The National Museum took over the Front Palace grounds, a former royal palace built in the 18th-century just like the Grand Palace. The grounds are attractive in parts, but a bit sprawling and difficult to navigate. The permanent exhibits are a mixed bag A there are some terrific new displays and dioramas on Thai history, but many other buildings are dusty collections of artifacts without much by way of explanation. A good way to cope with this is by taking the free guided tour in English, held on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 09:30. Allow a full afternoon to see this one as it is fairly large.