Chinpracha House

Phuket Town


Built in 1903 with tin-mining riches, this beautifully preserved Sino-Portuguese mansion should make any antique- or architecture-lover's must-visit list. Others might find the four-poster steel beds done up in Victorian lace a bit gaudy. But the historical details of the atrium foyer – with its arch-framed koi pond, fresh-hibiscus bowls, gorgeous Italian ceramic tiles, blue-and-white-shuttered windows and vintage black-and-white family portraits – make visits incredibly rewarding. It's still lived in by the sixth-generation descendants of original owner Phra Pitak Chinpracha.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Phuket Town attractions

1. Phuket Thaihua Museum

0.1 MILES

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…

2. Jui Tui Shrine

0.17 MILES

One of the island's most important Chinese shrines, this red-washed, elevated complex is dedicated to Tean Hu Huan Soy, god of performers and dancers. It…

3. Shrine of the Serene Light

0.24 MILES

A handful of Chinese temples pump colour into Phuket Town, but this restored shrine, tucked away up a 50m alley now adorned with modern murals, is…

4. Hai Lam Shrine

0.27 MILES

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

5. Wat Mongkhon Nimit

0.3 MILES

Just beyond the northern end of beautiful Soi Romanee, Phuket Town's working main Buddhist temple is over 85 years old and is one of the island's four…

6. Soi Romanee

0.31 MILES

Branching off Th Thalang, in the heart of the Old Town, this small, vibrant street flaunts some of Phuket's most gorgeously revamped Sino-Portuguese…

7. Thavorn Hotel

0.38 MILES

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…

8. Sui Boon Tong Shrine

0.4 MILES

This relatively modern, shophouse-like shrine is one of the most important centres of worship and self-mortification for Phuket's Vegetarian Festival.