Our Take
Small cocktail bars in the Sino-Portuguese shophouses.
Nearby
Bars open, close and rebrand fast here, so check a place is still trading before a long ride.
Questions About Phuket Old Town Bars
Where Are the Phuket Old Town Bars?
They are in Phuket Town, around Soi Romanee and Thalang Road, in the old Sino-Portuguese shophouses. It is a different part of the island from Patong, so allow a ride of some length if you are staying on the west coast. Once you are there, the bars are close together and easy to walk between.
What Are the Phuket Old Town Bars Like?
They are small cocktail bars in the Sino-Portuguese shophouses, a calm contrast with Bangla Road. Expect low-key rooms, mixed drinks and a relaxed crowd of couples, expats and visitors, not a bar-girl scene. It is a good place for a date or a quiet drink, and the street itself is part of the appeal.
Are the Phuket Old Town Bars Good for Meeting Women?
Not in the way the Patong bars are. This is a cocktail-bar and cafe area with a relaxed, mixed crowd, so treat it as a place to have a drink or take a date, not to find a bar girl. If you want company on the usual terms, the gogo and beer bars in Patong suit better.
What Is Near the Phuket Old Town Bars?
Nearby are House of Clove, Rockin' Angels Blues Cafe, Lard Yai Sunday Walking Street, The Miners Phuket Old Town, Meeting Point and Lard Yai Sunday Night Market. That is a mix of bars, a massage place and the Sunday market, so a loose crawl on foot is easy to put together.
When Is the Best Time to Visit the Phuket Old Town Bars?
Early evening is a good time, when the shophouses look their best and the bars are quiet enough to talk. If you can, pick a Sunday and combine it with the Lard Yai walking street along Thalang Road. Opening times differ bar by bar, so check on the day before you set out.
How Do the Phuket Old Town Bars Compare with Bangla Road?
Bangla Road is loud, packed and aimed squarely at tourists, with gogos, beer bars and clubs all playing at once. The Old Town bars are small and calm, set in old shophouses, with cocktails and conversation. Pick the Old Town for a relaxed evening, and Bangla Road when you want the party.
Is It Easy to Get Home from the Phuket Old Town Bars?
It takes some planning. Phuket has no metro, and Phuket Town is a long way from Patong, so book a Grab or Bolt for a fixed fare, or arrange a ride with your hotel. Local taxis and tuk-tuks are known for high fixed fares, so agree the price before you get in.
How Do I Get the Most from a Night in the Phuket Old Town Bars?
Walk Thalang Road and Soi Romanee first, choose a couple of bars rather than hopping through all of them, and start with food nearby. Go on a Sunday if you want the market too. Keep it unhurried, arrange your ride home early and take your time over the cocktail menu.