Dusit Palace

Phra Ratcha Wang Dusit, best know as Dusit Palace, is a large complex of royal residences build between 1897 and 1901 by King Chulalongkorn, Rama V. The King built the Dusit to make it his new Royal Palace in place of Grand Palace, which had been the residence of the Thai Kings from the foundation of Rattanakosin Kingdom in 1782. The new complex was built over a very wide area north of Rattanakosin Island and was initially named Suan Dusit, which means garden paradise in Thai. The complex is composed of more than a dozen Palaces, including Throne Halls, Royal Mansions, wide boulevards and large parks, over an area of about 16 acres. Some edifices have a European influence on the desire of Rama V, who was the first Thai King to visit Europe in 1897, others are in traditional Thai style. Currently many of the buildings have been turned into museums open to the public, while the immense former Royal Gardens, Khao Din Wana, have been transformed in the Dusit Zoo in 1938. The most interesting edifice is certainly the impressive Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall built in the Italian Renaissance style. Vimanmek Royal Teak Mansion is a mansion constructed entirely of teak wood and was used by King Rama V as his personal residence; now it has been turned into a museum that houses personal items belonging to King Chulalongkorn. Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall has been used previously to receive foreign visitors and as a banquet room, at present it was turned by Her Majesty the Queen Sirikit into a Museum for preserving the art and traditional Thai handicrafts. The museum is house of gold and silver objects, as necklaces and brooches, gold and silver inlaid items, Thai silk and wood carvings. Also known as the Swan Garden, the two-story building has been transformed into an exhibition of models and pictures of the Royal barges and Royal barges procession. In the usual exhibition you can also see photos of HRH Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn or photo of ordination to monasticism of King Rama IX.
Admission fee & Opening hours: Dusit complex is open daily from 9:30 until 16:00, admission fee is THB 100.  The ticket is valid for all buildings in the Dusit complex open to the public, while for the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall ther is an additional entrance fee of 150 THB. If you purchased a ticket to the Grand Palace, but not more than a week before, the admission to the complex Dusit is free.
Getting there: Dusit Palace is located in the Dusit district, a few kilometers north of the Grand Palace, in the old area of Rattanakosin Island. The best way to get there is to take a metered taxi. A simple and pleasant alternative is to use the Skytrain up to Saphan Taksin station of Silom Line, then walk until the Sathorn Pier and from there take a Chao Phraya boat until the Thewet Pier located about 1.5 km from the entrance.Read More