Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
28
Air New Zealand
C3
British Airways
(see 30)
29
Nok Air
D5
30
Qantas Airways
F2
31
Singapore Airlines
F2
C3
Dusit Palace Park
(
MUSEUM, HISTORICAL SITE
0 2628 6300; bounded by Th Ratchawithi, Th U Thong Nai & Th Ratchasima; ticket for all Dusit Palace Park
sights adult/child 100/20B, or free same-day entry with Wat Phra Kaew & Grand Palace ticket; 9.30am-4pm Tue-
Sun; Tha Thewet, Phaya Thai exit 2 & taxi)
Following Rama V's first European tour in 1897,
he returned home with visions of European castles swimming in his head and set about
transforming these styles into a uniquely Thai expression, today's Dusit Palace Park. The
royal palace, throne hall and minor palaces for extended family were all moved here from
Ko Ratanakosin, and today this complex holds a house museum and other cultural collec-
tions.
Originally constructed on Ko Si Chang in 1868 and moved to the present site in 1910,
Vimanmek Teak Mansion
( 0 2628 6300; Th Ratchawithi, Dusit Palace Park; 9.30am-4pm Tue-Sun, last
entry 3.15pm)
contains 81 rooms, halls and anterooms, and is said to be the world's largest
golden-teak building, allegedly built without the use of a single nail. The mansion was
the first permanent building on the Dusit Palace grounds, and served as Rama V's resid-
ence in the early 1900s. The interior of the mansion contains various personal effects of
the king and a treasure trove of early Ratanakosin art objects and antiques. Compulsory
tours (in English) leave every half-hour between 9.45am and 3.15pm, and last about an
hour.
The nearby
Ancient Cloth Museum
( 0 2628 6300; Th Ratchawithi, Dusit Palace Park; 9.30am-4pm
Tue-Sun)
presents a beautiful collection of traditional silks and cottons that make up the
royal cloth collection.
Originally built as a throne hall for Rama V in 1904, the smaller
Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall
( 0 2628 6300; Th Ratchawithi, Dusit Palace Park; 9.30am-4pm Tue-Sun)
is typical of the finer archi-
tecture of the era. Victorian-influenced gingerbread architecture and Moorish porticoes
blend to create a striking and distinctly Thai exterior. The structure itself is more interest-
