If you go to one museum your whole time in Thailand, make it the National Museum. The museum, located in a former palace walking distance from the Grand Palace and Khao San Road, is packed with art, primarily devotional, from all over Southeast Asia (it’s the largest repository of Southeast Asian art in the world). Thailand’s national museum offers visitors an opportunity to begin to understand the cultural and religious connections among the region’s people, and how the region’s dominant religions and belief systems have influenced art and architecture, and each other.
How to Visit:
The dozens of exhibits in the museum are roughly organized either by medium or by epoch and can be a little confusing to first-time visitors. The best way to visit the museum is to take one of the docent-led tours, led by the National Museum Volunteers on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings (these tours are led in English, check the website for tours in other languages and for schedule changes). The guided tours are free but you must pay the regular admission fee.
How to Get There:
Take a cross-river ferry from Tha Chang Pier (near the Grand Palace).
Hours:
Wednesday through Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission:
200 baht per person
