National Museum of Royal Barges in Bangkok

A different kind of museum. Long boats are there to see.

Fantastic craftsmanship. Torturous narrow path by bike. Get there by boat. Show Thai drivers license for local entry price. Well worth visit. :)

Very interesting and well maintained. Nice employees open to answer any question

Nice place for a quick visit of on the boat tour. Barges are quite something. If you are on the tour take the stop

From main road need walk inside a 1,5mt narrow road ; have information how to reach the place.Can pay cash or book online but price depend on what like to do , everything need to pay separately , is incredible.Some boat history , interesting but not so special as expected.

We stopped here as part of a boat tour. You can only get there by boat. It was actually one of our favorite stops in Bangkok. We were the only tourists there at the time. The boats are very impressive!I do wish the surrounding water area had been cleaner, there was a lot of trash.

Cash 100THB entrance fee and another 100THB to be permitted to take photos .. STRICTLY NO VIDEO RECORDING PERMITTED... English well spoken.. and after signing in...I was permitted to browse in peace. First thing to note.. the museum is not directly accessible by road ( read taxi.. so you end up walking the last short distance in the back streets and sois to get to this point of interest. Quiet and calm neighbourhood .. hairdresser or two... a stray dog.. and a radio playing somewhere..Enter the Royal Barge Museum... floating splendour majestically displayed to reveal elegance of Royalty and sublime craftsmanship that adorn these barges. Demon that devours the wind... The Serpent King.. Garuda on the wind.. sheer poetry. Perhaps not as riveting as a social media visit to Wat Arun, but for the Naval and Nautical enthusiasts this museum will delight.Enjoy!

The royal barges were once used daily by the royal family to get about their realm, but are now used only for grand ceremonies. The most convenient way to get to the museum is by taking a motorcycle taxi from Tha Saphan Phra Pin Klao.

You get to ponder the most significant wooden royal longboats, and you learn about the procession tradition from video a displays, which is in and of itself a fascinating part of Thai culture.

One of the "must see" museums in Bangkok.Well worth the entrance/photography fees.These barges are simply stunning.

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.

Not easy to get to.... last 200 metres must walk through neighborhood small sidewalks to get to....good signage. but....very well worth the effort. 100 entry fee....100 to take pictures. Can get great pics of the barges !!!

The barges are very beautiful but its difficult to take pictures of them because they are so long and the way they are sitting in the water. They charge extra for taking pictures as well, per camera or phone camera.

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.

This is a small but fun museum for the history, the barges, and seeing the craftsmen and women restore and maintain these crafts. We can by boat to the Museum dock and that was a bit of an adventure getting there. Half of the barges were being repaired or restored. It was a delight to see the work being done and we spoke briefly with the workers. A short film explaining the barge tradition and history was interesting. We returned via another adventure and walked through the back streets about a half mile to the river to catch a water taxi. It was fun and interesting explorations.

STUNNING, brought tears to my eyes to see these magnificent royal barges. It is wonderful we could get so close to them. the only down side was one of the locals accosted us on the way out, trying to get us to go on a tour boat we didnt want to go on.

The royal barges on display. Interesting to see the art and the related history but nothing much to be excited about here, atleast for me. Youll have to shell out 400Baht as an entry fee apart from the boat expense which you already pay.

So beauty historys boat.

Great place to visit. Magnificent barges from different realms and very plesant stuff. Note that museum is in military area with access through baracks, so better ask the way or use local transport.

If youre cruising down the Chao Phraya primarily for the Temple of Dawn and the Grand Palace, do consider the Royal Barges Museum too. I consider the highlight to be the proximity to watch the artisans at work.One tiny grouse: more directional arrows from the pier to the museum could be put up, I had to rely on Google Maps a couple of times!

Its nice to learn about the history and see actual images of how they were used but for 200 baht per person is a bit much... also you need to pay extra for pictures(per camera per person)Alot of the boats were being worked on and some out for the kings coronation so that didnt work in our favour.

A little out of the way, a small and fascinating museum. The royal barges float in a covered dock. There is quite a lot of information about the history of the barges, some of which are painted bright gold.

Beautiful museum. Wheelchair accessible. Entrance through gate instead of entrance near ticket boot. Drove in own car tot museum. Google maps lead to a small deadend street with only a little space to turn around. (Another parking space at the other side of the museum is easy to access.)Then a 400 meter walk to entrance of museum over small concrete path along Thai houses. Boats are under restauration for the Royal Barge procession in November 2019. Staff very helpfull. Accessible toilet.

The barges were under restoration and we couldnt see much of them. Besides there wasnt any sign telling this and the price for you to get in was the same a regular day. There isnt any signs on the street to lead you there and was far from everything. Ashamed! No worth to visit it!

After walking here and buyi g a ticket plus one for my camera, I was disappointed to be honest. All tge barges were being worked on, all the ornate bows were covered, I managed just 2 photos. If you get here, take a look through tge door before you pay 100bht + 100bht for the camera to go in, you may find it a waste of time, as I did, because you cant see them.Theyll happily take your money either way.

