Koh Lanta/Things to do/ culture
Lanta Old Town
Ban Si Raya, the old fishing and trading town on the east coast, with wooden shophouses, houses over the water and a community of several faiths.
What we checked, 18 September 2026
Checked on 18 September 2026. The history comes from two government sources, the Public Relations Department and the environmental policy office's heritage register, rather than from travel writing. What neither gives is opening hours for the museum or market days, and the environmental office's record, which is undated, describes the museum building as in poor repair, so we cannot say whether it is open. We have not been.
Verified via. The Government Public Relations Department describes the Old Town as a fishing community several hundred years old, home to Thai Buddhist, Thai Chinese and Thai Muslim residents, and describes the Koh Lanta Community Museum in the former district office. The Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning holds a heritage record for the community and the museum. The Tourism Authority of Thailand names Baan Sri Raya, Lanta Old Town, as the venue of the Laanta Lanta Festival in April 2025.
Admission
It is a lived-in neighbourhood of public streets, not a ticketed site, and no authority publishes any charge for walking through it. The small community museum in the old district office has no published hours or price.
Lanta Old Town, Ban Si Raya, is on the east coast of Ko Lanta Yai, facing the mainland rather than the open sea. It is the island’s old fishing town and was home to the district office, and it has kept its wooden shophouses along the main street and its houses and restaurants built out over the water on stilts.
Who lives here. The Government Public Relations Department describes a fishing community several hundred years old, shared by Thai Buddhist, Thai Chinese and Thai Muslim families. The government’s heritage register for the community records the Urak Lawoi sea people as its earliest settlers. It is a place people live, so it is worth dressing and behaving as you would in any small town rather than a resort.
The community museum. The old two-storey wooden district office became the Koh Lanta Community Museum, with displays on mangrove charcoal-making and an Urak Lawoi boat, according to the Public Relations Department. The heritage register’s record of it, which is undated, notes termite damage and worn exhibits. We could not find opening hours, so treat it as a bonus if it is open.
The festival. The Laanta Lanta Festival has been held here, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand listed the 2025 edition at Baan Sri Raya in April. The date moves from year to year, so check before planning around it.
Getting there. It is across the island from the beaches. Our Old Town hotel picks are listed on the Old Town area page.
Best for
An afternoon off the beach, and a sense of the island before tourism
Skip if
You want a beach, the swimming beaches are all on the west coast
Where it actually is
Ban Si Raya, Ko Lanta Yai, Krabi 81150
Lanta Old Town, Koh Lanta
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.View larger map
More in Koh Lanta
- Diving from Koh Lanta — water
- The Koh Rok and Koh Haa snorkelling trip — water
- Khlong Chak Waterfall — nature
- Mu Ko Lanta National Park — nature