Bang Pa-In Palace: A Mix of European and Asian Structures

In the previous blog posts, I shared some of the highlights of our tour in Thailand and our tour of Buddhist shrines around Bangkok. This time I will be sharing about our side-trip to Ayutthaya from Bangkok, where we visited Bang Pa-In Palace with its unique mix of European and Asian buildings and structures.

We joined a guided group tour of Ayutthaya through Trip Guru on our third day in Bangkok. We left Bangkok early morning and arrived around mid-morning at Bang Pa-In Palace, our first stop in Ayutthaya. I consider our group lucky to have arrived relatively early when there were still a few tourists going around the areas of Bang Pa-In Palace.

Expectation vs Reality on Bang Pa-In Palace

I honestly did not expect to see anything special in Bang Pa-In Palace thinking that it was just a simple one-building place or stop before going to a much more exciting place which is the Shrine Ruins of Ayutthaya—but it turned out that Bang Pa-In is more interesting than what I thought. 

Bang Pa-In Palace is almost like a park with collections of different buildings of varied styles from European to Eastern and Thai designed buildings, each one with its own histories, in an area with well-maintained gardens, ponds, and waterways. The Bang Pa-In Palace’s mix of European and Asian structures stands out among all these sights.

Brief History of Bang Pa-In Palace

The Bang Pa-In Palace’s history dates back to the 17th century under the Kingdom of Ayutthaya when it was originally built as a summer retreat place for the royal court. When the Kingdom of Ayutthaya fell, the palace was destroyed. It was however, later restored in the 19th century under the new royal family and it again served as a summer retreat place.

The Varied European and Asian Style Structures in Bang Pa-In Palace

What interested me the most about Bang Pa-In Palace is the different buildings found in its grounds.

The Greco-Roman style Building

The first building we saw was the Phra Thinang Warophat Phiman, a Greco-Roman style building which is not far from another European structure— a neo-classical bridge lined with statues. These structures easily felt like I was somewhere in Paris. 

The Swiss Chalet style Builidng

We walked a little further and we saw the Phra Thinang Uthayan Phumisathian building. This building resembles an old and grand Swiss chalet and at the time of our visit, it was decorated and painted in a feminine motif. 

The Chinese style Building

Further into the Palace grounds we saw the Phra Thinang Wehart Chamrun building. This one is particularly interesting for me as it is a Chinese style building, and I specially liked one of its doors because of its beautiful design. The door was intricately carved with animals that are significant in Chinese mythology. And not far from this building is the Ho Withun Thasana tower. This tower resembles a light house and is used mostly for viewing the landscape around the palace.

Like a Nice Walk in a Park

Overall, our tour of Bang Pa-In Palace in April 2023 felt like taking a nice walk in a park on a quiet mid-morning— only that I was constantly being transported from one part of the world to another as I walk from one area to the next. And this is why Bang Pa-In Palace is worth seeing when you are visiting Ayutthaya.