Museum Siam

Museum Siam opened in 2008 in the neoclassical former Ministry of Commerce building near Wat Pho, and it does something Thai museums generally do not: it treats national identity as a question rather than a given. The permanent exhibition, reworked over the years, walks through the peopling of the peninsula, Ayutthaya's cosmopolitan trade, the pressures that shaped Siam in the nineteenth century, the twentieth-century construction of Thai-ness under Phibun, and the mixed inheritance of the present, using interactive displays, film, games and reconstructions rather than cases of objects. It is explicitly aimed at making visitors think about what the category means and where it came from, and it does not pretend the answers are settled. Excavations during construction found Ayutthaya-period remains beneath the site, displayed in situ. It is far more engaging than the National Museum for most visitors and takes about two hours. Closed on Mondays.

What you actually see

• The identity question - the exhibition built around what Thai-ness means and where it came from.
• The interactive approach - film, games and reconstructions rather than object cases.
• The excavation - Ayutthaya-period remains found under the building, shown in situ.
• The 1920s building - the former Ministry of Commerce it occupies.

When to go

November to February; indoors throughout. Closed Mondays. Two hours covers it. It is opposite Wat Pho and directly above the MRT station.

Honest expectations

Closed on Mondays. The permanent exhibition has been reworked and reduced at times - check what is currently showing. Ticketed, though free for some categories. Interactive rather than object-led, which not everyone wants.

Nearby

Wat Pho is across the road; the Grand Palace and the river are a short walk.