Bangkok: Erawan Museum Ticket & Ancient City

Inside a Three-Headed Elephant: Thailand's Strangest Museum

You get entry to both the Erawan Museum's three-headed elephant and the 320-hectare Ancient City outdoor museum in one ticket. Walk through three storeys of Thai antiquities and religious artifacts, then explore 116 replicas and architectural monuments spread across grounds shaped like Thailand itself. The BTS station is steps away, and everything is wheelchair accessible.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Erawan Museum2h · entry included
2. Ancient City Museum4h · entry included

Visit Erawan Museum and Ancient City

• Travel to Erawan Museum
• Explore three-headed elephant art
• View ancient religious collections
• Learn about Thai culture models
• Travel to Ancient City Museum
• Walk through outdoor museum grounds
• See replicas of Thai monuments
• Discover creative architectural designs

The experience

"You walk inside the elephant," the ticket seller told me, matter-of-fact, as if I'd asked for directions instead of standing there trying to picture it. That's the thing about the Erawan Museum in Samut Prakan. It's not a building you enter. It's a 43-meter-tall three-headed elephant, and the three storeys inside hold antiquities and religious objects collected by Lek Viriyapant, the same man who built the Ancient Siam open-air museum nearby. The scale of it doesn't hit you until you're standing in front of it, and then it's just. There, impossible and real.

Your ticket gets you into both the Erawan Museum and access to Ancient City, which sits close by in the same province. Ancient City is the world's largest outdoor museum, 320 hectares of Thai monuments and architectural replicas spread across grounds that roughly match the shape of Thailand itself. There are 116 structures: some life-size copies of existing temples and palaces, others scaled down, a few designed from scratch. You're not rushing through a single building. You're walking a landscape. The Chang Erawan BTS station sits right there on the Sukhumvit Line, so getting there from central Bangkok doesn't require a car or a long negotiation with a taxi driver.

The museum displays model sculptures showing different facets of Thai culture, and the priceless religious objects inside the elephant, the ones Viriyapant spent decades collecting, sit in climate-controlled rooms. It's not a casual afternoon. Most people spend two to three hours moving between the two sites, and the wheelchair accessibility means you're not choosing between seeing it and being comfortable. All areas and surfaces are accessible, and if you're traveling with an infant, they can sit on your lap without needing a separate ticket.

What’s included

Your ticket includes admission to the Erawan Museum with its three-headed elephant and three storeys of antiquities, access to the Ancient City outdoor museum with 116 Thai monuments and structures, and all fees and taxes. Public transportation options are available near both sites.

Options for this experience

3 options

Ticket to the Erawan Museum onlyNo fixed timeAdmission ticket to the Erawan Museum

Erawan Museum with Ancient CityNo fixed timeErawan Museum with Ancient City

Erawan, Ancient City and lunchNo fixed timeErawan and Ancient City with buffet lunch at Ancient City: Erawan Museum, Ancient City and a buffet lunch held at Ancient City

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

AgesAdult (15 and older) · Child (6 to 14 years) · Infant (under 6): free

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 10 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessiblePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by OTO Trip Service

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see two major museums in one trip without arranging separate tickets and transport: the BTS connection and single admission make it straightforward for first-time visitors to Samut Prakan.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (6 to 14 years); Infant (under 6): free.

How do I get to the Erawan Museum from Bangkok?

The Chang Erawan BTS station on the Sukhumvit Line serves the museum directly. From central Bangkok, take the BTS to that station.

What's inside the three-headed elephant?

Three storeys of antiquities and priceless religious objects collected by museum founder Lek Viriyapant, displayed in climate-controlled rooms.

Is Ancient City included in this ticket?

Yes. Your ticket covers both the Erawan Museum and access to Ancient City, which is located nearby in Samut Prakan Province.

How long does a visit usually take?

Most visitors spend two to three hours exploring both sites, though you can spend more or less time depending on your pace.

Is the museum wheelchair accessible?

Yes. All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible throughout both museums.

Do infants need a ticket?

No. Infants can sit on an adult's lap and do not require a separate ticket.

What is Ancient City?

A 320-hectare outdoor museum with 116 Thai monuments and architectural structures, some life-size replicas and others scaled down, arranged geographically to match Thailand's shape.

Is this ticket valid for Thai nationals?

No. This ticket is for non-Thai visitors only.