Jim Thompson House
Jim Thompson House
4.5
Speciality Museums • Architectural Buildings
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Monday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
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About
This former home of an American named Jim Thompson, who started the Thai silk industry after World War II, houses a magnificent collection of Asian art and many unique displays.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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  • Simon A
    Norwich, United Kingdom146 contributions
    Oasis of calm in the city
    We travelled around the city mainly using the local water transport and this stopped close to the house. The house (Although its more than just a house) was close to the pier (About 200 Yds) entry is by timed ticket and with a guide (200 Bhat each including guided tour) and would recommend - interesting story about Jim and his disappearance and some very interesting exhibits with information given by the guide. The gardens can be explored at leisure after the tour and there is also an (Expensive) silk shop. There were some interesting demos of silk spinning and extraction of the silk from the silkworms. There is a restaurant on site which we used just for a drink - very expensive but air conditioned on a hot day which was very welcome!
    Visited March 2020
    Written April 15, 2020
  • Pinelakemo
    Oak Harbor, Washington135 contributions
    Cool historic house with amazing art and artifacts
    Pros: This place is a treasure trove of beautiful art, artifacts and Thai decor. The story behind the house is interesting. The grounds are beautiful and the gift shop is a wow but you will pay $$$$ to bring home a unique silk art piece (I bought a silk pillow case that I love). My cons:Another shoes off experience. I went late in the day and those on my tour were batting mosquitos away, I wished I had my mosquito spray with me as a big one landed on my leg. Also the tour leader was meh, seemed like she had given the same talk too many times, it was delivered without charm. And it felt a bit cattle car like as you were "herded" through with the next group outside the room waiting to get in. Also I thought it was ridiculous they wouldn't allow you take photos inside the house.
    Visited February 2020
    Written March 26, 2020
  • Paul W
    Stoke Lacy, United Kingdom333 contributions
    A beautiful and idyllic escape in a bustly and busy Bangkok jungle.
    We spent 3 days in Bangkok, and gave over one of these to travel via the canal and visit the Jim Thompson museum as it had been recommended to us by a friend. We were not disappointed. You are allocated a slot to take the tour, and are supervised to walk around the house (you are not allowed to touch delicate items as they are old and very fragile). The guide informs you for Jim Thompson's history and tells you about all of the ornaments and furniture in the house - giving fine detail about why the porcelain has holes in specific places etc. It is fascinating. After you have done the tour of the house, you are allowed to walk around the gardens and make use of the lovely cafe for as long as you wish. There is also a shop there to buy souvenirs however we did not look in this. Bangkok is hot and humid and the area directly around this museum is busy and very urban in its appearance. Venturing down the dusty road you would never think that around the corner is such a beautiful green and luscious space. Gorgeous luscious palms and brightly coloured and vibrant flowers hang above your head as you walk through and pay for your ticket, and just beyond this you can relax and have a cool drink in the cafe and watch the large and flamboyant koi carp swim around inquizitively. If you are fascinated in the history of silk then this is a must, but also, if you want to explore traditionally built Thai architecture and gardens in the centre of Bangkok......set aside a morning or afternoon an go and explore. Well worth seeing!
    Visited March 2020
    Written March 14, 2020
  • jonpaulvictor
    Dudley, United Kingdom42 contributions
    I thoroughly enjoyable experience
    I really enjoyed my visit to Jim Thompson‘s house, and the museum attached. I was pleased to find out that with the price of your ticket you also get a free guide around the grounds and house. The only disappointment is you cannot take photographs whilst visiting the inside of the house. I would’ve loved to have taken a few Photographs to remind me of my visit.
    Visited January 2020
    Traveled solo
    Written January 31, 2020
  • Ellie Mae
    Eugene, Oregon9 contributions
    A must see
    My trip to the Jim Thompson House was wonderful. I went on a Saturday which is much less traffic. The home is in the center of the city along a canal. I took a taxi there and a one way back on the canal taxi. No need to spend a lot of money. Entrance fee is 200 Bhat, 200 to get there and back on advertised specials. I splurged and had lunch there. Excellent service, much need A/C, the food was superb. Cost slightly less than at home at 440 bhat that included a sweet bread, coconut cream. They are well organized with guided tours, a bit canned but our guide made it fun. FYI must be able to walk without shoes and climb stairs. No photography allowed but most of the collection can be seen on their website. There was a silk creation demonstration showing how it is farmed from a pot of hot water and these cocoons. The girls would then wind the silk onto a wooden tool that prepares the silk for market. I probably wouldn’t go again unless traveling with someone who hasn’t seen it. Don’t miss the silk shop featuring all silk clothing. Ellie Mae
