Suan Pakkad Palace

Suan Pakkad Palace stands on Si Ayutthaya Road in Ratchathewi district, south of the Victory Monument and a short walk from Phaya Thai BTS station. Its name means cabbage patch, after the vegetable garden that once occupied the site.

It was the home of Prince Chumbhotbongs Paribatra (1904 to 1959) and his wife, Princess Chumbhot, who were keen collectors of Thai art and antiques. They opened the property to the public as a museum in 1952.

The museum is made up of traditional Thai wooden houses, moved here from other parts of the country and linked by covered walkways, set in a landscaped garden with ponds. Each house displays part of the collection, including Buddha images, Khmer sculpture, ceramics, musical instruments, royal barges, and prehistoric pottery and bronzes from Ban Chiang, some over 4,000 years old.

The highlight is the Lacquer Pavilion, a small temple building believed to date from the Ayutthaya period and more than 450 years old. It came from Wat Ban Kliang near Ayutthaya and was moved to the garden in the late 1950s. Its interior walls are covered in black and gold lacquer paintings showing scenes from the life of the Buddha and the Ramakien. A modern gallery, the Marsi Gallery, hosts contemporary art exhibitions.

The museum is open daily and charges an entry fee. Allow about an hour and a half.