Lanta Old Town, Koh Lanta's Original Port

Old Town was the island's first port. Its sheltered water faces the mainland across a narrow strait, and Arab and Chinese trading boats stopped here on the run between Phuket, Penang and Singapore. Chinese settlers from Fujian arrived about two hundred years ago, burned charcoal from the mangroves and traded it in Penang and Singapore for sugar, salt and household goods. They built their homes on stilts with long terraces out over the sea, where they could hang their fishing nets.

The town grew into a mix that still defines it. Chinese merchants ran the shops, Muslim families fished, Thai Buddhists settled alongside them, and the Urak Lawoi, the sea people who had sailed these islands for centuries, made their homes along the coast. Old Town was the district seat, and its wooden district office still stands at the roundabout. When the boats moved to Saladan in the north and tourism to the west coast, Old Town was left much as it was, which is why it's worth seeing now.

The Chinese shrine is the brightest building in town, a red-and-gold temple on the seafront, reached along a short jetty guarded by two golden dragons. It's the Maha Katyayana shrine, and it's a working one, so expect incense and fresh offerings and step around anyone praying.

The rest is the street itself. Old wooden shophouses line both sides, red lanterns hang from the eaves, and the back of almost every house on the sea side opens onto a café or seafood restaurant with a terrace over the water. The shops sell batik, clothes, crafts and souvenirs, and after a few doors they start to repeat, so pick one or two and spend the time eating instead.

Old Town has two markets, and they're different things. The street market fills the old street on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 to 22:00, with food stalls, crafts and souvenirs, and it's at its liveliest from late afternoon in the high season, November to April, when some weekends add live music.

The Sunday morning market is the local one. Google lists it from 08:00 to 11:00 by the road near the roundabout, and regulars say it's set up by about 07:00. It sells fruit, vegetables, snacks and Thai sweets at local prices, so come early, bring small notes and eat breakfast there.

Eating is the best reason to stay longer. Most restaurants here sit on stilts behind the shophouses with tables over the water, and seafood is what they do, often for less than the west-coast beach strips. Pinto, at the north end of the street, is the best-reviewed of them, and Khrua Lanta Yai, known as Beautiful, is a well-loved Thai kitchen on the road just behind the town, open 08:00–21:00.

Go for a late lunch or an early dinner, when the heat has gone out of the terraces and the light is on the strait. Pinto closes at 21:00 and the weekend market at 22:00, and Old Town is quiet after dark, so don't plan a late night here.

Old Town sits on the loop most people drive on a scooter day. Go south to Mu Ko Lanta National Park at the tip of the island for the lighthouse and the forest trail, ฿200 for adults, then come back up through Old Town for a late lunch. The mangroves of Thung Yee Peng, about 10 km north up the east coast, are the other half-day nearby, with walks and kayak tours through the forest.

From the pier, longtails run out to Koh Por, a small island with homestays and places to eat, and to Koh Bubu and Koh Talabeng. Agree the price and the pick-up time with the boatman before you go.

Any time of year, any day, but a weekend gives you a market, and Sunday gives you both. Come late in the afternoon for the light and the cooler street, or early on a Sunday for the morning market and breakfast.

November to April is the high season, when the street market is busiest and the boats run. From May to October much of the island shuts, but Old Town's restaurants and the market keep going, and on a wet day it's one of the best things to do on Lanta.

Old Town is a working village of Chinese, Muslim, Thai Buddhist and Urak Lawoi families, not a set. Cover your shoulders and knees on the street and at the shrines, don't stand in front of anyone praying, and ask before photographing people or stepping onto a private deck. Buy lunch or something from a stall while you're here, because that's what keeps the old houses standing.