Dusit Park

Lonely Planet review

Please note: because this is royal property, visitors should wear long pants (no capri pants) or long skirts and shirts with sleeves.

A modern country, King Chulalongkorn pronounced, needed a modern seat of government. And so the king moved the royal court to Dusit, where he had built Beaux Arts institutions and Victorian manor houses. The royal residence was removed from the cloistered city of Ko Ratanakosin to the open and manicured lawns of Dusit Park. Confectionary buildings of European and Thai fusions housed the members of the royal family in a style that must have seemed as futuristic as today's skyscrapers. The maturing art of architecture has been kind to the romantic Victorian period and Dusit Park is a worthwhile escape from Bangkok's chaos and egg-carton Bauhaus and blue-glass buildings.

The highlight of the park is Vimanmek Teak Mansion, said to be the world's largest golden teak mansion, built with nary a single nail. For all of its finery, grand staircases, octagonal rooms and lattice walls that are nothing short of magnificent, it is surprisingly serene and intimate. The mansion was originally constructed on Ko Si Chang in 1868 as a retreat for Rama V; the king had it moved to its present site in 1901. For the following few years it served as Rama V's primary residence, with the 81 rooms accommodating his enormous extended family. The interior of the mansion contains various personal effects of the king, and a treasure-trove of early Ratanakosin and European art objects and antiques. Compulsory English-language tours of the building start every 30 minutes and last an hour, though it's a lucky dip as to whether your guide will actually speak decent English or not. Try to time your visit to see the Thai classical and folk dances staged in an open-sided sala beside the mansion at 10:30 and 14:00 .

Immediately behind Vimanmek mansion is Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall. Visions of Moorish palaces and Victorian mansions must have still been spinning around in the king's head when he commissioned this intricate building of porticoes and fretwork fused with a distinctive Thai character. Built as the throne hall for the palace in 1904, it opens onto a big stretch of lawn and flowerbeds, just like any important European building.

Inside, the heavy ornamentation of the white main room is quite extraordinary, especially if you've been visiting a lot of overwhelmingly gold temples or traditional wooden buildings. Look up to just below the ceiling to see the line of brightly coloured stained-glass panels in Moorish patterns. The hall displays regional handiwork crafted by members of the Promotion of Supplementary Occupations & Related Techniques (SUPPORT) charity foundation sponsored by Queen Sirikit. Among the exhibits are mát-mìi -style (a form of tie-dying) cotton and silk textiles, málaeng tháp collages (made from metallic, multicoloured beetle wings), damascene and nielloware, and yaan líphao basketry (made with a type of vine).

Built in the early 1900s by Italian architects, the great neoclassical dome of the Ananta Samakh anchors Royal Plaza. The building is still used for its intended purpose: hosting foreign dignitaries. Frescoes on the gilded dome ceiling depict the monarchs and the important works of the early Chakri dynasty. The first meeting of the Thai parliament was held in this building before being moved to a facility nearby.

Beside the Th U Thong Nai gate, the Royal Elephant Museum showcases two large stables that once housed three white elephants; it's more interesting than it sounds.

Near the Th Ratchawithi entrance, two residence halls display the HM King Bhumibol Photography Exhibitions, a collection of photographs and paintings by the present monarch - a man who even today is rarely seen without a Canon SLR camera slung around his neck. Among the many loving photos of his wife and children are pictures of the king playing clarinet with Benny Goodman and Louis Armstrong in 1960. The Ancient Cloth Museum presents a beautiful collection of traditional silks and cottons that make up the royal cloth collection.