouses along Thalang, Dibuk, Krabi and Phang Nga streets, two storeys with plaster mouldings, louvred shutters, and a covered arcade running the length of each block so pedestrians stay out of sun and rain. Some are restored in strong pastels; others are peeling and used as warehouses. A handful of larger mansions stand back from the street behind gates. Soi Romanee, once a red-light lane, is now the most photographed strip. The area is small and best done on foot.

What you actually see

• Thalang Road - the main run of arcaded shophouses and old signage.
• Soi Romanee - the narrow painted lane between Thalang and Dibuk.
• The merchant mansions - larger Sino-Portuguese houses set back behind gates.
• The Sunday walking street - Thalang closed to traffic and turned over to stalls.

When to go

November to April is the dry season on the Andaman side. Walk in the early morning or after four, since the arcades help but the midday heat is heavy and humid. The Sunday evening walking street is the busiest and liveliest time. The vegetarian festival in the ninth lunar month fills the whole town and books out hotels.

Honest expectations

It is a handful of streets, and an hour covers the photogenic part. Restoration has brought a dense layer of cafes and souvenir shops, and some blocks feel staged for a camera rather than lived in. Weekend crowds queue for the same wall murals. Away from the four main streets, Phuket Town is unremarkable and traffic is constant.

Nearby

The island's west-coast beaches and the shrines and temples around Phuket Town.