Bangkok never will be boring for travelers. Even its museums which visitors often skip are interesting places to visit. Most travelers tend to spend their trips at the malls, golden temples, or in the city’s nightlife. Some highly mesmerizing Bangkok Museums should be on any visitor’s plan.
Bangkok offers something for every type of art fan, from expansive national museums and contemporary galleries to traditional Thai residences that have withstood the test of time.
There are some eccentric museums in Bangkok, such as Siriraj Medical Museum, Museum of Counterfeit Goods, and Condom Museum, which can only be found in Bangkok. In this article, the 12 perfect museums will be described, which are worth visiting.
The 12 Best Museums in Bangkok
If you want to learn about Bangkok’s culture through its art, you should visit its museums. Here’s a list of the perfect museums in Bangkok to make your decision for visiting the museums easier. Hope you enjoy it.
- The Jim Thompson House
- Bangkokian Museum
- Counterfeit Goods
- Bangkok National Museum
- Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
- Art in Paradise
- Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA Bangkok)
- Museum Siam
- Suan Pakkad Palace
- Siriraj Medical Museum
- National Science Museum
- Condom Museum
The Jim Thompson House
The old home of Jim Thompson, an American businessman who resurrected the Thai silk industry in the middle of the 20th century, has artwork from fourteen different Asian eras, ranging from paintings to sculptures to china. His residence was a collection of six teak structures, the finest specimens of traditional Thai homes in the city.
Bangkokian Museum
The Bangkokian Museum is a totally undiscovered gem in Khet Bang Rak made comprised of a number of tiny, obscenely adorable dwellings constructed in the 1930s. Visitors can get a glimpse into middle-class Tha life from over a century ago, thanks to the complex’s impeccable preservation and upkeep. A smaller, more contemporary building also contains a collection of random antiques and artifacts, as well as old photographs of Bangkok.
Counterfeit Goods
The Museum of Counterfeit Goods is unquestionably one of Bangkok’s more specific, relevant, and fascinating museums, and it’s worth spending time there. Any stroll through a night market in Bangkok will demonstrate why it is regarded as one of the world’s capitals of fake products. A normal person might not hesitate to purchase a knockoff Louis Vuitton handbag, watch, or perfume but this thoughtfully constructed exhibit aims to raise awareness of intellectual property infringement.
In this museum, you can find thousands of items that have been confiscated in raids, and also you can find case study examples to learn about the goods. Moreover, the law company offers well-rehearsed free lectures and guided tours in this museum.
Bangkok National Museum
The first National Museum in Thailand and the mother of all Thai museums is the Bangkok National Museum. This museum is home to the largest collection of Thai art and antiquities in the entire nation. The museum, which was constructed in the late 1800s and is situated in the Grand Palace, is made up of multiple structures that each house various kinds of artwork.
In this museum, there are three permanent exhibition galleries: an Archaeological and Art History collection, a Thai History Gallery, and a Decorative Arts and Ethnological Collection. Each of these galleries has its own themes and is filled with sculptures and artifacts.
Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
Many visitors pass by this contemporary museum, which opened in 2008, despite its prime location near some of the city’s busiest shopping centers. Most of the visitors are Thai students, but anybody who loves art will appreciate the displays of artwork from Thailand and around the globe, including paintings, photographs, and sculptures. It has a central atrium encircled by a number of floors where it exhibits both its permanent collection and touring shows, much like the Guggenheim in New York. Additionally, it frequently organizes movie and musical screenings. Ask to attend a free guided tour if one is offered; certain exhibits offer them.
Art in Paradise
Art in Paradise Museum is situated in Esplanade Shopping Mall, which has six permanent exhibition spaces and is the first 3D art museum spread across two levels. Numerous detailed artworks around each room invite you to pose for photos while you’re there. Period pieces, contemporary pieces, and fanciful designs are among the 150 paintings and interactive sets. The experience can occasionally make you feel like you’re in a theme park, but it can also be a hilarious way to spend some time with friends.
Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA Bangkok)
Off the beaten path, visit this five-story museum with a vast collection of Thai modern art for a glimpse at Bangkok’s (and Thailand’s) modern art scene. The majority of the top painters in the nation’s recent history contributed hundreds of pieces to this collection, and because it is a private institution, you can anticipate edgier exhibitions. The all-white interior of the contemporary structure, which was created to appear in pared from a small piece of granite, is well-lit by natural light. Although the permanent collection occupies most of the floors, there is always room for temporary exhibitions. Everything is clearly presented and has English labels.
Museum Siam
An interactive museum with lots of surprises is the Museum Siam Khet Phra Nakhon. It seems like a grand, neoclassical structure from the outside. When you enter, you’ll notice a contrast between modern art and technology blended with old-fashioned fixtures. Through video, music, and interactive features, each of the 14 rooms is intended to present the culture, history, and evolution of the Thai people. You could easily—and happily—spend three hours roaming because there is so much to take in.
Suan Pakkad Palace
The former palace of Prince Paribatra, the grandson of King Rama V, is a collection of eight traditionally reconstructed Thai homes that are jam-packed with items from the Prince’s art collection, including paintings, musical instruments, glass and lacquerware, and other decorative items. The museum houses pottery from Ban Chiang in addition to the lovely traditional residences. In the mid-1960s, an American archaeology student who was returning from a dig when he tripped over a root and came face to face with ceramic pieces that turned out to date back to 2000 BC, one of the oldest Bronze Age cultures in the world, made the discovery at Ban Chiang, a UNESCO World Heritage site in northeastern Thailand.
Siriraj Medical Museum
Another strange attraction in Bangkok is Siriraj Medical Museum, a rather gruesome Forensic and Pathology Museum. This museum houses a variety of spooky exhibits and is located inside the renowned Siriraj Hospital. Siriraj Medical Museum contains a wide variety of bodies, such as genetically altered newborns, which are floating in formaldehyde jars, bodies of murderers and accident victims, and the like.
The other things that are complete horrors in this museum are corpses, skeletons, and victims of various parasites. Siriraj Medical Museum, which is a combination of six museums, is an educational place. This museum intends to serve as a living-learning lab for medical students, forensic experts, as well as tourists with interest in the weird.
National Science Museum
There are seven-floor in the main building of the National Science Museum, and this is home to an excellent selection of exhibitions. Every floor of this museum has a different theme, such as earth sciences, physics, chemistry, or biology. But there are also disciplines resembling engineerings, such as robotics and architecture. Along with archaeology, you can also find several aspects of physical and cultural anthropology in the National Science Museum.
Condom Museum
This museum is another strange museum in Bangkok that is popular and also well-needed because of the naughty nightlife of Thai people. The Ministry of Health is working to change Thais’ negative perceptions of condom use with the recently inaugurated Condom Museum.
Thailand is one of the world’s top condom makers, and this museum, which is situated in the back of the Ministry of Health complex, features a number of modest rooms that chronicle Thailand’s history of condom awareness and production. Every range of sizes, hues, and flavors is on show. The interesting part of this museum is the rooms which are tested the strength and endurance of the condoms, and the museum personnel will demonstrate how far a piece of rubber can stretch.