Royal Palace, Luang Prabang, Royal palace museum in Luang Prabang, Laos.
The Royal Palace combines traditional Lao architecture with French Beaux-Arts design, featuring a double-cruciform layout and marble steps at the entrance. The building holds multiple rooms filled with royal furnishings, religious objects, and decorative details from when it served as a residence.
The palace was built in 1904 for King Sisavang Vong during French colonial rule and served as a royal residence until 1975. After that year, it was transformed into a national museum to preserve the country's history and culture.
The rooms display traditional Lao musical instruments, royal objects, and wall paintings showing scenes from daily life. Visitors can see how the royal family lived and what mattered to them.
Visitors must remove shoes and store bags in lockers, while conservative clothing is expected. Those without adequate coverage can rent skirts at the entrance.
The palace houses a gilded Buddha statue called Phra Bang, one of the country's most sacred objects. The museum also owns a moon rock given by an Apollo mission, showing a rare connection between Laos and space exploration.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
