Phuket's Old Town

Phuket Town built its riches a century ago from the boom of its tin industry which was already 300 years old. Nowadays, the town and indeed the Old Town still show the incredible architecture and affluence that once was.

Phuket's Old Town is awash with Sino-Portuguese style mansions and shop houses, which make up the originating town and are spread across only a few streets. Although shops and restaurants open later in the day, Thalang Road, which slices through the Old Town, has a fascinating array of quaint and unique shops making it the perfect place to stroll around before the sun gets up to maximum temperature.

The Old Town is a stark contrast to Phuket Town and certainly the densely packed tourist areas. With many restaurants serving up boiled or fried chicken, duck and pork dishes including the staple diet of noodle soup, the scents you'll encounter from passing-by will be forever ingrained in you.

The area holds host to the Old Town Cultural Festival, whereby the locals dress up in traditional 'Yaya' style and put on a superb show of dances with Thai, Malaysian and Chinese influences.

Dibuk Road, which connects to Thalang Road, is famed for its arts and textile shops as well as its French and Chinese restaurants. It may seem like a mish-mash of cultures colliding into one small area of Phuket, and it certainly is, but that is exactly where the intrigue, the beauty and of course the interesting history stems from.