Royal Barges National Museum

Very beautiful, ornately carved, boats dating back many years. Only 100 BHT (less than $3 US dollars) The walk to the museum was the highlight as you walk down narrow walkways past homes, stalls and shops next to a canal. Just outside the museum is a sweet older man offering boat rides, beer and water. He has an adorable bird that sings and puffs up right in front of his shop.

We took a boat and got down at the nearest pier and walkes around 950 meters to reach this place. It was all small alleys and the people were doing their daily stuff. It is an interesting walk and since Thai people are very nice, it is safe to walk in those alleys (it is an experience, alleys are probably 4 to 6 ft wide).

Once we reached this place, it is amazing. Not a very big museum with lots of displays. But worth visiting. If you take a private boat ride, then there is a stop here on the front side of it.

Very large boats used by royals, in good condition after a king restored it.

Restrooms are there and very clean.

Despite having visited Bangkok many times, visiting this off-the-regular-path museum was worth the visit and trek. It’s very unique as the Royal barges are propped above the river’s waters, and the barges are long, and very exquisitely made. And hardly any tourists. There are explanations in both English and Thai. Highly recommended.

Beautiful as always. You shouldn't miss a visit to the Royal Barges Nacional Museum. I come every time a visit Thailand.

This is one of the unique museum inside the thiland , bangkok. Here you can see the big royal barges used by the king . All together there is 8 barges and they are painted in red and golden color and designed with glass . The biggest boat is more than 45 meter long . Only in four year this boats run in the river for show .

Entry ticket to the museum is 100 baht . Any type of camera need 100 baht extra .

Another tucked away gem definitely worth a visit - arriving or leaving by public boat bud (16 THB) is also worth considering as the life of the river and the four of the barges in the museum really comes to life like this - then enjoy the elegant collection of royal barges - a great one for boat geeks !

The Royal barges museum is a wonderful place to tour that takes only 45 minutes to an hour to see. There are posters written in Thai and English to orient you to the rich history surrounding the barges and their use in royall processions on the river, as well as two short films. The barges themselves are majestic, approximately 100 ft long and spanning the length of the museum. They actually do go out on the river still to mark special occasions. The complexity of their decoration is astounding and quite beautiful. Pay attention to the mythological figures on the bow of each barge. Tickets are only 100 baht, but you must pay an extra 100 baht if you want to take photographs. We'll with the price of admission.

A great shame that the 1939 world war destroyed these boats. But they have been rebuilt and are worth a visit. Entry fees at the time of my visit would be 100 for no camera. 200 including still camera. 300 total to take video.

It is a cute narrow, but long, alleyway to walk into the museum. I didn't come in off the river.

This is a gem. We were the only tourists out there.

Here you can see the royal fleet used in ceremonies.

Barges from the time of Rama I, III, IV, VI, IX.
Most of them rebuild, some of them not. Especially the one damaged in WW2 are perserved but not rebuilt.

Should visit.

It's a great place to explore and understand the meaning of royal barges. The road to get to the museum is easy to understand.

Worth the visit. Can visit by road or take a boat and it will drop you off there. Very interesting boats with lot of history in it. A different experience!!

A hidden gem tucked away on the banks of the Chao Praya river. Difficult to capture the full scale of these magnificent gilded barges in pictures. Impressive in person and definitely worth the stop to check them out for yourself.

Very cool to get up close to these boats and see people working on them. It’s incredible to see how much detailed work goes into preparing these boats. Getting there is kind of tricky and there’s not a lot of reliable resources on the internet.

From the “hop on - hop off boats” you disembark at the N11 Thonburi railway pier. From here you walk inland past some food vendors and small market area toward a traffic bridge. Make sure you stay on the canal side (not hospital side) of the market area. You can see the big roof covered dock across the canal. When you get under the traffic bridge you find stairs on the far side of the bridge. Go up the stairs and cross the bridge.

When you get to the other side cross back under the bridge and walk towards the barge museum (back to toward the Chao Phraya River). You’ll reach a court yard type place with a gate and some type of military staff. Go through the gate and then you’ll make your way through some small alley to the museum. It’s not far from this courtyard area and there will be signs.

Many locals working in the restaurants and coffee shops near the pier have no idea where the museum is or that it even exists. So take careful considerations if you get directions from them. We were directed several times to a place further up the canal where some racing type barge / boats were. But I knew that wasn’t the place because I could see the royal barge building right across the canal.

It's a must see place that's not as advertised for Bangkok. They store all the royal barges here from the first to the newest. To see it on television as its being used is one thing, but to get close and personal is a whole different feeling. You see the intricacies and details that went into creating these works of art.

Arrived by solar energy boat, this stunning place kept the traditional boat in the history and they are ready to go into the river once a year. All of them are beautiful and have fascinating characters head.
Scan the QR code in the photo to see more information.

The museum of royal barges is a fascinating place to visit. View and learn all about the royal barges, used by the royal family and their many oarsmen. Learn the history behind them. Some of the barges even have damage caused by bombing in World War Two. Painted in gold leaf, and decorated with wood carvings, with amazing attention to detail, the barges are a spectacular sight. A little difficult to find, but if you make the effort, you’ll be glad you did.

Lovely little museum holding the royal barges. It is a bit off the main tourist track, but we'll worth a visit. The exhibition is not huge, so the museum can be easily seen in an hour, and provides a nice break from the more crowded tourist sights of Bangkok.

Great place to visit, a bit hidden but that only adds to the charm. One of the most unique museums you can find anywhere. As usual dual pricing and you need to pay more to take pictures. Maybe one of the reasons, this gem is not much visited

Very nice place to visit. If the tide water is high you will be walking in water while viewing exhibits! So unique

Must visit for history buffs