ancient-city-travel-guide-thailand

If you have planned a 3-day trip in Bangkok and want to return with photos that will get likes on your social media, I recommend you allocate at least half a day for The Ancient City, an open-air museum.

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At the museum, officially named Muang Boran The Ancient City, you will find replicas of many temples and architectural structures that you must see in Bangkok and even Thailand. This way, you will make the most of your limited time.

When you see the historical structures almost identical in size to the originals, you’ll be glad you came. Moreover, the fact that the open-air museum is not as crowded as the originals allowed us to take photos just the way we wanted, which made us even happier.

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In short, due to its location in Samut Prakan city, about an hour away from Bangkok city center, and its relative obscurity, Ancient City offers a peaceful environment. It has successfully earned a top spot on my list of places to visit in Bangkok.

thailand-ancient-city-worth-visitingNow, let’s share more detailed information about what awaits you in this open-air museum where you can see everything in one place, what’s inside, and how you can get there.

NOTE: If you want to learn more detailed information about the history, founding purpose, and founder of Muangboran Museum, you can visit the official website: muangboranmuseum.com/en/

What Does Muang Boran Ancient City Contain?

Within the Muang Boran Museum, you will find replicas of must-see places such as the Grand Palace, Wat Arun, and Wat Pho. In addition, the museum offers various attractions and services, including elephant rides, a horror museum, golf cart tours, cafes, souvenir shops, and costume rental shops for photo shoots. The extraordinary open-air museum showcases a total of 121 different locations spread across 300 hectares.
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Wat Arun

At the ticket booth, you are given a map that highlights the places you can visit that are not under renovation. They also indicate which sites you should definitely see to ensure you don’t miss anything important and use your time efficiently.

To help you know what to see before you go, we are sharing both the map and the names of the locations within Ancient City:

Muang Boran Ancient City Map

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List of Places to See in Ancient City

Within the museum, you can explore the Northern Region, Northeastern Region, Central Region, Southern Region, and Suvarnabhumi. Locations outside the ancient city include the Erawan Museum, the Great Hall of Vajradhamma, the Sanctuary of Truth, and Rimkhobfa City.
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Muangboran Museum has classified its exhibits based on specific periods. This categorization, which covers certain years and helps better understand the museum’s phases, is used to share the list of places to see:

The Beginning of An Era: 1963-1972

  • The Audience Hall of Thon Buri (16)
  • The Dvaravati House (18)
  • Khun Phaen House (19)
  • Dusit Maha Prasat Palace (23)
  • Rattanakosin Dwelling (24)
  • Sanphet Prasat Palace (27)
  • The Fruit-shape Tower (Prang Mafuang) (32)
  • The Footprint of the Lord Buddha (33)
  • Prang Sam Yod (35)
  • The Garden of the Gods (43)
  • The Bench of Public Appeals (48)
  • Noen Prasat (49)
  • The Grand Hall of Wat Maha That (50)
  • Ho Kham (53)
  • Phra Chedi Si Song Rak (63)
  • Phra That Bang Phuan (66)
  • Phra That Narai Cheng Weng (69)
  • Phra That Phanom (71)
  • Prasat Phra Wihan (Preah Vihear) (72)
  • The Phimai Sanctuary (86)
  • The Phanom Rung Sanctuary (87)
  • Prasat Sikhoraphum (90)
  • Prasat Sadok Kok Thom (93)
  • The Hall of Wat Nimit (95)

The Middle Era: 1973-1992

  • The Old Market Town (10)
  • The Wihan at Wat Phra Si Sanphet (25)
  • The Phra Kaew Pavilion (30)
  • The Thai Hamlet from the Central Plains (38)
  • The Gateway of Wat Pho Prathap Chang (39)
  • The Floating Market (45)
  • The Wihan at Wat Phrao (46)
  • Wat Chong Kham (55)
  • The Northern Thai Village (60)
  • The Garden of Sacred Stupa (92)
  • The Ancient Theatrical Pavilion (94)

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The Era of Improvements: 1993-2000

  • Sala of Ten Reincarnations (100)
  • Sumeru Mountain (102)
  • Sala of 80 Yogis (103)
  • The Royal Water Course Procession (104)
  • Mondop of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Kuan-Yin) (105)
  • Sala of Ramayana (107)
  • Phra That Mondop (108)
  • Botanical Garden from Thai Literature (109)
  • Pavilion of the Enlightened (110)
  • Thai Sail Ship (113)
  • Sala 24 Katanyu (114)
  • Sala Kong-Ming (115)

The Era of Restoration: 2001-2016

  • The Ramayana Garden (28)
  • Phra That Bang Phuan (66)
  • The Great Hall of Vajradhamma

The Era of Growth: 2017-Present

  • The Rainbow Bridge (111)
  • Pavilion of Brahma Vihara (118)
  • Khao Yai National Park (120)

NOTE: For a more detailed reading, I recommend visiting the website.

The

Ancient City Entrance Fee

The ticket price for Ancient City varies for adults, children and tourist.

