Royal Textile Academy

High above Paro's Rimpung Dzong stands the distinctive round watchtower - the design of its thick walls inspired by the whorls of a conch shell - that once housed Bhutan's National Museum. Earthquakes badly damaged this beautiful building in 2009 and 2011, and it has since been closed for restoration. Part of the collection has been transferred to a modern building behind the watchtower, which formerly housed the museum's portrait gallery.

Intricately patterned wild silk kiras from Lhuentse hang alongside rough nettle fiber cloth from Zhemgang in Bhutan's excellent Royal Textile Academy. The museum, housed in an impressive modern building, celebrates the country's vibrant and varied tradition of hand weaving. From the towering applique thangka that overlooks the entrance hall and the sumptuous garments on display in the Royal Gallery to mannequins dressed in simple herders' clothing from Laya, the museum offers an unparalleled chance to learn about and appreciate this unique aspect of Bhutanese culture.

Ogyen Choeling stands on a hilltop at the end of the rough Tang Valley road. This beautiful manor's origins lie in the sixteenth-century, although the majority of the buildings were rebuilt in the early twentieth century after their predecessors were destroyed by the 1897 earthquake. The family that owns the manor converted the complex to a charming museum in 2001, and it's now possible to explore the tsuglhakhang (main chapel), utse and shagkor (servants' quarters) — and to see for yourself what life here was like in the past.