Old Town · Phuket Town, 28 Krabi Road
Thai Hua Museum
The island's first Chinese-language school, built in 1934, now a museum of the Chinese community, the tin trade and the town.
Access
By road
Entry
Entry fee at the gate
Time to allow
Part of a morning in the Old Town
Best time
A day you have checked it is open
Why go
To understand the Old Town you have just walked through: who built it, why they came, and how the tin trade shaped the town. It is also a quiet hour indoors on a hot day.
Not for you if museums are not your thing: the streets outside tell part of the same story for free.
What you will find
Displays on the Chinese community, the tin trade and the town, in the rooms of the old school. Open 9 am to 5 pm; admission is 200 baht for a foreign adult, with a separate fee for photographs inside. The facade and the courtyard can be photographed without it.
The story
The building dates from 1934 and housed the Phuket Thai Hua School, the island's first Chinese-language school. It closed in 1941, during the war; the school later moved to another site, in 1995. The building was registered as heritage in 2002 and opened as a museum in 2010.
Getting there
On Krabi Road in the Old Town, a few minutes' walk from Baan Chinpracha and the governor's mansion. By road from the west-coast beaches; on foot from anywhere in the Old Town.
Before you go
Guides disagree on the closing day: Wednesday, Monday, or none at all. If your day is fixed, call ahead on 076 211 224.
Common questions
How much is the Thai Hua Museum?
200 baht for a foreign adult, with a separate fee for taking photographs inside.
Which day is the Thai Hua Museum closed?
Sources disagree: Wednesday, Monday, or no closing day at all. Call 076 211 224 before you go if your day is fixed.
What are the Thai Hua Museum's opening hours?
9 am to 5 pm, according to several guides.