  • Tourists need to pay 700 THB per person, while children aged 6-14 have an entrance fee of 350 THB.
  • Thai citizen need to pay 400 baht for adults and 200 baht for children.

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NOTE: If you work in Thailand, you can show your work permit or Thai driver’s license to get the local rate instead of the tourist prices.

*If you want to enter with your vehicle, you will be required to pay 400 THB per car, excluding the driver.

However, there are websites where you can buy tickets cheaper than the official website and ticket booth. We did some research and got our entrance tickets at a 50% discount through headout.com. Since there is no risk of tickets being sold out, you can also save on your vacation budget this way.

Transportation Prices Within Ancient City Thailand

Since the open-air museum covers a large area and the weather can be very hot, there are various transportation options available to make your visit easier. These include bicycles, cars, and golf carts.

How much is a golf cart in Ancient City?

Free Electric Tram Service

The electric tram or tuk-tuks, included in the ticket price, provide a free service. They take you on a one-and-a-half-hour tour with photo stops at specific times. The departure times for the free service are: 9:30 am, 11:00 am, 01:00 pm, 02:30 pm, 04:00 pm.

However, since everyone has to take photos at the same time and place, I recommend considering other transportation options. We rented a golf cart, and experiencing it was very enjoyable.

Bicycle Rental

If you want to explore Muangboran Museum by bicycle, you need to pay 150 Baht for the whole day.

Electric Bicycle Rental

The museum also offers electric bicycles for which you can pay 250 Baht for 3 hours. For each additional hour, there is an extra charge of 100 Baht.

Golf Cart Rental Service

To tour Ancient City in style, you can rent a golf cart. You pay a set amount for the first hour at the ticket booth. If you exceed the time, you pay extra for each additional hour when returning the golf cart.

  • 4-seater golf cart: 350 Baht for the first hour, 100 Baht for each additional hour.
  • 6-seater golf cart: 500 Baht for the first hour, 200 Baht for each additional hour.

The Ancient City Opening Hours

You should check “When is Ancient City Open?” for exact travel planning. Ancient City welcomes visitors every day of the week from 9 AM to 7 PM. The ticket booth closes at 6 PM.

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When planning your visit, make sure to keep these hours in mind.

What are the Dress Codes for Ancient City?

Although Ancient City is an open-air museum, it contains temples and worship areas where specific dress codes must be followed. When visiting these special areas, your shoulders and legs must be covered. Wearing hats and sunglasses is also not allowed in these areas. Additionally, some areas require you to enter barefoot, which is indicated by signs.

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In areas with dress codes, special shawls are provided for free (as you see in the photo), so you don’t need to make special preparations or be overly concerned about your attire.

Put in a nutshell, men can wear shorts and slippers, and women can wear dresses and skirts.

Other Rules You Should Know

  • The use of drones is not permitted within Muang Boran Museum.
  • Additional fees may be required to visit the interiors of structures located outside the ancient city.

What to Eat and Drink at Ancient City?

Since a visit to Ancient City will take quite a bit of your time, you will likely need to take breaks for refreshments. Both at the entrance and inside the museum, you will find shops selling Thailand’s juicy exotic fruits, freshly prepared fruit juices, coffee options, ice cream, and Thai delicacies.

However, bringing your own snacks should not be a problem, as there are no bag checks at the entrances.

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We enjoyed watermelon juice for 40 THB, and its taste still lingers in our memory.

What Souvenirs to Buy from Ancient City?

If you’re thinking of bringing gifts for your loved ones when you return from Thailand, check out the shops in Ancient City. They sell items like keychains, soap, natural oils, hats, and t-shirts. Although these items are more expensive than those in the local shops in the center, they are of higher quality and have unique designs.

ancient-city-Souvenirs One unique item is the monkey figure keychain you see in the photo, which you won’t find in other shops. So, if you like it, don’t leave without getting it.

Souvenirs-ancient-city-monkey

Now, let’s wrap up our article by answering the question of how to get to Ancient City.

How to Get to The Ancient City from Bangkok?

The fastest and most comfortable way to reach Muang Boran Museum, located in Samut Prakan, from Bangkok city center is by taking a taxi or renting a car. The journey takes approximately 1 hour by car.

Don’t forget to negotiate the fare if you’re taking a taxi, or check prices on apps like Grab or Bolt beforehand.

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Alternatively, you can use minivans that operate like shared taxis to get to the metro. Depending on your destination, you can then switch to the metro, tuk-tuks, or taxis. However, if you are short on time for exploring Bangkok, we recommend avoiding multiple transfers.

For those who still prefer this route, here are the directions: Take the BTS (green line) metro and exit at BTS Kheha Station (Exit 3). From there, take minibus number 36 or a taxi to Muang Boran The Ancient City. The distance from the metro station to the ancient city is approximately 5 km.

By Ulviye Suna

Hello, I'm Ulviye. I have been working as a professional digital marketing specialist for about 15 years. My amateur interests include decoration, travel, yoga, astrology, and surfing. I enjoy sharing my personal experiences related to these topics. I hope you find them beneficial as well.

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