    Visited January 2020
    Traveled solo
    Written January 10, 2020
  • Rene Sophia
    Singapore, Singapore270 contributions
    An alternative place to go to while in Bangkok
    We wanted to go somewhere else besides shopping and eating while in Bangkok. After reading about it, we decided to visit the Jim Thompson museum. Entrance price is reasonable - 200 baht for adults above 22 years old and 100 baht for below 22 and seniors. It is just walking distance, about 10 mins walk, from MBK Shopping Mall and the train station. There is a guided tour every 30 mins and we were attached to a guide with every about 20 visitors. The tour lasted for around 30mins. We were brought to the different houses within the museum to look inside the rooms and their furnishings and personal antique collections of Jim Thompson with detailed background info by the guide. There is also a sourvenir shop and a restaurant inside. The sourvenir shop sells memorabilia items from Jim Thompson's collection such as Thai silk on handbags, scarves and clothings.
    Visited December 2019
    Traveled with family
    Written October 11, 2020
  • Sue B
    Cardiff, United Kingdom130 contributions
    Traditional Thai House in Bangkok
    The Jim Thompson House i the house of an American Jim Thompson who lived in Bangkok in the 60’s and built himself a house based on the traditional Thai style and furnished it with beautiful pieces of art, tapestry, statuettes and china from around the country. Jim Thompson is famous for setting up a Thai silk business and for selling that silk around the world revitalising the industry. I’m afraid the setup of the tour was not for me. There was a strange kind of reverence for this businessman who subsequently seemed to have some involvement with the CIA and disappeared in mysterious circumstances. You have to attend a tour to walk around, it takes about 45 minutes but you can walk around the gardens yourself. You are not allowed to take photos inside of the house. There is a restaurant, cafe and shop where you can buy silk items. There is also a separate Jim Thompson shop a few minutes drive away which has a spectacular range of products but it is very expensive compared to the cheaper mass manufactured Chinese silk.
    Visited March 2020
    Written March 8, 2020
  • Christina G
    Ringwood, United Kingdom713 contributions
    A touch of history
    After paying the entrance fee we were ask to wait to join a group with tour guide. This allowed us time to watch a Thai lady boiling the silk worms to obtain the silk threads which was interesting to see. We also visited the shop at this time we had a great array of items for all in beautiful silk fabrics. On joining the tour we were asked to remove our shoes to enter the house and not take photos. Our guide gave a very good commentary on the history of the building, Jim Thompson and his silk business he created in Bangkok. He also had a good collection of art works from his travels which were interesting to see. Lovely gardens to wander after the tour and cafe/restaurant if you wish to have refreshments.
    Visited February 2020
    Traveled with friends
    Written February 12, 2020
  • Jmahg
    Maidenhead, United Kingdom648 contributions
    Interesting to see East meeting West post WW2
    This is all about the American designer who trained in architecture. He designed the house incorporating his western ideas alongside his Thai influence. He was a collector of art as well as a designer and you can see the influences he had on his fabric designs. There is also a practical display of how silk is obtained from the cocoon. There is a small shop and cafe. The entry fee is not high and includes guided tour of around 40 minutes in English, French or Thai. We really enjoyed our visit.
    Visited January 2020
    Traveled as a couple
    Written January 13, 2020
  • S4nnyBunny
    1,876 contributions
    Well worth the trip
    I strongly recommend you to wear something cool, light and comfortable!!! There is air conditioning in the souvenir shops, but outside and in the house itself it gets real hot and humid. That said, I had a nice experience and was well worth the trip. Easy to get to from National Stadium BTS; about a 5 mins walk from there. Entry fee was 200 THB, the guided tour goes for about 30 mins covering about Jim Thompson himself and the house. Great experience if you want to learn about Thai art & culture. The two things that I personally didn’t like was 1) the stinking hot weather (not their fault but more fans and air cons could do the trick) and 2) the tour guide although was knowledgeable, lacked personality and it felt like she was reading from a script. Loved the tuk tuk service they have which drives you up back to the BTS station. Overall great experience.
    Visited March 2020
    Traveled solo
    Written March 20, 2020
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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jonpaulvictor
Dudley, UK42 contributions
Jan 2020 • Solo
I really enjoyed my visit to Jim Thompson‘s house, and the museum attached. I was pleased to find out that with the price of your ticket you also get a free guide around the grounds and house. The only disappointment is you cannot take photographs whilst visiting the inside of the house. I would’ve loved to have taken a few Photographs to remind me of my visit.
Written January 31, 2020
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.

