Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles

The museum is located to the right of the visitor’s entrance to the Grand Palace. You can visit it at the beginning of Grand Palace tour or at the ending of  tour.  It was nice and not so crowded place.  It doesn't take much time to go through the whole museum. Here, you will learn about the history of traditional Thai dress, and get to see the queen's gorgeous dresses on display. Every girl and lady should visit this!. It was well worth a visit.

Queen Sirikit Meseum Textiles - Bangkok

The museum occupied The 1870 Ratsadakorn-bhibhathana Building that was graciously granted for museum by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The office building - for many decades the Ministry of Finance -was completely renovated in 2003 and turned into a state-of-the-art museum;  its modern facilities include a new lobby, galleries, storage, an education studio, library, lecture hall, and Thailand’s first dedicated textile conservation laboratory.

Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn by Royal Command, represented Her Majesty Queen Sirikit graced the official opening ceremony of  the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles on 26 April 2012. The museum opened to the public on 9 May 2012.

The museum’s mission is to collect, display, preserve, and serve as a center for all who wish to learn about textiles, past and present, from Southeast Asia, South Asia, and East Asia, with a special emphasis on the textiles of, and related to, the royal court and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit.

Hip Wrapper (phaa nung)

Tips:

• Take time to read the displays. Many people just looked at the costumes without reading the display panels. They have more information about the outfits there!
• It's a great place to enjoy nice air conditioner break after walking in the tropical heat of the Grand Palace.
• Recommend seeing the "silk show" towards the end of the museum. This is a small multimedia exhibition about silk manufacturing  The slideshow is very cool of Queen  looking super glamorous in her state appearances over the years .
• The ticket to the museum is included in the price of the Grand Palace admission. If you want to visit only this museum, there is an entrance fee that you pay at the museum.
• The museum has four exhibition rooms displaying the revival of the traditional Thai silk production and the Thai national costume through decades of the tireless work of Queen Sirikit. It also has a fabulous collection of her silk dresses.
• There is a gift shop and also a small coffee shop at the end, as it is a great place to get a wide variety of traditional and newly designed products, including decorative and functional items for the home, cotton and silk fashions and accessories, jewelry, books, stationery, and handmade silk flowers.

Visitor Information

Hours of operation: The museum is open daily from 09:00 -16:30 hrs. Last admission is at 15.30.

Admission:  For visitors to the Grand Palace, admission to the museum is included in your entry fee. Please show your palace ticket at the ticket desk for museum admission. For those only wishing to visit the museum: Adults - 150 baht / Seniors (over 65) - 80 baht / Students (with ID) - 50 baht / Youth (12-18) - 50 baht / Children (under 12) - free

Location:
Ratsadakorn-bhibhathana Building, The Grand Palace, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok.
Telephone: (+66) 2 225 9420, 2 225 9430
Fax: (+66) 2 225 9431
Website: www.queensirikitmuseumoftextiles.org

Special thanks to Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles for providing information and photographs for this article.