Thai Police Building

Phuket Town


Painted in a striking yellowy-mango shade, this ancient building has a unique, early 1990s four-storey clock tower and a traditional police-cap roof. The clock-tower face stood blank for 50 years until a budget was allocated to allow for a clock. Inside is a basic museum covering Phuket's tin-mining history, but you're free to study the exterior at any time.

Directly opposite stands the distinctive, century-old, Sino-Portuguese-style Standard Chartered Bank.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Phuket Town attractions

1. Standard Chartered Bank

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Thailand's sun-yellow oldest foreign bank is a fine example of Phuket Town's historic Sino-Portuguese architecture. Though you can admire the restored…

2. Thavorn Hotel

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Opened in 1961 by the tin-mining Chinese-Thai Thavorn Wong Wongse family, the Thavorn was Phuket's original five-star hotel. It's one of the oldest hotels…

3. Phuket Philatelic Museum

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4. Soi Romanee

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5. Hai Lam Shrine

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A crimson-coloured Sino-Portuguese facade with bright-yellow flourishes, at the heart of old Phuket Town, gives way to this quiet Chinese shrine.

6. Shrine of the Serene Light

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7. Wat Mongkhon Nimit

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8. Phuket Thaihua Museum

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Founded in 1934 and formerly a Chinese-language school, this flashy museum is filled with photos, videos and English-language exhibits on Phuket’s history…