Royal Barges National Museum

Lonely Planet review

Every foreign country has its famous religious monuments and museums, but how many have their own fleet of royal boats on display? As a former riverine culture, Thailand still maintains the royal barges, once used daily by the royal family for outings and events and now used only for grand ceremonies.

Suphannahong, the king's personal barge, is the most important of the boats; made from a single piece of timber, it's the largest dugout in the world. The name means 'golden swan', and a huge swan's head has been carved into the bow. Lesser barges feature bows carved into other Hindu-Buddhist mythological shapes such as the naga (sea dragon) and the garuda (Vishnu's bird mount).

One of the best times to see the fleet in action on the river is during the royal kathîn ceremony at the end of phansâa (the Buddhist rains retreat, ending with an October or November new moon), when new robes are offered to the monastic contingent.