Phimai National Museum

Khmer-era stone carvings and archaeological finds from Phimai and the lower northeast fill this Fine Arts Department museum, 300 metres from Prasat Hin Phimai. The renovated ground floor and stone-carving hall reopened free to visitors from May 2026, Wednesday-Sunday and public holidays, 09:00-16:00 (closed Monday and Tuesday); the upper floor remains under renovation.

What’s on display

The collection is built from finds across the lower northeast: stone lintels carved with Hindu and Buddhist motifs, sandstone sculptures recovered from temple sites, pottery fragments, and bronze tools. The current headline piece is a stone sculpture connected to King Jayavarman VII, excavated near the Phimai sanctuary itself, alongside a figure believed to represent his queen, Jayarajadevi. Exhibits are organised into sections — one tracing the northeast’s human history from prehistory onward, one dedicated to Khmer remains excavated regionally, and one holding architectural fragments such as lintels, pediments, and carved pillars.

Practical details worth knowing

The museum has been mid-renovation since 2023, reopening in stages: a June 2024 soft opening covered the ground floor, and the Fine Arts Department completed the full reopening on 27 May 2026, with the upper-floor permanent exhibition on regional history still being finished through the current fiscal year. That’s why entry is currently free rather than the pre-renovation 100 THB (foreigners) / 20 THB (Thai nationals) rate — worth confirming locally in case the standard fee has resumed by the time you visit.

Insider Tip: Visit the museum before the ruins at Phimai Historical Park, not after — the lintel-construction context here makes the carvings on the actual prang easier to read once you’re standing in front of them.

Watch out: Only the ground floor and stone-carving hall are open while the upper floor finishes renovation — don’t plan a full-day visit expecting the complete original collection on display.

The museum sits in Korat at Phimai, a short walk from Phimai Historical Park, one of the largest Khmer complexes outside Cambodia. Call 0 4447 1167 to confirm current opening status before making the drive from Nakhon Ratchasima town.