Chiang Mai National Museum
Chiang Mai National Museum
3.5
About
The Chiang Mai National Museum offers a peak into the area's native Lanna culture in the form of artifacts and artist exhibits. Ancient jewelry and pottery are showcased and each exhibit is written in both English and Thai.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
3.5
77 reviews
Excellent
13
Very good
32
Average
19
Poor
9
Terrible
4
Linda R
Brisbane, Australia522 contributions
Feb 2013 • Couples
For anyone wishing to learn more about the history, culture and archeological items you might like to check out the Chiang Mai Museum which is situated within the old city. Commentary is in many languages so makes it easy to understand what is being described. It cost less than 300 Baht for two of us to visit the 3 museums which gave us access over 7 days.
Written February 3, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
W0rld_Wander_Lust
Shanghai, China88 contributions
Feb 2011
A nice regional museum that has a well layed out timeline of the history of the region. Some nice archeological items, old photos, etc. Description panels in Thai and English.
It is a little out of town on the "superhighway" ring road. Costs 100 baht (US$3) entry. No cameras allowed.
If you visit it, be sure to go to nearby Wat Jed Yot.
It is a little out of town on the "superhighway" ring road. Costs 100 baht (US$3) entry. No cameras allowed.
If you visit it, be sure to go to nearby Wat Jed Yot.
Written February 23, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
singhasam
Weymouth, UK4,023 contributions
Nov 2019
THIS museum displays its exhibits on two floors, is well laid out and spacious and goes into considerable detail about pre-history and the Lanna kingdom.
Some claim the museum is a bit too dry and detached and lacks interaction with the visitor which is a fair comment although a little cruel.
What the National Museum is set up for -- and set up for very well -- is a detailed look at its subject matter. Yes, there are no state of the art screen quizzes, timelines or cartoon guides, but this is a serious look at the history of the Chiang Mai area not Disneyworld.
My advice to any visitor would be to pay your 100 baht entry fee and immediately climb the grand central staircase to take you up to the top floor and the pre-history section which includes a clever 3D river course scenario with ancient man napping flint.
From there you can work slowly through exhibits on this floor and the ground floor to bring you up to modern times, exhibits detailing everything from Royalty and how the monarchy worked to how the Lanna kingdom developed.
There is a wealth of priceless exhibits, early black and white photographs and even some striking furniture, jewellery, caskets and other displays.
There wasn't a cafe that I could find. That wasn't a problem but I was a little surprised that there was no shop to provide much needed funding for the museum and to help visitors buy a memory of their visit.
That said, toilets here are very well kept and staff are extremely helpful, so I have no hesitation in recommending visitors to Chiang Mai to come here and learn a bit about local history.
You can take pictures but you are not allowed to carry any shoulder bag about which must be deposited in a locked numbered cupboard to which which get the key.
Some claim the museum is a bit too dry and detached and lacks interaction with the visitor which is a fair comment although a little cruel.
What the National Museum is set up for -- and set up for very well -- is a detailed look at its subject matter. Yes, there are no state of the art screen quizzes, timelines or cartoon guides, but this is a serious look at the history of the Chiang Mai area not Disneyworld.
My advice to any visitor would be to pay your 100 baht entry fee and immediately climb the grand central staircase to take you up to the top floor and the pre-history section which includes a clever 3D river course scenario with ancient man napping flint.
From there you can work slowly through exhibits on this floor and the ground floor to bring you up to modern times, exhibits detailing everything from Royalty and how the monarchy worked to how the Lanna kingdom developed.
There is a wealth of priceless exhibits, early black and white photographs and even some striking furniture, jewellery, caskets and other displays.
There wasn't a cafe that I could find. That wasn't a problem but I was a little surprised that there was no shop to provide much needed funding for the museum and to help visitors buy a memory of their visit.
That said, toilets here are very well kept and staff are extremely helpful, so I have no hesitation in recommending visitors to Chiang Mai to come here and learn a bit about local history.
You can take pictures but you are not allowed to carry any shoulder bag about which must be deposited in a locked numbered cupboard to which which get the key.
Written November 26, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Justin K
New York City, NY282 contributions
Apr 2019 • Solo
The museum contains a lot of impressive Lanna works such as ancient manuscript containers and Buddha statues. It also provides a reasonably good explanation of the history and religion of the lanna period. That said the exhibits do not flow that well together and at times it is a bit hard to figure out what you are looking at. Some explanations are only in Thai but for the most part the English explanations are comprehensive. By contrast the Chiang Mai city arts and culture museum does not have as impressive works but the intuitive and interactive nature of its exhibits helps you to learn more quickly and with more fun. Think of the national museum as a bit more academic and dry. I think both museums are worth visiting if you have the time. If not you will probably learn more at the city arts and culture museum but if you really want to see the fine art works of the lanna kingdom go for the national museum
Written April 5, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gee
Hong Kong, China3 contributions
Feb 2015 • Solo
My first impression of this place was good because the buildings in the museum complex are lovely and it's nicely landscaped. Unfortunately there wasn't much to see inside the museum itself. On the day of my visit the upstairs floor was off limits (I think it's being refurbished). Also some of the permanent exhibits from the ground floor were missing. So perhaps on other days when the entire museum is open to the public this place might be worth a look. However, the displays on the ground floor are a bit outdated and uninspiring. I spent less than an hour looking around the museum itself and then wandering around the grounds for a bit. I don't think you're missing out on anything by skipping this attraction.
Written February 9, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tigerlin
Campos Do Jordao, SP55 contributions
Jan 2014 • Couples
It is a set of museum, composed by 3 small sections (you have to buy tickets to all, but the price is very accessible). The museums have nice displays, in multilanguages, so, you will have a nice idea about Thai and Chiang Mai history and local costumes. You will spend almost 30 minutes to see all the displays, and don't forget to go to the small art crafts store located in the second store. The price of every item is very nice, but the products are really made by the local natives, the prices is the same as the products you will find in the night market, but much better quality. Good place to find small gifts from Chiang Mai.
Written January 11, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Howard H
52 contributions
Sept 2013
Museum is free to all that visit, it is not a lot to see and you can spend 90 minutes or so looking at the past history of ChangMai itself. Interesting artifacts and all signs are posted in Thai and English. Not really geared toward kids that will want more interactive exhibits but and great place to go for a rainy day.
Written September 18, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Triplegem2017
Bangkok, Thailand186 contributions
Nov 2019
This is a fine example of a regional National Museum in Thailand. Lots of local history on display. I especially liked the prehistoric section, with the old beads and bronze age items. Clean and well lit and they don't charge to take photos.
Written December 2, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dan S
St. Catharines, Canada34 contributions
Aug 2016 • Friends
I was surprised that it was free entry (I saw no signs of active renovation -- maybe they are done). Great introduction to the history of the Lanna kingdom in northern Thailand and the birth of Chiang Mai as a city. The video diaramas were excellent, held my attention. Also fascinated by the birth and spread of different forms of Buddhism in the region. Nice features on a couple of important personages besides the general overviews. Spent almost two hours.
Written August 10, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
YuanChen0101
Shanghai, China14 contributions
Oct 2015
no special things to see, a bit far away from the old town, and you can hardly recognize it on the highway
Written November 20, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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