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. After a renovation begun in 2023, it fully reopened on 27 May 2026, open Wednesday-Sunday and public holidays, 09:00-16:00 (closed Monday and Tuesday). Entry is 200 THB for foreigners and 20 THB for Thai nationals, under the Fine Arts Department fee schedule in force since May 2025.

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. Entry is 200 THB for foreigners and 20 THB for Thai nationals, under the Fine Arts Department fee schedule in force since May 2025, worth confirming at the door, since entry was free during the staged reopening.

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.

The museum sits in Korat at Phimai, a short walk from Phimai Historical Park, one of the largest Khmer complexes outside Cambodia.