Thailand's National Museum (museumthailand.com; 200฿) is home to an impressive collection of items dating from throughout the country's glittering past. Most of the museum's structures were built in 1782 as the palace of Rama I's viceroy, Prince Wang Na. Rama V turned it into a museum in 1874, and today there are three permanent exhibitions spread out over several buildings. The main exhibition, the Gallery of Thai History – Archaeology, features some of the country’s most beautiful Buddha images and sculptures of Hindu gods.
The history wing has made impressive bounds towards contemporary curatorial aesthetics with a succinct chronology of prehistoric, Sukhothai-, Ayuthaya- and Bangkok-era events and figures. Gems include King Ramkhamhaeng’s inscribed stone pillar, said to be the oldest record of Thai writing (although this has been contested); King Taksin’s throne; the Rama V section; and the screening of a movie about Rama VII, The Magic Ring.
Also interesting is the Gallery of Thai Traditional Arts, with everything from handicrafts and textiles to puppets and royal regalia on display.
In addition to the main exhibition halls, the Bhuddhaisawan (Phutthaisawan) Chapel includes some well-preserved murals and one of the country’s most revered Buddha images, Phra Phuttha Sihing. The northern Chariot Hall houses the ornate funeral chariots of past royalty.
English-speaking guides can be booked in advance, and the museum is open from 8.30am to 4pm Wednesday through Sunday.