Ellie Mae
Eugene, OR9 contributions
Jan 2020 • Solo
My trip to the Jim Thompson House was wonderful. I went on a Saturday which is much less traffic. The home is in the center of the city along a canal. I took a taxi there and a one way back on the canal taxi. No need to spend a lot of money. Entrance fee is 200 Bhat, 200 to get there and back on advertised specials. I splurged and had lunch there. Excellent service, much need A/C, the food was superb. Cost slightly less than at home at 440 bhat that included a sweet bread, coconut cream. They are well organized with guided tours, a bit canned but our guide made it fun. FYI must be able to walk without shoes and climb stairs. No photography allowed but most of the collection can be seen on their website. There was a silk creation demonstration showing how it is farmed from a pot of hot water and these cocoons. The girls would then wind the silk onto a wooden tool that prepares the silk for market. I probably wouldn’t go again unless traveling with someone who hasn’t seen it. Don’t miss the silk shop featuring all silk clothing. Ellie Mae
Written January 11, 2020
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.

Rene Sophia
Singapore, Singapore270 contributions
Dec 2019 • Family
We wanted to go somewhere else besides shopping and eating while in Bangkok. After reading about it, we decided to visit the Jim Thompson museum. Entrance price is reasonable - 200 baht for adults above 22 years old and 100 baht for below 22 and seniors. It is just walking distance, about 10 mins walk, from MBK Shopping Mall and the train station.
There is a guided tour every 30 mins and we were attached to a guide with every about 20 visitors. The tour lasted for around 30mins. We were brought to the different houses within the museum to look inside the rooms and their furnishings and personal antique collections of Jim Thompson with detailed background info by the guide.
There is also a sourvenir shop and a restaurant inside. The sourvenir shop sells memorabilia items from Jim Thompson's collection such as Thai silk on handbags, scarves and clothings.
Written October 11, 2020
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.

Sue B
Cardiff, UK130 contributions
Mar 2020
The Jim Thompson House i the house of an American Jim Thompson who lived in Bangkok in the 60’s and built himself a house based on the traditional Thai style and furnished it with beautiful pieces of art, tapestry, statuettes and china from around the country. Jim Thompson is famous for setting up a Thai silk business and for selling that silk around the world revitalising the industry.
I’m afraid the setup of the tour was not for me. There was a strange kind of reverence for this businessman who subsequently seemed to have some involvement with the CIA and disappeared in mysterious circumstances. You have to attend a tour to walk around, it takes about 45 minutes but you can walk around the gardens yourself. You are not allowed to take photos inside of the house.
There is a restaurant, cafe and shop where you can buy silk items. There is also a separate Jim Thompson shop a few minutes drive away which has a spectacular range of products but it is very expensive compared to the cheaper mass manufactured Chinese silk.
Written March 8, 2020
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.

