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When Dave and I were researching visiting Thailand one place that I knew I needed to visit was The Erawan Museum. 

If you’ve been on my site more than 2 seconds you will realize that I’m into the color pink at the moment. The Erawan Museum is a gorgeous pink building topped with a giant three headed elephant and chock full of intricate details. 

So I made Dave put it on our “Cannot Miss” list. 

And it really did not disappoint. The Erawan Museum is a pink dream come true.

Also an elephant lovers dream come true. So if pink and pachyderms are your thing then the Erawan Museum is the place for you. 

About the Erawan Museum

The Erawan Museum was built by millionaire banker Kuhn Lek Viriyapant as a tribute to Thai culture and to keep that culture alive through continued westernization. 

There are three floors in the main section of the museum each represents the underworld, earth, and heaven. 

Also celebrated is the different religions within Thailand. While primarily Buddhist you will also see Christian, Muslim, and Confucian influences with the museum. 

One thing that I loved is that all the beautiful and intricate decorations are made of recycled materials.

When you go to the museum there is an audio tour….a very long audio tour….that will tell you all of the history of the building. 

Cost of the Erawan Museum

When we were there it cost 400Baht (about $12/ticket).

How to Get to the Erawan Museum

As the Erawan Museum is a little off the beaten path in the Ancient Siam area it isn’t as easily accessible as things in the city center. 

I think that the best and easiest way to get to the museum is to take a Grab (Thai version of Uber). 

What to Wear to the Erawan Museum

Like so many temples and shrines in Thailand, the Erawan Museum comes with a dress code. It is the same as if you were going to the Grand Palace. 

• Shoulders Covered
• Ankles Covered
• No Shoes
• No Ripped Jean, Cutouts, or Midriffs

That’s about it. Seems easy enough but as tourists in a very hot climate the instinct is to wear less and they will turn you away. 

You will notice that I’m not wearing shoes! No shoes are allowed in Thai temples.

They did have some shawls and stuff that you could borrow if needed. 

Dave had to wear the elephant pants we bought at the Grand Palace to cover his knees. He was wearing naughty, revealing shorts!

The Erawan Museum is a Hidden Gem

While The Grand Palace and Nong Nooch Botanical Gardens were crowded hot spots the Erawan Museum seems to be a relatively undiscovered destination. 

We didn’t take our tripod because we were worried about theft but there were so few people we could have easily left our camera hanging out across the room and gotten some photos together. 

The only other people there seemed to be other instagrammers!

I swear that they were all either groups of 3 girlfriends taking each others pictures or like me, turning their poor husbands into photographers. I think Dave did a good job! 

We all had to wait patiently for our turns for photos on the stairs. 

So basically Instagram is going to put the Erawan Museum on the map. 

The Artwork in the Erawan Museum

All of the decorations are super ornate and detailed. 

And again, made out of recycled materials. If you look at the flower on the belt on the statue above, those were porcelain spoons if I remember correctly. You would never know it if the audio tour didn’t tell you and even then you have to look closely!

Overall, very impressive. And I absolutely am a sucker for the pink and white theme!

There are two grand stair cases, one pink and one white and they meet up at the bottom. 

Can I get these staircases in my house!?! Love! 

This is the stained glass ceiling in the Erawan Museum. If I remember correctly it features a world map and zodiac as well as biblical creation influences. Don’t quote me on that…

As you ascend you can actually go inside the three headed elephant. They don’t like you to take pictures up there because of all the sacred Buddha statues. They also have a basement with no pictures allowed.  Inside the elephant is blue BTW. 

Erawan Museum Gardens

Outside of the Museum the grounds feature a really pretty garden that you can walk around in. They have lots more of those beautiful ornate statues. 

One thing that we loved is that they also have free lotus flowers that you can release into the water!

Oh and one tip that I would give is that if you see anything that you want in their souvenir shop go ahead and buy it. There were some things that we wanted but decided to try to find them at one of the markets as museum souvenir shops in the US are notorious for high prices. The prices at the souvenir shop at the Erawan Museum actually ended up being the cheapest we could find. We ended up paying more for the same items at the markets even with Dave’s expert haggling skills. 

They have lots of little shrines like this all over the grounds.

Me trying to copy one of the other instagrammers  and do a heart….she did it better. At the end of the day I guess I ought to just stick to being me…

These giant elephant statues go all around the museum. 

The Erawan Museum is indisputably one of the most beautiful places that I have ever been. 

Even with the explosion of pink Dave really enjoyed visiting here as well. So go ahead and bring all the masculine figures in your life. They’ll have a good time too, I promise. 

Is it just me or are you in love with this place too? Let me know in the comments if you think the Erawan Museum would make it onto your itinerary. And don’t forget to subscribe to keep up with all of my adventures!