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Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall Bangkok
The centerpiece of Bangkok's own Champs Elysees, this impressive two-storey white marble palace sits at the end of Dusit's long, wide Royal Plaza, a leafy ceremonial boulevard that's often the focus of regal pomp and ceremony during royal celebrations.
Ordered by King Rama V in 1907 and finished in the reign of King Rama VI, its neo-classical Renaissance architecture - particularly its central dome - dominate the scene just as Italian architects Mario Tamango and Annibale Rigotti intended. Following the 1932 coup it housed the first Thai parliament, but today its ornate interiors serve as a prestigious locale in which to court visiting dignitaries, hold state council meetings and royal occasions.
Inside is a stunningly beautiful central dome, under which the Royal Throne sits. Lining it and each of the six other domes' walls are frescoes depicting Chakri Dynasty monarchs (painted by Galileo Chini). The long hall on the upper floor is embellished with embossed roman and floral patterns showing Renaissance and Baroque arts. Outside, visitors can find impressive views both from the large paved plaza in front of it (site of the annual Tropping of the Color in December, the Red Cross Fair in late March, as well as the King Rama V statue) or the trim gardens adjoining it with Vimanmek Mansion. On Children's Day, in the second week of January each year, the grounds and interiors are more fully open to the public.
the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall is open to the general public as a museum, with permanent exhibitions on the country’s national artists and showcases of arts and crafts by the students at the Chitralada Vocational Centre. Guided tours are available, at 30-minute intervals, from 9:30 to 15:30 daily (except Monday). Photography is not permitted inside the building. Please note that this is a royal property; a strict dress code applies, meaning no flip-flops, shorts, sleeveless shirts or T-shirts.
Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall
Opening Hours: 9:30 until 16:00, Tues - Sun (ticket office closed 15:30)
Location: Royal Plaza, Dusit
Price Range: 50 Baht
How to get there: Taxi is probably the best way to go
Bang Pa-In Royal Palace
The Royal Summer Residence Near Ayutthaya
Situated 60 km north of Bangkok and within easy reach of Ayutthaya is the illustrious Bang Pa-In Royal Palace. The palace complex was used as a summer dwelling by the Siamese royalty and their consorts.
Also called 'Bang Pa In Summer Palace' the park comprises several iconic buildings dotted around a large park and renting an electric cart is a good way to get around, especially on hot days. Coming all the way from Bangkok just for the palace might not be worth the trip but it is a great stop on the way to Ayutthaya.
Originally created by King Prasat Thong in 1632, it is not known whether it was in use at the time of the Burmese raid. But in 1807, when Sunthon Phu, the kingdom's best known poet sailed past, it was a shadow of what Bang Pa-In once was, abandoned and overgrown.
According to Dutch chronicler Jeremias Van Vliet, King Ekathotsarot (1605 - 1610) was once shipwrecked on an island while sailing on the Chao Phraya River. On the island, he was befriended by a woman, who bore his (illegitimate) child. The child grew up to ascend the throne. This boy was later to become known as King Prasat Thong (1632 - 1656). He founded a monastery on his mother's land and had a pond dug and built a palace to the south of the monastery. The only building mentioned in the chronicle was the Aisawan Thiphya, created in 1632, the year of birth of his son, the future King Narai (1656 - 1688).
After the Burmese raids in 1767, the Palace complex of Bang Pa-In was laid to waste and left abandoned for a long time. King Mongkut (Rama IV), who reigned from 1851 to 1868, started a revival of the palace. Most of the buildings as they stand today were created by his successor King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), who also expanded the area into the magnificent sprawling Versaillesque gardens between 1874 and 1899 with features of European-style architecture.
Highlights of Bang Pa-Inn
Phra Thinang Wehart Chamrun, the only building open to commoners, is a Chinese-style palace and throne room, with marvellous ornamental tiles, heavy ebony furnishings, gold, silver and porcelain delicate fretwork and a red lacquer interior. One of the highlights is an intricately carved camel bone dragon. As pretty is Ho Withun Thasana, or Sages Look-Out, a tower used by royal parties as an observatory to view the heavens or surrounding countryside.
The Aisawan Thiphya, the iconic Divine Seat of Personal Freedom, or 'floating' pavilion, is an archetypal Thai pavilion set in the middle of the ornamental pond. It is said to have been a favourite afternoon spot for young Royals to read poetry.
