Phuket Landmarks and Old Town Stops

The best sightseeing on Phuket is split between Old Town in Phuket Town and a few landmarks in the south of the island. This page starts in town, where a morning on foot covers most of it, then moves south to the temples, the headland and the hilltop statue. Several of these are places of worship, so dress and behave accordingly.

Old Town streets and museums

Old Town is built around Thalang, Dibuk, Krabi and Phang Nga roads, and its shophouses date from the tin-mining boom.

  • Thai Hua Museum, 28 Krabi Road. Foreign adults pay about 200 THB. Sources give different opening hours and closing days, so check before you walk over.
  • Baan Chinpracha, 98 Krabi Road. Foreigners pay about 150 THB, and only the ground floor can be visited. The house’s telephone number is 076-211 281 if you want to ask about hours.
  • Phuket Baba Museum, in a former bank building at the corner of Phang Nga and Phuket roads. Prices and hours are not confirmed.
  • The Memory at On On Hotel, 19 Phang Nga Road. The hotel opened in 1929 and has been renovated. It was a filming location for The Beach.
  • Peranakan Phuket Museum, on Thepkasattri Road in Thalang, outside Old Town. A July 2026 guide gives about 300 THB for foreigners.

Old Town quietens down early on most days, and Sunday is the exception, so aim for daylight. The Michelin Guide’s Old Town article names more shrines and shops nearby.

Shrines and temples

Saeng Tham Shrine, on Phang Nga Road, has no entry charge. It was built between about 1889 and 1891, then restored and reopened in 2013. Jui Tui Shrine on Ranong Road is the main centre of the Vegetarian Festival. Wat Mongkhon Nimit is on Dibuk Road.

Wat Chalong (formally Wat Chaitararam) is on Chao Fa West Road, about 8 km south of Phuket Town. Entry is free. Hours of about 07:00 to 17:00 are reported, and one guide says the gates open at 08:00. Cover your shoulders and knees, and remove your shoes before going into any building. Sarongs are often lent at the gate. The main chedi is said to hold a relic of the Buddha, and the hall honours two monk-healers, Luang Por Chuang and Luang Por Cham. Women should not touch monks. Worshippers let off firecrackers in a burner, so the bangs are part of the experience.

The festival calendar

The Phuket Vegetarian Festival takes place every year in the ninth lunar month, so its dates move. This year it ran from 10 to 18 October 2026. It is a Taoist festival of devotion, and the piercings and fire-walking are acts of faith rather than a show. Watch from a respectful distance and keep your voice down. Michelin published a festival food guide for 2026.

Sunset at Promthep Cape

The island’s southern tip is free and draws crowds at sundown. In peak season the car park fills by about 17:30. A fee of 5 to 20 THB for parking or toilets is reported, though accounts conflict. The Karon viewpoint offers a free, quieter alternative.

Big Buddha on Nakkerd Hill

The 45 m seated marble statue stands on Nakkerd Hill, between Chalong and the Kata and Karon side of the island. A landslide on 23 August 2024 closed the site, and it reopened on 3 March 2026 under Wat Kittisangkaram (Wat Kata). Only an authorised area is open, and heavy rain can shut it again. Visitor guides give hours of 09:00 to 18:00 with last entry at 17:30, free entry with donations and a dress code of covered shoulders and knees, with shoes off indoors. No temple notice confirms these details, so ask about access on the day. The approach is a steep paved road from Chaofa West Road, via Soi Yot Sane 1 in Chalong. The statue is a separate site from Wat Chalong. A local report covers the reopening.

Read more: walking tours in Phuket , bus tours and the 2-day Phuket itinerary .

For guided visits, search city tours on Viator .