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 sideof 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.

Totally worth walking narrow lanes to access this wonderful place. You get to see all the Royal Barges in their gold and jewelled splendour and you learn so much about what it takes to get them sailing smoothly down the river, who sits where, the uniforms worn by different officials. Its a fascinating piece of living history!

What an amazing collection of royal barges, they are truly stunning

Wonderful royal barges for many Thai Kings Difficult place to find and many people just see it from river cruises. Getting up close is much better. Reasonably priced but extra charges for photography . . . RIP off!!

Unfortunately limited by its subject matter - difficult to get to, hot, swampy feeling because its on the water in a naval base. The barges were beautiful, but admission being doubled if you want to take pictures is kind of absurd.

Hard to get to, but absolutely worth it. Holds around 10 of the most beautiful long boats that Ive been used by the king that are intricately designed and well cared for.

Arrive by boat on the Chao Phraya canal. You need to pay an extra 100 baht to take pictures or use any camera and they check.

Its a must see place thats 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.

This is the only one moment that you can get close to the royal bargues. Worth to see it.

Not worth the money. Espacially for photographers, they have to pay double plus cant use a tripod (they only say it once you are in). There are only 5 boats and Some side info stands, but they arent turned on. Bad experience...

Facts:- 100 baht per person for entry- 100 baht per person to take photos with your own cameraGood:- get to see some interesting looking boats made for royaltyBad:- messy- lots of construction- really not much to see for the price they charge- charge to take photos, really?- very out of the way, lots of walking to get thereVerdict:- not worth your precious time in bangkok to come see this. Many other great places to see

I was really disappointed. I fund it via Google maps. Photos in here seems very beautiful but they were not when I visit and I cant explain what happened to me. Little bit difficult to find out. All barges were on repairs no colourful textures. There were the dust of timber. But they took money for tickets. No paints in the middle part of barge front and back ends were finished. No explanation. 100 bath for ticket, 100 bath for take photos. Please update currently situation if you visited after me ( May 2018)

This is an interesting place to get to - if you choose to get there not on water. This is less touristic. This is a great place if you interested in historic ceremony boots.

National Museum of Royal Barges80/1 Arun Amarin Road, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, Bangkok Noi 10700, ThailandHistory MuseumGordon Knowles19807 pointsa month agoThe Royal Barges National Museum The day I visited the Royal Barges museum in Thonburi I travelled from Thonburi railway station. I was going to walk, but was told it was a long walk in very hot and humid weather. I took a motorcycle taxi which became a nightmare when I entered the narrow lanes leading to the museum. A small canal twisted and turned with the path. At first I thought this cannot be the way into this museum. However it was. It was ok until we reached a point where we had a severe right hand bend to negotiate. Being high up on the pillion seat and staring at a sudden drop to each side of the motorbike, I felt very uneasy. I envisaged me / my camera / my video camera and everything else disappearing into the small canal. I would not recommend this trip by a non biker. It is very scary. On reaching the museum a notice informed me I had to pay to enter and pay to take photos and pay to take videos. In total 200 Baht for all. The museum is really off the beaten track and not very easy to find. It is located on a canal near the Chao Phraya river, not far from Phra Pin Klao bridge. It is also opposite the Thonburi railway station, so should be easy to find but it’s not. Most of the tourists go by boat with the conducted tour or by special escorted tour. However, it is possible to go by car, and park the car under the Arun Amarin Bridge before crossing Klong Bangkok Noi. Then follow the sign, walking through a narrow lane of the housing community of Wat Dusita Ram until you reach the Royal Barges National Museum. This museum, under the care of the Royal Thai Navy, houses the famous Royal Barges. Although these are the last remaining Royal Barges, many people around the world have seen the stately processions on the Chao Phraya River in celebration of His Majesty the Kings birthdays and accession to the throne. These barges date from the reign of King Rama 1, over 200 years ago, but many have been restored back to their original fine splendour. These barges are made of high quality wood and beautifully decorated with vivid colours, mirrors and gold leaves. Each barge’s figurehead was crafted to represent a different kind of animal, representing vehicles of Rama god according to Hindu belief. Probably the most memorable barge, as it’s part of the logo of Tourism Authority of Thailand, is the figurehead of the 46 metre long Suphannahong royal barge featuring the shape of a mystical swan. It was built in 1911 during the reign of King Rama VI and is one of the four main royal barges which are the vehicles of the king. Today, each royal barge procession consists of 52 boats, propelled by more than 2,000 rowers. Open days Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday Opening hours 09:00 to 17:00.

