Suan Pakkad Palace, 352-354 Sri Ayudhya Road, in the Ratchathewi district, is the former residence of Prince Chumbhot of Nagara Svarga and his wife, Princess Pantip. They opened it to the public in 1952, which according to the museum makes it the first private home in Thailand to become a museum. On a plot of 6 rai (almost one hectare), eight traditional Thai teak houses, dismantled and rebuilt in a garden, hold the family's collections of art and antiquities, along with a 17th-century lacquer pavilion and prehistoric pottery from Ban Chiang. As of 1 October 2026, the official website says the museum is closed for repairs, with no reopening date.
Highlights
The Lacquer Pavilion
At the far southern end of the garden, this pavilion comes from the Ayutthaya area. According to the museum, it was probably built by a member of the royal family around the middle of the 17th century, then rebuilt at the temple of Wat Ban Kling, on the Chao Phraya between Ayutthaya and Bang Pa-in. Prince Chumbhot had it moved to Bangkok and restored, and gave it to his wife for her 50th birthday, on 8 March 1959.
The gold-on-black-lacquer paintings
The pavilion's inner panels, from the reign of King Narai, show the life of the Buddha in the upper part and scenes from the Ramakien, the Thai version of the Ramayana, in the lower part. Reassembled without full care, they do not follow the order of the story, which takes nothing away from the fineness of the gold-leaf drawing.
The eight teak houses
The first four houses, linked by a covered walkway, stand in a row back from Sri Ayudhya Road; houses 5 to 8 are on the west side of the grounds. Some belonged to Somdet Chao Phraya Barom Maha Phichaiyat, an ancestor of the prince's grandmother. Inside are sculptures, paintings, musical instruments, porcelain and the family's personal belongings; house 7, a recent building, is devoted to khon, Thai masked theatre.
The Ban Chiang collection
House 8 and the Chumbhot-Pantip Centre of Arts display objects from Ban Chiang, a prehistoric site in north-eastern Thailand listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site: painted pottery, bronze axes and spearheads, bracelets and glass beads. The museum dates this culture from 3600 BC to AD 200. In the same building, the Marsi Gallery is devoted to art exhibitions.
Infos pratiques
Tips
As the museum is closed for repairs, check that it has reopened before you go: the official website, suanpakkad.com, shows the closure notice, and the museum can be reached on 02 245 4934. Before the closure, a ticket cost 100 baht for foreign visitors and 50 baht for Thais (prices noted on the official website in February 2026): they may change when it reopens. If the palace is still closed, the [Jim Thompson House](/fr/attractions/maison-jim-thompson) shows the same kind of teak houses and art collections, and the [National Museum](/fr/attractions/musee-national-bangkok) holds more pieces from Ban Chiang.
How to get there
352-354 Sri Ayudhya Road, Thanon Phaya Thai, Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400. BTS Sukhumvit Line or Airport Rail Link, Phaya Thai station, then about 400 metres on foot east along Sri Ayudhya Road. From Siam, it is two BTS stops (Siam, Ratchathewi, Phaya Thai).
Opening hours
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