The Memorial to Queen Sunanda Kumariratana is a marble obelisk shrine set in a garden dedicated to the Queen. At the time, a Thai law told that commoners were forbidden to touch royalty by punishment of death. One day in 1881, a royal barge carrying the queen capsized on the Chao Phraya River. Onlookers were forced to watch their beloved queen drown, while nobody made any attempt to rescue her. Moreover, they were instructed to do so by an officer. King Chulalongkorn was horrified the vizier could carry out the law to the letter. The memorial contains a poem written by the heart-broken widower King himself. The Memorial to Princess Saovabhark and Three Royal Children is a marble cenotaph to consort Princess Saovabhark Nariratana and their three children who died in the same year in 1887.
Bang Pa In Royal Palace
Opening Hours: everday from 8.30 a.m. to 16.30 p.m. Tickets sold until 15.30 p.m.
Tel: 035-260144
Dress Code: Proper attire is required similar to the Grand Palace, no short skirts or short pants, no sleeveless shirts.
Price Range: 100 baht, 400 baht to rent an electric golf cart
Chitraladarahotarn Palace
Closed to the public, this is His Majesty King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit's official residence. Constructed by King Rama VI and formerly King Chulalongkorn's summer home, its one-square kilometre grounds include several artificial lakes and are bordered by Italian-designed walls and a prominent moat. At each corner is a fountain adorned with late Baroque figures drawn from mythology, evidence of the cultivated taste of Thailand's rulers.
Today it not only serves as live-in palace for the monarchy, but is also home to an agricultural research station founded by his HM the King to help solved the problems of Thai farmers around the country. Called The Royal Chitralada Projects, this non-profit institute includes experimental rice fields, a fish farm, dairy farm, fruit juice plant, beef-rearing unit, a candle factory and mushroom factory. Originally built for royal offspring, there is also the Chitralada School. Today, the children of staff and people not associated with the palace are admitted, from kindergarden through to 12th grade.
Location: Rama V Road, Dusit
Jim Thompson House in Bangkok
The lovely garden-enclosed compound sitting on the bank of the Saen Saeb Canal would have gone completely unnoticed, had it not been for a legacy left behind by a middle-aged American man named Jim Thompson. His elegant residential enclave, comprising six traditional Thai teakwood houses transported from Ayutthaya and Bangkok’s Ban Krua community, echoes Jim Thompson’s 30-year love affair with Southeast Asian art and cultural heritage.
An architect by training and an avid collector of Asian objets d’art, Jim Thompson’s keen eyes and flair for design breathed life into everything he touched. After his discharge from military service in 1946, Jim Thompson decided to settle down in Thailand, where he dedicated over 30 years to reviving Thai silk – then a dying cottage industry – and introduced it to the world’s most respectable fashion houses and catwalks in Paris, New York, London and Milan.
The same goes for his Thai house, which was no ordinary teakwood villa complex filled with incongruous collections of antiques, but a breathing museum – even then – that embodies Jim Thompson’s life-long passion and whimsical design choices. One day in 1967, while at the height of his success, he mysteriously disappeared into the Malaysian jungle, and thus began the legacy of Jim Thompson…
Where East Meets West
In the shadow of surrounding trees, the house’s inconspicuous façade belies a tastefully decked entry foyer, itself an unconventional architectural feature in traditional Thai houses and a preamble to Jim Thompson’s signature East-meets-West style permeating throughout the house.
A clever lighting arrangement draws your eyes to two wall niches displaying a 17th Century standing Buddha and a wooden hand-carved figurine. High above your head, a Belgian chandelier glistens from the ceiling, while the floor is laid out with Italian marble tiles, punctuating the heavy wood accents on the walls and indoors staircase.
A Tasteful Collection of Art and Antiques
Upstairs, you are greeted by a series of decorative wall hangings that Jim Thompson acquired from various Buddhist temples. Like ancient murals, they tell stories of the Buddha’s previous and present lives as well as his spiritual journey towards attaining enlightenment. From here, proceed to the right and encounter the solemn sandstone Buddha image guarding the entry to the Thai kitchen, which now houses Jim Thompson’s exquisite collection of Benjarong porcelain ware.
The dining room is housed inside the 19th Century teakwood villa Thompson bought from its owner in Ayutthaya. On the dining table, fashioned from two Chinese mahjong tables, the blue-and-white porcelain set is laid out in its full glory, as if dinner is about to be served, with Thompson seated at the head of the table, his back to the windows.
