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The museum building is in the Bang Khum Phrom Palace, a former royal residence of HRH Prince Boriphat Sukhumphan, the 33rd son of King Rama V (Chulalongkorn). After 1932, the palace was used as a governmental office for a period, until 1945 when it became the headquarters of the Bank of Thailand. The Bank of Thailand Museum was established in 1982, accommodating 14 rooms on two floors. The first floor focuses on the history of Thai currency since the first century, while the second floor focuses on the 60 year history of the Bank of Thailand.
พระราชวังดุสิต
PERMANENTLY CLOSED! Sometimes called New Royal City, Dusit Park, Dusit Garden, or simply Dusit, is a complex of palaces and royal residences in the south of the Dusit district. The palace was established by King Rama V, the first Thai monarch to visit Europe. He was impressed by the royal parks and residences he had seen there, which were leafy, relaxed, spacious and cool, as opposed to the Grand Palace, which was cramped with buildings for his numerous wives, children, and servants. These buildings blocked air flow inside the Grand Palace, which heated it up considerably. As a replacement, King Rama V started building the Dusit Palace.
พระที่นั่งวิมานเมฆ
Touted as the world's largest golden teak building, this palace was the home of King Rama V in the early 20th century. It was built as a summer retreat on the island of Ko Si Chang, but was transported to Bangkok in pieces in 1901. A guided tour is compulsory and tells you all about the life of King Rama V, and about his collection of fin de siecle royal memorabilia placed inside the building. As King Rama V tried to modernise Thailand along European lines, you can see the first Thai indoor bathroom, the first typewriter with Thai characters, and some of the first portrait paintings of Thailand.
SUPPORT Museum
Built in 1904, this beautiful hall used to be used for royal meetings and banquets. Its exterior is unique as it is clearly a mix of Victorian and Islamic influences. Home to the largest part of HM Queen Sirikit's SUPPORT Museum, it exhibits a collection of handicraft masterpieces created by skillful people from the countryside. Some of the items on display are handbags, baskets, pots, jewellery, figurines, and silk, all created using traditional techniques. HM Queen Sirikit set up this foundation to preserve and revitalise these traditional Thai handicrafts and techniques, as demand for them has significantly decreased in modern Thai society.
สวนสัตว์ดุสิต
The zoo is an excellent destination for families and children. It is a lush and green zoo with many flowers, trees and ponds. A fun activity is floating on the water with the foot-peddle boats, or riding the small tram, but it costs 60 baht more. There are many playgrounds and picnic areas, as well as some restaurants in case you get hungry. They also have animals, such as giraffes, zebras, deer, hippos, elephants and tigers.
พระบรมรูปทรงม้า
The entrance to Dusit Palace is a gigantic motorway with the statue of King Rama V (Chulalongkorn) riding a stallion right in the centre. It is the first monument dedicated to a Thai king, completed in 1908 and inaugurated by King Rama V himself. The monument was financed by public donations, as the Thai people were grateful for King Rama V's pursuit of modernising the country. Each year on 5 December, the Trooping of the Colours ceremony is held here.
วัดเบญจมบพิตร, also known as the Marble Temple
The newest of Bangkok's famous temples, this unique wat was constructed during the reign of King Rama V. It employs European ecclesiastical details, such as stained glass windows, and contains a cloister collection of bronze Buddha images. In the early morning, this is the best place to offer food and daily necessities to monks when they gather in front of the temple.