14 of the best · the Thai Islands, Thailand
Phuket’s Peranakan and Hokkien heritage in its old-town museums and mansions, the Vegetarian Festival’s shrines, Takua Pa’s painted streets and the island’s great stage shows.
Our 14 favourites, listed A–Z · Updated 2026-10-25
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Our first three calls on this list, from editors who know the islands from Phuket to Koh Samui.
A 1934 Chinese school
A two-storey Sino-Portuguese school of 1934, now telling the story of Phuket’s Hokkien Chinese.
28 Krabi Road, Talat Nuea, Mueang Phuket, Phuket 83000Explore View on map
Fine Arts Department
Phuket’s history from the first Andaman peoples to the Battle of Thalang, the Chinese tin miners and island life.
217/3 Moo 3, Si Sunthon, Thalang, Phuket 83110Explore View on map
Nine days of the Vegetarian Festival
The old-town shrine at the heart of Phuket’s nine-day Vegetarian Festival.
In-depth stories behind the list.
History & heritage
The sea nomads of the Andaman, the defence of Thalang in 1785, Phuket’s tin boom and Peranakan heritage, Koh Samui’s coconut trade and the islands today.
Visual arts
Phuket’s island, Hokkien and Peranakan history.
Phuket’s Peranakan heritage
A museum of Phuket’s Peranakan heritage in the Old Town.
At Phuket Rajabhat University
Local history, folk arts and culture in four themed rooms, with a library on Phuket.
21 Thep Krasattri Road, Ratsada, Mueang Phuket, Phuket 83000Explore View on map
A 1934 Chinese school
A two-storey Sino-Portuguese school of 1934, now telling the story of Phuket’s Hokkien Chinese.
28 Krabi Road, Talat Nuea, Mueang Phuket, Phuket 83000Explore View on map
Fine Arts Department
Phuket’s history from the first Andaman peoples to the Battle of Thalang, the Chinese tin miners and island life.
217/3 Moo 3, Si Sunthon, Thalang, Phuket 83110Explore View on map
Painted walls in an old tin town.
Sunday walking street
A former tin town north of Khao Lak, its Sino-European streets painted with murals of its history.
Sino-Portuguese mansions and temples.
Phuket’s first Sino-Portuguese house
A Sino-Portuguese mansion of the mid-19th century, with its courtyard pond, Italian tiles and Chinese furnishings.
Krabi Road, Talat Nuea, Mueang Phuket, Phuket 83000Explore View on map
Sino-European shophouses
Terraced shophouses, shrines and cafés along Thalang, Dibuk and Krabi roads.
Performing arts
Phuket’s great evening spectacles.
Folk & cultural traditions
Peranakan fabrics and pieces.
At the Peranakan museum
Clothing, fabrics, bags, shoes and Peranakan pieces, in the Peranakan Phuket museum building.
Where the Vegetarian Festival lives.
Nine days of the Vegetarian Festival
The old-town shrine at the heart of Phuket’s nine-day Vegetarian Festival.
Where the festival began
The tin-mining town’s shrine, the first in Phuket to hold the Vegetarian Festival.
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