The Best Museums

The National Museum (Bangkok): Simply the biggest and best repository of the nation's treasures. Objects from throughout Thailand's long and various history include beautiful stone carvings of Hindu deities, exquisite Buddha images, gold jewelry, ceramics, royal costumes, wood carvings, musical instruments, and more.

The Hall of Opium (Near Chiang Saen at the Golden Triangle): Newly opened to replace a tiny roadside shack that drew tourists for years to the same purpose: explaining the cultivation process and history of opium growth in the Golden Triangle Region. This new museum, supported by the royal family, is a large, luxurious campus overlooking the Mekong and displays are quite high-tech and informative.