Jim Thompson House - Living at the Water’s Edge
Set between the private quarter and the dining area is the living room, constructed from the 100-year-old wooden house Jim Thompson bought from the Ban Krua Muslim community just across the canal. The villagers at Ban Krua were the first weavers of the Jim Thompson silk brand. Jim Thompson used to row across the canal and back every day, until he decided to build a permanent home here.
With a four-metre-high ceiling and one open-sided wall, the living room is a lofty area overlooking the Saen Saeb Canal. Thompson masterfully converted the four windows into four display niches, upon which he placed four Burmese guardian spirits (or ‘Nats’) carved from wood, a gift from the Burmese government.
Master of His Own Trade
As you wander from one room to the next, you can’t help but admire Jim Thompson’s thoughtful eclecticism and meticulous attention to details. His sophisticated taste and in-depth knowledge of Southeast Asian art shine through the rare antique and art collections placed tastefully in each room that enrich the overall ambience, rather than just show off his wealth.
While respecting local traditions and customs, he was no slave to them either. The staircase and bathrooms are found indoors, rather than outdoors as you would normally find in traditional Thai homes. Satellite houses, which normally would be linked through an open courtyard area, are all grouped under one roof with a covered walkway. And the decorative window panels, which traditionally face outwards, face in. Jim Thompson’s skillful adaptation of the local style to suit his western upbringing was years ahead of its time, rendering a timeless twist to what would otherwise be labeled as ‘classic’ or simply ‘colonial’.
The Jim Thompson Brand
After Jim Thompson’s mysterious disappearance, a court-appointed administrator, which 10 years later became The James H.W. Thompson Foundation, took over the management of his house and assets. Today, the brand Jim Thompson also extends to an art centre, souvenir boutique, restaurant and café, as well as banqueting facilities located in the same vicinity. With an outdoor terrace by the canal, the elegantly appointed Araya Hall caters for gatherings of between 40 and 80 people, whether a corporate function, meeting, fashion show, wedding banquet, press conference, private luncheons or dinners.
Jim Thompson House
Opening Hours: 09:00-17:00 (last guided tour at 17:00)
Location: Soi Kasemsan 2, opposite the National Stadium on Rama I Road.
BTS: National Stadium
Address: 6/1 Soi Kasemsan 2, Rama 1 Road
Tel: +66 (0)2 216 7368
How to get there: Take exit 1 from the BTS National Stadium Station, turn right into Soi Kasemsan 2 and continue walking all the way to the very end. The museum will be on your left-hand side.
Phyathai Palace in Bangkok
Built in 1909 during King Rama V’s reign as temporary royal residence, Phyathai Palace comprises five buildings all constructed in a combination of neo-gothic and Romanesque styles. The interiors showcase a rococo influence, complete with beautiful ceiling frescos, gilded Corinthian columns and elaborately carved fretworks.
Behind the palace’s architectural splendour, though, rests one of the Kingdom’s most important but time-forgotten political history – the Dusit Thani, or ‘Heaven on Earth’, where experiments were carried out on the palace’s 160,000sqm grounds to test-run the country’s transition from absolute monarchy to municipal government and then parliamentary government. The experimental city was constructed to resemble a ‘utopia’, complete with its own city pillar, municipal government, temples and vast agricultural farms. It even had its own citizens, made up of court servants, who were given freedom to vote for their leader once a year.
At the end of eight years, after King Ramai VI passed away, the idea of the Dusit Thani collapsed. The palace was then transformed into a hotel, which by today’s standard would be labeled as a luxury boutique hotel. World War II brought the end to the hotel business, and in 1952 the site was set up as a military hospital and eventually today’s Phramongkutklao Hospital.
The palace is registered as a national historic building and is now a part of the hospital’s administrative buildings. It is, perhaps, the only palace building that you can stroll around freely. There’s an atmospheric café, Café Norasingh, housed inside what used to be the royal reception hall.
Phyathai Palace
Opening Hours: Guided tours available on Saturdays at 9:30 and 13:30. Otherwise, you are free to walk around.
Location: Ratchawithi Road (inside Phramongkutklao Hospital)
BTS: Victory Monument
The Grand Palace
If there is one must-see sight that no visit to Bangkok would be complete without, it's the dazzling, spectacular Grand Palace, undoubtedly the city's most famous landmark. Built in 1782 - and for 150 years the home of the Thai King, the Royal court and the administrative seat of government - the Grand Palace of Bangkok is a grand old dame indeed, that continues to have visitors in awe with its beautiful architecture and intricate detail, all of which is a proud salute to the creativity and craftsmanship of Thai people. Within its walls were also the Thai war ministry, state departments, and even the mint. Today, the complex remains the spiritual heart of the Thai Kingdom.
