Old Customs House

Lonely Planet review

The Old Customs House was once the gateway to Thailand, levying taxes on traders moving in and out of the kingdom. Designed by an Italian architect and built in the 1880s, the front door opened onto its source of income (the river) and the grand façade was ceremoniously decorated in columns and transom windows. Today it's a crumbling yet hauntingly beautiful home to the fire brigade, with sagging shutters, peeling colonial yellow paint and laundry flapping on the unpainted balconies.

Plans to resurrect this building as a super-luxurious Aman Resort seem to have stalled, so anyone with a large wad of spare cash and ambitions as a hotelier should contact the government. It's not open to the public, but it is OK to wander around…as long as you don't get in the way of the volleyball game.