The Royal Barges National MuseumThe day I visited the Royal Barges museum in Thonburi I travelled from Thonburi railway station. I was going to walk, but was told it was a long walk in very hot and humid weather. I took a motorcycle taxi which became a nightmare when I entered the narrow lanes leading to the museum. A small canal twisted and turned with the path. At first I thought this cannot be the way into this museum. However it was. It was ok until we reached a point where we had a severe right hand bend to negotiate. Being high up on the pillion seat and staring at a sudden drop to each side of the motorbike, I felt very uneasy. I envisaged me / my camera / my video camera and everything else disappearing into the small canal. I would not recommend this trip by a non biker. It is very scary. On reaching the museum a notice informed me I had to pay to enter and pay to take photos and pay to take videos. In total 200 Baht for all. The museum is really off the beaten track and not very easy to find.It is located on a canal near the Chao Phraya river, not far from Phra Pin Klao bridge. It is also opposite the Thonburi railway station, so should be easy to find but it’s not. Most of the tourists go by boat with the conducted tour or by special escorted tour. However, it is possible to go by car, and park the car under the Arun Amarin Bridge before crossing Klong Bangkok Noi. Then follow the sign, walking through a narrow lane of the housing community of Wat Dusita Ram until you reach the Royal Barges National Museum. This museum, under the care of the Royal Thai Navy, houses the famous Royal Barges. Although these are the last remaining Royal Barges, many people around the world have seen the stately processions on the Chao Phraya River in celebration of His Majesty the Kings birthdays and accession to the throne. These barges date from the reign of King Rama 1, over 200 years ago, but many have been restored back to their original fine splendour.These barges are made of high quality wood and beautifully decorated with vivid colours, mirrors and gold leaves. Each barge’s figurehead was crafted to represent a different kind of animal, representing vehicles of Rama god according to Hindu belief. Probably the most memorable barge, as it’s part of the logo of Tourism Authority of Thailand, is the figurehead of the 46 metre long Suphannahong royal barge featuring the shape of a mystical swan. It was built in 1911 during the reign of King Rama VI and is one of the four main royal barges which are the vehicles of the king. Today, each royal barge procession consists of 52 boats, propelled by more than 2,000 rowers.Open days Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday Opening hours 09:00 to 17:00

Nice museum with nice old boats (replicas and originals). You have to pay to be allowed taking photographs. It is accessible by foot or by boat. Boats are very expensive because private water taxis tries to scam you. On foot you go through slum. It is not dangerous but can be little scary and disgusting (piles of garbage, very dirty houses, stray animals...)

Im not a fan of boats and ships, but this museum is quite mesmerizing. The royal barges of Thailand are on displays for people to see. What I dont like is the fact that this place is quite far away from city center. I initially didnt wanna come here :(Ok lah, peeps!

Dont leave Bangkok without seeing this place, especially if you are interested in Thai mythology, boats with cannons and history. Getting to the place is a challenge but worth it. Catch a longtail boat to Pier 9. Then walk to Pier 11 which is next to it. Catch a boat that takes you accross the river, then a Tuktuk to the museum. The final walk is through a shanty area about 800m. After the visit, come back the same way, you can get a cab where the tuk tuk left you.

Beautiful barges and interesting history of the royal barges can be found here. I only give this three stars due to the museum closing unexpectedly fifteen minutes after we arrived (contrary to the open hours posted at the entry gate).Despite this, we definitely got our 200 baht worth (the cost of two entry ticketsin the short amount of time that we were there. Unless you are arriving by boat, be prepared to navigate a labyrinth of alleyways filled with friendly people to get there. Trust the sign posts and/or Google Maps to get there and you will be fine.

Hard to get there, the best variant is on foot, taxi isnt an option because the street leading to the museum is too narrow for a car. Inside you can find a big collection of various boats and barges used by Thai kings

Getting to this place is not easy but worth it.To me, these royal barges represent the very essence of Thai royal culture. Strongly recommend to go but beware of the boat fee. The staffs are somewhat associated with water taxi operators and ask you to pay ridiculously high fee.

Only saw it from the river/canal but looks interesting

Can be a challengle to find, thru a maze of back alleys but signs point the way. Admission is negligible, additional fee for photo or video taking but beautiful and worth the effort. Shortcab ride to Wat Arun (rising sun templeso 2 birds with one stone is advisable.

Getting to the Royal Barge Museum is not very straightforward but its worth a visit to see these exquisite ceremonial barges that are used by the Royal family on special occasions. Best way is to take a private long tail boat which drops you right at the Museums pier. If coming by taxi or bus, then you can try & ask if you can cut through the Navy Boat Department gates (just below the Arun Amarin Bridge. Its a government facility, so you must be dressed conservatively and they may allow you to crossed through their facilities to the museums entrance. If you cant cut through the naval facility, then follow brown signs which leads you along a footpath through a sad (not sketchy but poorneighborhood - its about a 10 minute walk.

I used to get to this place first by ferry to the Wang Lang or Railway Pier and then by walking to the bridge over Bangkok Noi. From there thru a military compound to the museum. (Before that, it was a circuitous walk thru a warren of waterway residences to the museum and actually a much more interesting journey.)Once there, I believe the visit is free unless you want to take photos for which itll cost 100-200 baht, cant recall exactly. But I cant imagine taking the effort to get there and not taking photos.