The Summer Palace "City in the Mountain" of King Rama IV of Thailand – Faded Walls and Tiles Still Retain Their Charm

Photos and text byMIKA’s Foodie Adventure Log

On the way from Bangkok to Hua Hin in Thailand, you’ll pass through Cha-Am. Here in Cha-Am, there’s a summer palace built by King Rama IV of Thailand as a mountain retreat. It’s built in the mountains like a castle, hence the name “City in the Mountain.” As you’d expect from a summer retreat, it’s located in the mountains and requires a cable car to reach the top. You could hike up if you wanted, but I’d recommend saving your energy—there are plenty of stairs to climb in the palace itself XD. The views here are expansive, with a gentle cool breeze blowing as you gaze at the endless scenic landscape in the distance—it almost makes you feel like you’re a monarch ruling from a palace. To get to Khao Wang Palace, you first need to take a cable car, and the entrance to the cable car is surprisingly pink.
 

Cable car entrance—you need to buy a ticket first.

Everyone is eagerly waiting for the cable car to arrive.

The cable car is pretty simple, but what’s special is that it runs backward on the way back.

So basically, it goes forward and backward XD

The cable car is actually quite high and a bit steep, but the scenery along the way is absolutely stunning.
Looking down is actually pretty thrilling, though the cable car isn’t very fast, so it doesn’t feel scary.

From the cable car, you can overlook the entire mountain scenery.

After getting off the cable car, you start climbing stairs. Along the way, you’ll see many adorable monkeys, but don’t provoke them—they can be quite fierce. This is a beautiful palace surrounded by frangipani flowers. The monkeys here aren’t afraid of people, hopping around freely, creating a very relaxed and natural atmosphere.

Good monkey, don’t block the path XD

You can tell the buildings have weathered quite a bit of history, surrounded by lush green mountains and elegant flowers.

Thai palaces all have very distinctive architecture—luxury with understated elegance.

It’s really well-ventilated here, super cool.

King Rama IV fell in love with the serene and refined atmosphere of this place, which is why he built his summer palace on the mountaintop.

You can overlook the beautiful scenery below, taking in the full view of Cha-Am’s landscape.

The white walls are already faded—they’re historical relics that have stood the test of time.

The Roman-style domed corridors—I love these charming round structures.

Walk up this spiral staircase, and you’ll be greeted by breathtaking mountain views.

The entire palace is surrounded by frangipani flowers, with their white blooms dotting the mountainside beautifully.

Amid the green hills and trees, there’s a grand white tower standing in contrast to the summer palace.

If there were night views to enjoy here, it would probably be even more stunning.

The beautiful view seen through the archway.

The spiral staircase is very steep and narrow—it’s a bit intimidating to walk on.

This once pure, elegant, and beautiful palace may be faded, but it hasn’t lost any of its charm.

There are really a lot of stairs here—it’s a bit tiring going up, but much easier coming down.

On the way back, we saw this heartwarming scene—motherly love written all over it.
The scenery here is beautiful, with vast and expansive views. The architecture of the palace blends Chinese and Western styles, making it quite unique and definitely worth a visit.

Khao Wang Palace
Mueang Phetchaburi District, Phetchaburi

Going away helps you return to where you started with deeper insight.
MIKA’s Travel & Food Diary