Bangkok National Museum
Photo by Joyofmuseums (CC BY-SA 4.0)

National Museum Bangkok

The National Museum in Bangkok is the largest museum in Thailand. The museum on the grounds of a former royal palace in the historic Rattanakosin district exhibits Thai art and historic artifacts.

From Neolithic times

The museum covers Thai history from Neolithic times to the present day. In 16 halls it exhibits artifacts from the most important periods including Dvaravati, Lanna, Sukhothai, Ayutthaya and Rattanakosin. Also on display are Indian, Khmer and Cham Buddhist art.

Items have captions in English language.

Thai History Gallery

The Thai History Gallery in the Siwamokkhaphiman Hall exhibits the museum’s most unique and valuable artifacts. Among the items on display are:

A huge Buddha head from the Ayutthaya period
An intricately adorned 8^th century bronze statue of a Bodhisattva
Ancient Khmer and Hindu statues
A 7^th century Dhamma Wheel in Dvaravati style, discovered in Nakhon Pathom
Two 8^th century statues of Vishnu
Sukhothai era Buddha images
The stone King Ramkhamhaeng inscription, the oldest example of Thai script

An ancient statue of the Hindu God Shiva

Statue of the Hindu God Shiva
Photo by Ludexvivorum (CC0 1.0)

Prehistory Gallery

The Prehistory Gallery is housed in the Siwamokkhaphiman Hall. The exhibition gives visitors an impression of the way people lived in prehistoric times. On display are among others ancient tools and weapons.

The Art History Gallery

The North Wing building houses the Art History Gallery. The gallery exhibits artifacts and Buddha images from various eras in Thai history.

Dvaravati (6^th - 11^th century)
Srivijaya (8^th - 12^th century)
Sukhothai (13^th - 15^th century)
Lopburi (15^th - 16^th century)
Ayutthaya (14^th - 18^th century)
Thonburi (1767 - 1782)
Rattanakosin (from 1782)

Buddhaisawan Chapel

The Buddhaisawan Chapel enshrines the Phra Phuttha Sihing image, the second most highly revered Buddha image in Thailand. The gilded bronze image in the meditation posture was originally housed in the Wat Phra Singh temple in Chiang Mai.

The walls of the late 19^th century chapel are adorned with beautiful murals depicting angels and stories from the life of the Buddha. The chapel also contains cases to store ancient Buddhist scriptures.

The Phra Phuttha Sihing Buddha image in the Buddhaisawan Chapel

Phra Phuttha Sihing Buddha image
Photo by Ludexvivorum (CC0 1.0)

Decorative Arts & Ethnological Collection

The Decorative Arts & Ethnological Collection is housed in the old central palace buildings. It exhibits a collection of various items from several periods.

Among the items on display are royal emblems, royal clothing, gold ornaments, mother of pearl items, ceramics, musical instruments, puppets, wood carvings and precious stones.

A section is dedicated to ancient weapons including spears, lances and canons. Here you can also see a model of a war elephant with a howdah on its back.

Another section exhibits a collection of Khon masks. Khon masked dance is a traditional dance performance based on the Indian epic Ramayana.
You can watch a Khon masked dance performance at the Sala Chalermkrung Royal Theatre.

The Red House

The Red House or Tamnak Daeng is a beautiful teak wooden house built during the late 18^th century. It used the be the private living quarters of a Princess. Tamnak Daeng gives visitors an impression of how Thai Royals lived in previous centuries.

Royal Chariots

The Royal Chariots are among the most impressive and beautiful items exhibited in the National Museum. Large gilded chariots adorned with intricate carvings and inlays were used in coronations and funeral processions for members of the Thai Royal family.

The Great Chariot of Victory in the Bangkok National Museum

Great Chariot of Victory
Photo by Supanut Arunoprayote (CC BY 4.0)

Guided Tours

The museum offers free guided tours in various languages including English, French, German and Japanese. You can join a tour at 9:30 am on Wednesday and Thursday.

To make sure a guide is available in your language, check the Museum’s website.

Museum Café

Visit the museum’s café after exploring the exhibitions. The café serves food and drinks at low prices.

Opening hours

The museum opens Wednesday through Sunday and on public holidays, except new years day and the days of the Songkran festival. Opening hours are 9 am until 4 pm.