Museum and the Thai Traditional Medical Training Centre

The Museum and the Thai Traditional Medical Training Centre in Nonthaburi is both a museum and a working clinic. Entry to the exhibit halls is free, but it only opens Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 16:30 — plan around the closed weekend before making the trip.

Nine traditional Thai-style buildings, designed by national artist Phinyot Suwannakiri, hold the museum’s seven exhibit rooms. They trace Thai traditional medicine from its roots in Buddhist teaching through its evolution from the pre-Sukhothai period to the present, cover regional folk-medicine traditions from across Thailand, and dedicate space to the history of Thai massage and herbal-medicine preparation. Next to the buildings, a garden of roughly 700 medicinal plant species carries scannable codes that link each specimen to notes on its traditional use.

Downstairs, the site functions as an active training clinic rather than a static display — Thai massage, foot massage, herbal compresses, and herbal steam treatments are all available for a separate fee, run by students and instructors from the training programme. That gives the museum a working, hands-on feel that a purely historical exhibit wouldn’t have, though it also means the halls can be quieter or busier depending on what training sessions are scheduled that day.

Insider Tip: Groups should give at least a week’s written notice before visiting — the centre schedules training and demonstration activities around confirmed bookings. Individual visitors can generally walk in, but a quick call to 0 2951 0292 first is worth it given the narrow weekday-only hours.

Nonthaburi’s other cultural stops are close by — the Museum of Nonthaburi covers local history, and Ko Kret is a short trip away for its own Mon pottery-making community.