Museum of Siam, the best museum in Bangkok

I’m guessing if you’re researching Museums in Bangkok you’re interested in Thai culture, history and what it’s really like living in the capital of the land of smiles. You’ll learn all this and so much more at the Museum of Siam, the best museum in Bangkok.

This post contains affiliate links. This means I might receive a small commission if you book from one of them at no extra cost to you.

All about the Siam Museum in Bangkok

I’ve always been obsessed with Thai culture and it’s people so when I learnt that the Siam Museum has a whole section dedicated to what it means to be Thai, I knew we had to visit. It’s the first section of the museum you’ll see and you begin by watching a video with all ages discussing their views of “Thainess”. They answer all types of questions such as “what is traditional Thai clothing” and “what do Thais do for fun”, it’s really interesting to watch. By the end of your visit, you should have picked up all the answers. This is part of the main, permanent exhibit called “Decoding Thainess” which perfectly sums up the whole museum.

Defining Thainess

Once you’ve watched the video you’ll head into a room with many Thai artifacts on display. These are both new and old and all come with an explanation of their importance to Thai culture. For example a flowery shirt and its significance to Songkran, the history of the Thai flag, popular Thai movies and more.

Then on to a darkened room where light boxes rise from a slightly raised platform in a sequence that takes you through a quick history of Thailand.

Thailands Three Pillars

Behind this room we found a really fun interactive game which was a bit like a jigsaw. It’s based on Thailands Three Pillars which are The Nation, Religion and King. We spent several minutes trying to complete it.

Magnificently Thai

Then on to a replica of the kings throne room in the Grand Palace. It’s incredibly impressive and very important to Thai people.

Degrees of Thainess

Then it was into an area filled with mannequins dressed in clothing from all over Thailand. You’ll see traditional Thai clothing, modern suits and even airline uniforms. Each has it’s own story and seems to stress the Thai attitude of acceptance – all are welcomed.

Thai studio

After lusting after the beautiful clothes we were able to try a few on ourselves and have fun taking photos in front of the various Thai scenes.

Next up was a room full of wooden boxes, all labeled with something very traditionally Thai and full of props relating to that label. We pulled out the Songkran box and found a water gun, silver bowl, tree branch and cards. We also enjoyed playing a traditional Thai card acting game about understanding emotions.

Thai beliefs

This room is dedicated to Thai religion and beliefs such as Buddhism, Hinduism and spirits. It was a fascinating insight into the different faiths of Thailand. And had a few interactive exhibits to try make wishes or predict future events. The sculptures of the monks were mind blowingly good.

Only in Thailand

Then into a rather quirky room with a huge smiling statue of Nang Kwak in the middle. Lining the walls were objects only found in Thailand such as a bag of coffee, Thai snacks and seasoning sets. It was actually really fun spotting everyday things which are so unusual to us but very common to Thais.

Lessons in Thainess

We visited a replica school classroom and my daughter was able to try on the uniform. The room displays items from 4 different periods in history. We enjoyed working out which things were the same as her school and which were different.

A Taste of Thai

Our final room was one dedicated to Thai Food, the “living kitchen” – so of course you’ll leave the museum hungry! It talks you through many popular Thai dishes and you can take a blank plate from the wall, pop it on the table and magically a light show of a meal will be prepared showing you all the ingredients and its origin.

We chatted to a few of the guides as we wandered around the museum, they were really informative and passionate and gave us even more info on what was on display.

The museum only opened in 2007 and was renovated in 2017 so all the exhibits are modern and well cared for. The building itself is a stunning neoclassical house which was originally the Thai Ministry of Commerce. This is not just a museum aimed at tourists, you’ll see lots of Thai school children wandering the museum halls.

Is the Museum of Siam, Bangkok good for kids?

The Siam Museum is very much a learning museum so it’s perfect for teaching little ones all about Thailand. They have plenty of interactive exhibits and dress up areas so we found it educational but also super fun.

As part of your ticket price you can get a free audio guide which is another good way to get kids to engage with the museum. You’ll just need to leave some form of ID as a deposit.

Get Your Guide has a really great family friendly tour of Bangkok by long tail boat which includes a visit to the Museum of Siam, plus a puppet show at the artist village, a stop at the Khlong Bang Luang Market and a lunch for just over £50 per person.

Make sure you read my post on things to do in Bangkok with kids for more great ideas on how to explore the city.

Museum of Siam opening hours

The museum is closed on Mondays but open every other day between 10am and 6pm.

Museum of Siam ticket price

Tickets cost just 100 Baht. Under 15s are free and students over 15 (with ID) get a discount.

If you’re wondering where to stay in Bangkok check out these amazing Bangkok hotels with kids club.

How to get to the Museum of Siam

The museum in located in a really convenient spot near Wat Pho and the Grand Palace. I think the easiest way to get there is by ferry. Get off the boat at Rajini pier and it’s less than a 5 minute walk from there.

Nearest MRT to Museum Siam

To access the Siam Museum by metro, head to Sanam Chai station on the blue line. Exit 1 should take you straight into the grounds of the museum.

Where to eat at Museum Siam

You’ll find some great little food trucks with a few tables and chairs on the grass outside the museum. These are pretty good value and great for grabbing an iced coffee or slice of pizza after your visit.

Being located so close to other main sites such as the Grand Palace and Wat Arun there are heaps of street food vendors and small restaurants all around the museum. We stopped off for lunch at a great pavement cafe on the way which was super tasty and incredible value.

What else is there to do around the Siam Museum

If you’re planning your itinerary to include a trip to the Siam Museum then you’re in luck! There’s loads to do in the area. If you enjoy culture and architecture then the Grand Palace and Wat Pho are both within walking distance and Wat Arun is just a quick ferry ride across the river. For great street food it’s around a twenty minute walk to Chinatown. Or if you fancy some shopping just hop back on the ferry to the fabulous Iconsiam Bangkok mall or a bit further to Asiatique the riverfront.

Final thoughts on the Museum of Siam

We absolutely loved our visit to the Siam museum in Bangkok. If you only have time to visit one museum whilst you’re in the city then I would definitely make it this one. You’ll only need a couple of hours to explore the main exhibits and it’s very conveniently located to other sites you’ll likely want to visit. Plus you’ll learn heaps about Thailand, it’s people and history.

Read next: Planning a trip to Bangkok

Pin for later to help plan visiting the best museums Bangkok.