Paruskawan Palace

This Rama V-era palace comprises two main buildings: Chitralada Hall, originally built as a residence for King Vajiravudh (Rama VI), and Paruskavan Hall, home to Prince Chakrabongse Bhuvanadh. Chitralada Hall now houses the Royal Thai Police Museum, while Paruskavan Hall is used by the National Intelligence Agency.

The main draw is the route through Chitralada Hall, where floor arrows lead visitors room by room around an Italian villa-style building that blends Art Nouveau, Baroque and Rococo influences. Guides stationed throughout explain the palace’s history and each space. Pause in the former dining hall: after the 1932 revolution, the People’s Party used it as a meeting place, earning it the nickname ‘Thailand's first government house’.

Continue to the Police Museum for uniforms, equipment and historical documents tracing the development of Thai policing, alongside  reconstructions of past cases and displays on different areas of police work. A visit is more than a wander through an old palace – it is a compact lesson in Thai political and social history.

Thanon Si Ayutthaya, Dusit, Bangkok. Tuesday to Friday, 10am-4pm. Free entry.