National Museum Bangkok

National Museum Bangkok, also called Phra Nakorn National Museum, is the Fine Arts Department museum whose Thai name is พิพิธภัณฑสถานแห่งชาติ พระนคร. The address is 4 Na Phra That Road, Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang Subdistrict, Phra Nakhon District, Bangkok 10200. Telephones are 02 224 1402 and 02 224 1333 for the academic section, the email is education.nmb@gmail.com, and a second service telephone is 02-224-1370.

It was the first museum for the public in Thailand, founded in 1859 in the Boworn Sathan Mongkhon Vice-King Palace (Wang Na). Rama IV kept a private museum at Phrapas Phipittapun Hall in the Grand Palace, and Rama V opened a museum to the public for the first time on 19 September 1874 at the Grand Palace. After the viceroy died in 1887 the palace was vacant, the museum moved to Siwamokkhaphiman Hall, the Buddhaisawan Chapel, and Issarawinitchai Hall, and it was called the Wang Na Museum. Rama VII opened it as a museum for everyone on 10 November 1926, the Fine Arts Department was set up in 1933, and a National Museum was established in 1934.

It is open from 09:00 to 16:00 and closed on Mondays, Tuesdays, and holidays. Admission is 30 baht for Thais and 240 baht for foreigners. That ticket also covers the National Museum, the National Museum of Royal Barges, and the National Gallery.

Volunteer guided tours run in English and French on Wednesdays and Thursdays, in German on Thursdays, and in Japanese on Wednesdays. A library is open on Saturday and Sunday or by appointment. Educational, audiovisual, exhibition-lending, and photo-library services are available by appointment.

Buses listed are 3, 6, 9, 15, 19, 30, 32, 33, 39, 43, 47, 53, 59, 60, 65, 70, 80, 82, 91, 123, 201, and 203. Air-conditioned buses are 1, 8, 25, 506, 507, 512, 38, 39, and 82. The boat pier is at Tha Chang.

Photo: Bangkok National Museum.jpg by Supanut Arunoprayote, CC BY 4.0 (2018).