Old Town · Phuket Town, the Old Town
Krabi Road
The street of the tin families' grand houses: Baan Chinpracha, the governor's mansion and the Thai Hua Museum.
Access
By road
Time to allow
A morning, with a house or a museum
Best time
In the morning, when the houses are open
Why go
This is where you step inside the Old Town rather than look at it from the street: a tin baron's house still owned by his family, and a museum of the Chinese community, a few minutes' walk apart.
Not for you if you only want the colourful facades: those are on Thalang Road and Soi Romanee.
What you will find
Baan Chinpracha, at number 98, was built in 1903 by a tin magnate and can be visited for a fee. Next door, at number 96, the mansion known as Phra Pitak Chinpracha, where some of the island's governors lived, has been the Blue Elephant restaurant and cooking school since 2006: you see the inside as a diner.
The Thai Hua Museum, at number 28, is a 1934 building that housed the island's first Chinese-language school, turned into a museum in 2010.
Getting there
On foot, at the western edge of the Old Town walk: follow Dibuk Road west to reach it. From there, Phang Nga Road leads back past the Shrine of the Serene Light towards Jui Tui Shrine.
Before you go
Opening times of Baan Chinpracha and the Thai Hua Museum differ between guides, and the Thai Hua Museum's closing day is disputed (Wednesday, Monday, or none). If your day is fixed, call ahead.
Sources disagree on when the governor's mansion was built: around 1903 or 1940.
Common questions
What is on Krabi Road in Phuket Old Town?
The grand houses of the tin families, including Baan Chinpracha (open to visitors), the governor's mansion (now the Blue Elephant restaurant) and the Thai Hua Museum.
Can you visit the governor's mansion?
Only as a customer: it has been the Blue Elephant restaurant and cooking school since 2006.