10 Best Museums in Phuket

Baan Chinpracha is a fine example of a Sino-colonial mansion in Phuket Town. One of its most attractive sections is the inner courtyard, which is open to the sky (originally with a well). This beautiful house is kept in fine condition – you can see vintage Italian floor tiles, some original furniture that was imported from Europe and China, and many old pictures of the Tandavanitj clan.

Phuket Cultural Center at Phuket Rajabhat University has a modest exhibition showcasing the life of local southern Thais and Phuket’s unique history and culture. The 3-storey space also displays a simulated Thai-Chinese house, a handful of vintage tin-mining items, old ceramics from China and the Netherlands, Thai shadow puppets, as well as a model of a local sea gipsy village. You might require a guide as the center's exhibitions are in Thai.

Phuket Mining Museum showcases the island's history as a major tin-producing center in Thailand. Exhibits range from tin mine models to a recreated scene of an opium den. Located in Kathu, it's a highly informative cultural and historical attraction. It was built in the Sino-Portuguese style, similar to vintage mansions scattered around the old Phuket Town area.

The Phuket Philatelic Museum is part of the Phuket Post Office on Montri Road. You can find several exhibitions within the 1-storey museum, including one which details how the Thai Postal Service has developed since its start during the reign of King Rama V. There are many old (some antique) equipment and machines such as telegraph tickers, telephones, and parcel-weighing machines. The museum also has a souvenir room selling sets of Thai stamps and unique items.

Phuket Seashell Museum in Rawai presents a collection of valuable seashells from all over the world. Many are among the most sought-after by collectors and have been sourced from Phuket and Thai waters. The museum is very well put together, with 4 main exhibitions – information is available in both English and Thai. To get to Phuket Seashell Museum, drive from Chalong Circle all the way down to Rawai. The museum will be on your right-hand side.

Phuket Trickeye Museum is an interactive 3D painting exhibition offering amazing photo opportunities and great fun for families. Located on the corner of Montri and Phang Nga roads, it has a gallery of about 100 painted and sculpted scenes using trompe-l’oeil (French for ‘deceive the eye’) techniques, placing you in hilarious unreal world-like situations. It can take up to 2 hours to explore the entire museum. Drinks and snacks are available right in front of the museum’s entrance.

Thai Hua Museum in Old Town Phuket occupies a well-maintained Sino-Portuguese building on Krabi Road. Besides the main museum, there's an exhibition space and an occasional function hall. There are more than a dozen interesting exhibition rooms, along with short films in Thai and Chinese (with English subtitles) on both floors of the museum.

Thalang National Museum exhibits ancient artifacts from Phuket as well as the Andaman region's long history. It's where you can learn about the famous Battle of Thalang where the well-known Two Heroines Chan and Mook (featured at a monument on the main road nearby) defended the island against the Burmese in the 18th century. The main hall displays a 9th-century statue of the Hindu god Vishnu which was discovered in Phang Nga in the early 1900s.

Thavorn Museum in Phuket Town displays an assortment of artifacts and photos, gathered by the Chinese-Thai family who runs the Thavorn Hotel group. Located in the hotel's lobby, these items are displayed erratically in a rather dingy and dim setting. You can see many traditional Chinese wedding hats, tin-mining equipment, toy trains, opium smoking beds and pillows, as well as vintage movie posters.