Daraphirom Palace Museum

The Daraphirom Palace Museum is a relatively unknown museum that is nevertheless well worth a visit. It was built back in 1913 for the Lanna princess, Dara Rasmi. The Daraphirom Palace is a large wooden mansion raised up on stilts and painted in a pastel yellow colour. Outside the main entrance is a stone statue of princess Dara Rasmi and the manicure gardens surrounding the museum make the palace photogenic. Inside the museum visitors can glimpse how the princess lived, see handicrafts and paintings from the past, as well as learn about her life and contribution to society.

Princess Dara Rasmi was the daughter of the last ruler of Chiang Mai and an aid to King Chulalongkorn in order to ensure Chiang Mai’s transition to become part of Siam went smoothly. Priness Dara Rasmi eventually moved to Bangkok and her palace became a museum to preserve her contribution to the Lanna Kingdom. The museum is rarely visited by foreign tourists but the palace has been well preserved and offers a glimpse of how royalty lived in the past. The palace is not easy to find but is inside the military base, next to Wat Pa Dara Phirom and Wat Phra-Aaraam Luang in the Mae Rim district on the outskirts of the city.