Samut Prakan · Outdoor museum recreating Thai architecture
Muang Boran is an outdoor museum in Samut Prakan where you can see palace and temple architecture from different parts of Thailand in one place. Some buildings to explore inside and out include Sanphet Prasat, a reconstruction of the lost Ayutthaya palace, and Dusit Maha Prasat, recreated with reference to historical records.
Visit with friends or family who enjoy photographing and comparing the roofs, doors and windows of palaces and temples. Unlike historic cities where ruins remain in their original locations, this museum also includes reconstructed buildings that no longer survive. If you have visited the remains of the palace in Ayutthaya, you can also see here how a palace has been recreated from historical records.
Muang Boran Museum, Bang Pu Mai, Mueang Samut Prakan, Samut Prakan
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Reference prices for international visitors, shown in US dollars on the English booking site.
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The charge for driving your own car into the park is separate from renting a golf cart inside the park.
This is the rate for international visitors in the official English ticket information. It is not the cost to rent a golf cart; it is the fee for bringing your own car into the park.
See official rates for international visitors ↗Sanphet Prasat recreates the central hall of the Ayutthaya royal palace. The original palace burned during the fall of Ayutthaya, leaving only its base. At Muang Boran, researchers studied the remains and historical records to recreate the architecture and interior decorations.
The tiered roof, pointed spire and mother-of-pearl doors and windows draw on several historical sources. Inside are gold-coloured columns, mirror decorations and murals depicting stories of Vishnu’s incarnations. After photographing the whole building, take a closer look at the smaller details on its doors and windows.
Dusit Maha Prasat is not a direct copy of the Grand Palace building in Bangkok today. Researchers studied old photographs and documents to recreate an earlier form, and independent columns that had been removed from the original palace hall were installed again in the interior here. Look at the cross-shaped building and high roof, then go inside to see how the columns support the roof.
The columns’ colours and patterns refer to the base of Wat Pho’s Reclining Buddha in Bangkok, while the murals between the windows draw on paintings at Wat Nang Nong in Thonburi. They depict royal ceremonies and religious, military and diplomatic events, as well as Thai life. If you have already seen the Grand Palace in Bangkok, look here at the recreated early structure and its interior decorations.
Palaces and temples from northern, northeastern, central and southern Thailand are arranged in areas representing different regions. You can compare regional architecture in one place instead of travelling between cities across Thailand.
Choose the architecture you want to see on the map first. For a group visit, you can choose a golf cart; if you prefer to pedal, you can hire a bicycle. If you bring your own car into the park, the vehicle entry fee for foreign visitors is 400 baht per vehicle.
At Ayutthaya’s palace site, you see the remains that still stand; here, you see a palace reconstructed from historical records. It is not the palace in its original location, but an exhibit that helps visitors picture what the palace might have looked like when only its base remained.
The fee to bring your own car into the park is separate from golf-cart rental. For international visitors, vehicle entry costs 400 baht per car and does not include the driver’s admission.
To drive a golf cart yourself, you must be at least 18 and hold a Thai or international driving licence. If you are visiting with older adults or anyone who finds long walks difficult, consider a golf cart as a way for your group to get around together.
Muang Boran is an open-air museum recreating architecture and sites from different parts of Thailand in one place. Some buildings differ from the remains at the original site, such as Sanphet Prasat, which recreates the lost Ayutthaya palace, and Dusit Maha Prasat, which represents an earlier form.
Drivers must be at least 18 and have a Thai driving licence or an international driving permit. Golf carts are a separate mode of transport from admission.
The vehicle entry fee is 400 baht per car. The driver’s admission is not included in this fee.
Admission for foreign children aged 6–14 is 400 baht; admission for foreign adults is 800 baht.
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Sharing image credit: iMahesh / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