Christina G
Ringwood, UK713 contributions
Feb 2020 • Friends
After paying the entrance fee we were ask to wait to join a group with tour guide. This allowed us time to watch a Thai lady boiling the silk worms to obtain the silk threads which was interesting to see. We also visited the shop at this time we had a great array of items for all in beautiful silk fabrics. On joining the tour we were asked to remove our shoes to enter the house and not take photos. Our guide gave a very good commentary on the history of the building, Jim Thompson and his silk business he created in Bangkok. He also had a good collection of art works from his travels which were interesting to see. Lovely gardens to wander after the tour and cafe/restaurant if you wish to have refreshments.
Written February 12, 2020
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.

Jmahg
Maidenhead, UK648 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
This is all about the American designer who trained in architecture. He designed the house incorporating his western ideas alongside his Thai influence. He was a collector of art as well as a designer and you can see the influences he had on his fabric designs. There is also a practical display of how silk is obtained from the cocoon. There is a small shop and cafe. The entry fee is not high and includes guided tour of around 40 minutes in English, French or Thai. We really enjoyed our visit.
Written January 14, 2020
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.

S4nnyBunny
Melbourne1,876 contributions
Mar 2020 • Solo
I strongly recommend you to wear something cool, light and comfortable!!! There is air conditioning in the souvenir shops, but outside and in the house itself it gets real hot and humid.

That said, I had a nice experience and was well worth the trip. Easy to get to from National Stadium BTS; about a 5 mins walk from there. Entry fee was 200 THB, the guided tour goes for about 30 mins covering about Jim Thompson himself and the house. Great experience if you want to learn about Thai art & culture.

The two things that I personally didn’t like was 1) the stinking hot weather (not their fault but more fans and air cons could do the trick) and 2) the tour guide although was knowledgeable, lacked personality and it felt like she was reading from a script.

Loved the tuk tuk service they have which drives you up back to the BTS station. Overall great experience.
Written March 20, 2020
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.

martinaF6240DK
Dubai, United Arab Emirates42 contributions
Feb 2020 • Family
I’ve always wanted to visit his home and see the amazing buildings he helped preserve. They are indeed stunning but hard to enjoy when there are so many people in a group and one is rushed around the grounds by the guide. Smaller groups and viewing at a more leisurely pace would be so much more pleasant...there wasn’t enough time to enjoy the rooms and get a feel for the place which is a shame.
Written March 1, 2020
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.

Susan P
Bloomfield, CT172 contributions
Nov 2019
The compound that comprises the Jim Thompson house is beautiful, including the design of the house and the extraordinary gardens. The story of Jim Thompson and the silk trade is fascinating and there are lots of interesting artifacts. It would not be a place to take kids, but it is interesting. Note: you have to take your shoes off to tour the house and check your camera as there are no photos allowed in the house.
Written January 5, 2020
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.

Pratida C.
Bangkok, Thailand5 contributions
Dec 2019
This is one of the few places in Bangkok that I would keep going back just because it's such a beautiful escape from the busy city life. When you walk into the premises, it feels as if you have traveled back to a more serene and simple time. I like to begin my visit by going to the Jim Thompson café and treat myself to a fresh glass of lychee mint smoothie. I like to go there around 15:00 so the weather would be cooler in the afternoon. After a little break at the café, I like to book a house tour around 16:15 - 16:30. So by the time I finish the tour, I can make my way to dinner, leaving enough time to travel in case I run into Bangkok infamous traffic.
Written January 27, 2020
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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Jim Thompson House (Bangkok) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

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Jim Thompson House is open:
  • Wed - Mon 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
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