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Jim Thompson House

Jim Thompson House

Jim Thompson House
4.5
Speciality MuseumsArchitectural Buildings
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

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  • Xudong
    Bangkok, Thailand13 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Captivating tour in an old Thai-western house
    Very well preserved house. Great setup of the museum (reasonable tour arrangements to avoid overcrowds, great venue for cafe and even a restaurant). The architecture is definitely gorgeous, and most importantly, the guide Khun Foam provided an excellent tour. She is humorous, knowledgeable and very welcoming. Really love her tour and would like to visit again!
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled solo
    Written October 7, 2023
  • Gardener
    Birmingham, United Kingdom23 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    The mystery is interesting.
    An interesting story about a man I’d never heard of. His disappearance is still a mystery to this day! The houses he had built are very well preserved and presented and the guides knew their stuff. The garden is very jungle like right in the heart of the city. The gift shop was full of lovely things - lots of beautiful silk s well as cotton - but very overpriced I thought. Entrance fee includes a guide and free entrance to the gallery. The gallery exhibits were very sparse and took only a few minutes to see all - though the cafe in there was good! It’s not a “must see” but was quite interesting.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written October 13, 2023
  • Dave T
    Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom630 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fascinating house and story about the man
    Guided tours seem to happen every 10-15 minutes in English, French and Thai. Our guide was excellent explaining the significance of each room and its contents. The whole tour took about 45 minutes but then you could explore so of the buildings and gardens in your own time. Well worth the price of admission and a fascinating story about Jim Thomson’s disappearance
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written October 17, 2023
  • Horzsi
    Dubai, United Arab Emirates187 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fascinating place to discover
    Highly recommend to visit this fascinating place if you fan of Jim Thomson fabric and design as we are Great little tour in English about the house, his life and the diversity of fabric. Opted for the guided tour, departs in English hourly. You can purchase great items from its collection including bags, shirts and tie
    Visited November 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written November 13, 2023
  • mamamio
    New York City, New York73 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Don’t miss
    Don’t miss this tour (Aying was a great guide, very precise about her language and with a good sense of humour!). The house is so beautiful and full of treasures. Fascinating life story of Jim Thompson. Definitely a little oasis. Time your visit for an English (or other lang) tour.
    Dear mamamio, Thank you very much for your feedback and the 5 stars you gave us. We are delighted to hear about your experience at the Jim Thompson House and we hope to welcome you back again in the near future. Best Regards, Phenarpa A.
    Written January 1, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited December 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written December 1, 2023
  • Wikumj
    Redhill, United Kingdom433 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nice but not essential in Bangkok
    Jungle like compound with houses built in the old traditional style. It was a well organised tour and visit, with a tour guide who spoke reasonably good English and could explain the history behind the man and the building. Would have been interesting to hear more about the circumstances of his mysterious disappearance. The house is beautiful but we wouldn't say this is a must see compared to other attractions in Bangkok. Also there were mosquitoes so bring repellant! At the end of a tour was a very fancy silk store, though the prices were too expensive for us!
    Dear Wikumj, Thank you very much for your review. We truly appreciate hearing about the experience that you had. Besides the Jim Thompson House, you’ll also be able to find our restaurants and bar, Jim Thompson Art Center and retail shop which might be of interest to you in the future. We hope for the opportunity to welcome you again in the near future. Best Regards, Phenarpa A.
    Written January 1, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited November 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written December 3, 2023
  • LikeboozewithaT
    Bangkok, Thailand134 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful
    This was about 10 minutes on a grab bike from my hotel. Positioned at the end of a little street, with a working canal just behind it. Beautiful place, interesting to learn the story and understand where the buildings came from and see all the collections. It has been kept in pristine condition and everyone works hard to keep it so. There is an onsite cafe, and also a very nice restaurant , although I was alone, prob a better experience to share. At the end of the tour there is a shop. Very nice items, a bit pricey though. When you arrive it cost 200TB to go on the tour, and the different languages are run intermittently, so you may be told the next one is 45 m away, but you are free to explore in that time. Really enjoyed my visit … well worth it.
    Dear LikeboozewithaT, We appreciate your visit to the Jim Thompson House and taking the time to share your feedback with us. We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed your time at Jim Thompson House Museum. We look forward to the opportunity to welcome you again in the near future. Best Regards, Phenarpa A.
    Written January 1, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited November 2023
    Traveled solo
    Written December 8, 2023
  • Joelle H
    Seoul, South Korea88 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A great outing
    We enjoyed the tour of the house, which is full of beautiful Thai artefacts collected by Jim Tompson. We then had lunch in the JT restaurant and warmly recommend the black ink pad thai. Finally, we paid the JT shop a visit and bought some beautifully made clothes for ourselves and some tasteful presents for our friends and relatives. We also saw a wonderful but haunting exhibition at the JT Arts Centre. So, all in all, it was a great outing !
    Visited January 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written January 4, 2024
  • 20x30
    Luzon, Philippines126 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Tropical Design
    Intriguing place! Nice tropical design specially that Jim Thompson was a trained architect. I did not know that till we had the tour. Reasonable tour time of 20++ minutes as the house was not so big. The guides knew tidbits of information if you ask questions on the side.
    Visited January 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written January 6, 2024
  • Quiltingmamma
    Ottawa, Canada13,402 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Feeling of an era gone by
    This place ticked a lot of boxes for me..a bijou garden, old architecture, orchids, textiles, social history and a little mystery. You must view the houses on a 45 minute tour. There run fairly frequently and in several languages. The guides are charming, with good language skills. Some rooms can be revisited later to see artifacts such as fine antiques. One room had a lovely paper art collection. For conservation, it also meant it was air conditioned. Check what your Chinese Horoscope animal is and you can see a painting of its significance and horoscope. There are stairs and tall entry sills to step over, and you must remove shoes for onside the main house, so plan for these. The tour moves through the floor above the store, which is focused on Jim Thompson the person, and some of the vintage silks made in the past. Also there is an interactive display of the current company with samples of different weaves of silk and the designers. Your ticket also provides free entry to the museum and rotating art exhibit at the Jim Thompson Art Centre.
    Dear Quiltingmamma, Thank you very much for your feedback and the 5 stars you gave us. We are delighted to hear about your experience at the Jim Thompson House and we hope to welcome you back again in the near future. Best Regards, Phenarpa A.
    Written February 5, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited January 2024
    Traveled solo
    Written January 9, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles14,511 reviews
Excellent
7,357
Very good
5,193
Average
1,560
Poor
277
Terrible
124

jonpaulvictor
Dudley, UK77 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
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
4.0 of 5 bubbles
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, Singapore468 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
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, UK133 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
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, UK711 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
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, UK692 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
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
Melbourne2,035 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
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 Emirates43 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
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, CT175 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
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, Thailand6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
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 - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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