Within the palace complex are several impressive buildings including Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), which contains the small, very famous and greatly revered Emerald Buddha that dates back to the 14th century.
The robes on the Buddha are changed with the seasons by HM The King of Thailand, and forms an important ritual in the Buddhist calendar. Thai Kings stopped living in the palace around the turn of the twentieth century, but the palace complex is still used to mark all kinds of other ceremonial and auspicious happenings.
Grand Palace Layout and Orientation
The palace complex, like the rest of Ratanakosin Island, is laid very similar to the palaces of Ayutthaya, the glorious former capital of Siam which was raided by the Burmese. The Outer Court, near the entrance, used to house government departments in which the King was directly involved, such as civil administration, the army and the treasury. The Temple of the Emerald Buddha is located in one corner of this outer court. The Central Court is where the residence of the King and halls used for conducting state business were located. Only two of the throne halls are open to the public, but you'll be able to marvel at the exquisite detail on the facades of these impressive structures.
The Inner Court is where the King's royal consorts and daughters lived. The Inner Court was like a small city entirely populated by women and boys under the age of puberty. Even though no royalty currently reside in the inner court, it is still completely closed off to the public. Despite the proximity of the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, there's a distinct contrast in style between the very Thai Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the more European inspired design of the Grand Palace (the roof being the main exception). Other highlights are Boromabiman Hall and Amarinda Hall, the original residence of King Rama I and the Hall of Justice.
Royal Reception Halls
Nowadays its impressive interior is used for important ceremonial occasions like coronations. It also contains the antique throne, used before the Western style one presently in use. Visitors are allowed inside the spacious European style reception room or Grand Palace Hall (Chakri Maha Prasat). Then there's the impressive Dusit Hall, rated as perhaps the finest architectural building in this style, and a museum that has information on the restoration of the Grand Palace, scale models and numerous Buddha images.
Important Note about the Grand Palace:
A strict dress code applies. The Grand Palace with The Temple of the Emerald Buddha is Thailand's most sacred site. Visitors must be properly dressed before being allowed entry to the temple. Men must wear long pants and shirts with sleeves (no tank tops. If you're wearing sandals or flip-flops you must wear socks (in other words, no bare feet.) Women must be similarly modestly dressed. No see-through clothes, bare shoulders, etc. If you show up at the front gate improperly dressed, there is a booth near the entrance that can provide clothes to cover you up properly (a deposit is required).
The Grand Palace
Opening Hours: Daily 08:30 - 15:30
Location: Na Phra Lan Road, Old City (Rattanakosin)
Price Range: Tickets sold from 8:30 - 15:30 and cost 500 baht! One ticket includes entry to Vimanmek Palace and Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall.
Vimanmek Mansion in Bangkok
Located on Ratchawithi Road behind the National Assembly, Vimanmek Royal Mansion is the world's largest building made entirely of golden teak. Removed from Ko Sichang in Chonburi province, it was rebuilt in the Dusit Palace in 1900 by the command of King Rama V. It was recently renovated by HM Queen Sirikit, and made into a museum paying homage to the late King.
As well as antique furniture, there's glassware, porcelain, old photographs and memorabilia from the late King's reign (1868 - 1910). Many rooms currently maintain the atmosphere of the past.
A guided tour is provided to visitors. Most of the building in the same compound are now used as museums. The outstanding one is Abhisek Dusit Hall, which exhibits HM Queen Sirikit's collection of handicraft masterpieces created by rural people. The other displays of various items and art objects including HM King Bhumibol's photography, paraphernalia of rank and portraits, ancient cloth, clocks, and royal carriages. Parts of Vimanmek are still used for various state functions and receptions for visiting royalty when the buildings are closed to the public. Traditional Thai dancing commences daily at 10:30 and 14:00.
Vimanmek Mansion
Opening Hours: 08:30 until 16:30 (Tuesday - Saturday, last ticket at 15:30)
Location: Rajavithee Road. Close to Dusit Zoo and the Dusit Palace complex.
Price Range: 100 baht, which entitles you to enter every building and gallery. Note that you will need to show your ticket to the attendant at the entrance to every building. Please note: No shorts or sleeveless shirts and skirts must be at least knee-length or you won't be allowed in.
