2ndhands in Thai
Come to Phuket, walk Thalang Road
Phuket's beaches are famous, but the island's heart is in the Old Town. Skip it and you've only seen half of Phuket.มาภูเก็ตแล้วต้องมาเดินถนนถลาง ย่านเมืองเก่า
1A living museum, not a film set
Thalang Road grew up when Phuket was rich from tin mining. Hokkien Chinese traders built rows of Sino-Portuguese shophouses: a shop downstairs, the family home upstairs, arched windows, carved timber doors and plaster mouldings, painted mint, pink, yellow and blue.
What makes it special is that people still live and trade here, often in shops handed down for generations. Walk under the five-foot way (locals call it ngo kha ki), the covered arcade that runs along the shopfronts, and you're walking through history, not just looking at it.
2Baba-Peranakan culture you won't find elsewhere
The Old Town is home to Phuket's Baba-Peranakan community, a blend of Chinese, Malay and Thai with its own dialect, food and dress: hand-embroidered kebaya blouses, antique gold jewellery and traditional Baba weddings that are still held today.
3A UNESCO City of Gastronomy
UNESCO named Phuket a Creative City of Gastronomy, and the Old Town is where you eat the real thing. Don't leave without trying:
4Lard Yai, the Sunday walking street
Every Sunday from about 4 pm to 9 pm, Thalang Road closes to traffic and becomes Lard Yai ("big market" in the Phuket dialect): a few hundred metres of local food, handmade crafts, clothes, ceramics and street performers. Entry is free, and the best time is around sunset.
5Side streets with secrets
Just off Thalang Road is Soi Romanee, the most colourful lane in town and a favourite photo spot. It was once the miners' nightlife street; today it's cafés, guesthouses and small shops. Keep walking to Krabi, Phang Nga, Yaowarat and Thepkasattri Roads for Chinese shrines, old mansions and museums, and you can easily fill a whole day.
- Come early (7–9 am) for empty streets, soft light and dim sum.
- Or late afternoon (5–6 pm) when it's cooler and the shop lights come on.
- On Sundays, don't park on Thalang Road. It closes before the market opens and you can't drive out until it ends. Use a nearby car park.
- Wear comfy shoes. The covered arcades keep you out of the sun and rain.
- Many shophouses are still homes. Ask before photographing people or inside shops.
Our shops in the Old Town
All four of our shops are a short walk from Thalang Road and open every day, 9:00–23:00, so you can drop in before dinner or after the night market.
- A&A Always and All ways GOOD: Thai herbal tea, spices and Tom Yum kits. 51 Yaowarat Road.
- Pornthip Old Town (พรทิพย์ โอลด์ทาวน์): Phuket pastries and gift boxes. By Soi Romanee.
- ORTA (โอติ๊ะ): free Thai tea tasting under a mango tree.
- A&A Always and All ways: the original A&A, opposite ORTA.