Phuket 3D Museum

3D Museum, Phuket Overview

The first Trick Eye Museum in southern Thailand, Trickeye 3D, is located on the corner of Montri and Phang Nga roads in Phuket town. It is a large two-story building that was a famous movie theatre until 2002. The main highlight is a feature gallery of 100 painted and sculpted scenes using trompe-l' oeil (meaning 'deceive the eye' in French) techniques.

There are both permanent and temporary exhibitions at the Trickeye Museum in Phuket, which are equally fascinating. The Museum was designed by a Korean artist who had worked on other 3D Museums in other parts of Asia, including Thailand. It took only three months to turn this Museum into a world of virtual wall paintings.

The Trickeye Museum features hyper-realistic paintings from many famous painters like Vincent Van Gogh, Edvard Munch, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Jean-François Millet. It also has some dramatic movie scenes from such popular movies like Indiana Jones and Zombie apocalypse movies. You can touch and pose with these 3D paintings and installations, and create many fun memories. The only drawback is that there is no air-conditioning.

Exhibitions at the Trickeye Museum, Phuket

Some temporary exhibitions keep happening at the Trickeye Museum from time to time. But the more significant chunk of the shows includes permanent paintings and sculptures, of which there are more than 100 in this Museum. There are five main sections of the exhibitions in this Museum – Classic in Fam, U Variety, Waterfall, Ancient and Body Move.

3D Museum
The first room in this 3D Museum looks like an actual museum gallery. The museum walls adorn various canvases of famous painters such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Vincent Van Gogh, Edvard Munch, and Jean-François Millet. Legendary painters produced these hyper-realistic paintings with an added twist. The highlights of these artefacts are interesting. Sometimes it is a 3D effect or a caricature, for example, the people in 'The Gleaners' by Millet do not glean weeds but banknotes, which lie right in front of the frame. 'The Mona Lisa' by Da Vinci shows an inflated version of the iconic Italian lady linked to a bicycle pump. You can spot many modern images as you progress along the vast corridors of the Museum.

Human Torch
Once you reach the largest room of all, you will find the 'Human Torch' from the movie and comic Fantastic Four. Here you can try to cool off the 'Human Torch' with a fire extinguisher and do many other fun things like practice flying a delta plane above Promthep Cape, attempt to open the safe inside a bank or get punched in the face by Mike Tyson, albeit through a painting.
Highlights
The central part of Phuket Trickeye Museum places is reserved for movie scenes from adventure and thriller films. Here you can share a subway car with a zombie, run in front of bulls in the street of a small Spanish town, or do even more daring things like stand on a broken bridge above rapids, or hang on to a rope ladder pulled by a helicopter in front of a huge waterfall! All with the help of these hyper-realistic paintings, which spread onto the floor as well as the walls. The quality paintings on display are outstanding in their realism.

Visitor Tips

Wear comfortable shoes – You have to walk for a good two hours inside this Museum, not to mention pose in all kinds of odd angles. Wearing comfortable shoes will keep you mobile and happy.
Don't touch the paintings too much – It's one thing to get close to the arts and installations, it's another thing to touch them constantly and inadvertently spoil them. Warn children against touching these paintings as well.
Carry a good Camera– This is one place where a camera or at least a mobile phone with a good camera will come in sorely needed.
Head there in the afternoon – Visiting the Museum in the afternoon would be ideal as you can head to other places on your itinerary post-lunch.
Ask Questions – There are many guides around. If you are not informed enough about the paintings, or movie scenes, or would like to know more about the painting techniques and the Museum, talk to the guide and ask relevant questions. The guides can also guide you with posing for great pictures.
Reach the Museum by 5:00 PM – Even though the last entry is at 6:00 PM, it is advisable to reach earlier for a relaxed museum visit.
Don't carry much luggage or valuables to the Museum – Backpacks, bags and even water bottles have to be deposited at the entrance. Hence don't carry much luggage or anything valuable, because you will not be permitted to take it inside with you. Unless you have a small toddler, carrying a small backpack would not be ideal.
Share on Facebook with their Barcode – You can scan the barcode on their website and share your actions. This would help other travellers make informed decisions while visiting the Museum.
Food Availability - Drinks and snacks are also available in front of the Museum's entrance. Dig into these if you are tired of all the walking.

How To Reach Phuket Trickeye Museum

Walk
If you are living somewhere close by in Phuket city, you can walk your way to the Museum

Tuk-Tuk
If you are living somewhere in Phuket City itself, but not close enough to walk, Tuk-Tuks are your best option. You can reach this Museum on a Tuk-Tuk for about 100 Baht from most parts of Phuket City.

Songthaews
Songthaews are the most economical way to reach any place in Phuket, so this Museum is no exception. You can take a Songthaew or blue bus from different parts of Phuket to the Museum, for a mere THB 15 to THB 30 per person.

Motorbike Taxis
If you are a solo traveller, Motorbike Taxis is something that you must try. There are many Motorbike Taxi spots in Phuket City. You will usually see the riders waiting with their bikes on street corners or in front of some popular shops. You can take one and zoom into this Museum in no time. Remember to bargain with them, as during season time they ask for quite high rates.

Taxis
If you are living or coming from somewhere far off in Phuket, taking a Private cab or taxis to the Museum may not be a bad idea. Costing between 500 to 600 Baht, a Taxi will give you both a comfortable ride and save you a lot of time.

GRAB
If you want to get a taxi but want to share the ride or get a good deal, check out the mobile app GRAB, which is very similar to UBER. Remember to use the coupon codes to get the best fare.

Rent a Bike
You can rent a bike for the day for only 100 to 150 Baht per day from many spots in Phuket City. Bikes are cheap, time-saving, efficient (if you know how to ride on the Thai terrain) and are easy to park anywhere. However, you would require an International license to avail parking facilities in front of the Trickeye 3D Museum.

Rent a Car
If you know how to drive and have an International Licence, you can rent a car from many places in Phuket. The hire charges start at around THB 200 to THB 300 and go upwards depending on the model and facilities of the vehicle. Fuel cost is extra, so this isn't exactly a cheap option.