The Jim Thompson House, 6 Soi Kasemsan 2, Rama I Road, is the former home of the American who revived Thai silk after the Second World War, now a museum on the Saen Saep canal, a few minutes' walk from the Siam shopping district. Six traditional teak houses, reassembled in 1958-1959 in a tropical garden, hold his collection of Asian art, which has remained almost intact since he vanished in Malaysia in 1967. The main house can only be visited with a guide, in French, English, Thai, Chinese or Japanese. The museum is open every day from 10:00 to 17:00; a ticket costs 250 baht.
Highlights
The house on the klong
Thompson bought six old teak houses: three from Pak Hai, near Ayutthaya, two in Bangkok, and the oldest, dating from around 1800, from the weavers' village of Ban Krua, just across the canal. Carpenters from Ayutthaya reassembled them on stilts, without nails, and they were painted dark red. Thompson moved in on 3 April 1959.
The guided tour
The main house can only be seen with a guide, included in the ticket. The tour takes you through the drawing room under a crystal chandelier, the dining room and the bedroom, where Buddhist sculptures, old Thai paintings and Chinese porcelain are displayed. Shoes come off at the entrance and the route involves several staircases, with no lift.
The tropical garden
Thompson called it his "jungle": palms, golden bamboo, creepers and small ponds still surround the houses, with planting close to the way it was in his time. You can stroll there freely before or after the tour.
The Jim Thompson mystery
An American architect born in 1906 who came to Thailand with the US Army at the end of the Second World War, Thompson founded The Thai Silk Company in 1950 and made Thai silk known around the world. On 27 March 1967, he disappeared while staying with friends in the Cameron Highlands, in Malaysia; he was never found. Declared legally dead seven years later, he left his house and collection to a foundation set up in 1975.
The Jim Thompson Art Center
In the same compound, this art centre shows contemporary art exhibitions. From 10 October 2026 to 29 March 2027, it hosts the group exhibition "And Still, Another After". It is open every day from 10:00 to 18:00; entry is included in the house ticket, or costs 50 baht on its own.
The restaurant
Jim Thompson, A Thai Restaurant, inside the compound, serves contemporary Thai cuisine; you can have lunch there before or after the visit.
Infos pratiques
Tips
Adult ticket 250 baht; 150 baht for ages 10 to 21 (ID required) and visitors with disabilities; free for under-10s with an adult. Booking is not required: tickets are sold on site, and also online through the authorised partners listed by the museum. Bags larger than 20 cm go in the lockers; photos are allowed inside the house, but no flash, selfies or video. Beware of strangers in the street who claim the museum is closed in order to take you elsewhere: the museum itself warns against this scam, described in our article [scams to avoid in Bangkok](/fr/articles/arnaques-securite-bangkok). Prices checked in October 2026.
How to get there
6 Soi Kasemsan 2, Rama I Road, Bangkok 10330. BTS Silom Line, National Stadium station, exit 1, then a few minutes' walk down Soi Kasemsan 2. Saen Saep canal boat: get off at Hua Chang pier, about a 5-minute walk away.
Opening hours
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