The Grand Palace is easily the most popular tourist attraction in Thailand. Tourists gather to see the ornate buildings and stunning temples. With its size and the large crowds it is easy to get overwhelmed or miss something. I wrote a quick guide to the Grand Palace for first-time visitors, so you can make the most out of your visit!
What is the Grand Palace?
The Grand Palace was home to the King of Thailand from 1782 to 1925. Though the Royal Family no longer lives there, many state events are still held in the complex. Parts of the complex are open to the public like the Outer Court and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, while the inner buildings are closed off.
The Temple of the Emerald Buddha is a stunning temple of beautiful gold statues and gilded walls surrounding Thailand’s most sacred Buddha sculpture. It’s a beautiful part of the complex and was my favorite.
The complex is huge and incredibly ornate. I couldn’t get over how detailed each and every bit of it is. The buildings are some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. Leave yourself plenty of time to explore every little corner of the complex and make sure there is room on your memory card for the hundreds of photos you are sure to take!
There are brochures you can pick up by the entrance that explain the significance of each structure and contain a map of the complex. You can also rent an audio guide for 200 Baht.
Where is the Grand Palace?
The Grand Palace is located in the historic center of Bangkok on the Chao Phraya River. The complex is surround by several other temples of interests, such as Wat Pho and Wat Arun.
Costs & Logistics
The temple costs 500 Baht for all foreigners to enter. Your ticket allows you entrance to all areas of the Palace that are open to visitors and to the Vimanmek Mansion Museum.
The temple is open from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM daily unless a royal event is taking place. It is best to get there early to beat the crowds. Most of the tour groups get there around 9AM and the complex starts to feel overcrowded by 10AM.
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How to get to there
If you are staying on Khao San Road, you can walk to the Grand Palace and save yourself a hefty tuk tuk or cab fee. It’s a short distance and is easy to navigate with Google maps. If you don’t feel like walking make sure that you negotiate the price of your tuk tuk and the driver agrees to no stops before going to the Palace. Even though it is a short distance, you probably won’t find anyone willing to take you for less than 150-200 Baht.
If you are coming from a different part of town you can take the BTS to the Saphan Taksin station. From there you can hop on the express water shuttle to Chang Pier and walk to the Grand Palace entrance.
Pro tip: If you want to take a taxi to the Grand Palace, make sure you get one that will run the meter. The rate that the taxi drivers usually quote tourists is almost 4 times the actual amount it would be with the meter on.
Important things to know
The Grand Palace has a pretty strict dress code. No items of clothing can be see-through or sheer. You must have pants that fall below the ankle, and they can’t be skin tight like leggings. Shoulders of both men and women must be covered. For shoes, you can’t wear any sandal without a back strap. I wore a pair of elephant pants that I bought on the street the night before, a t-shirt and my sports sandals.
There are certain parts of the complex where you aren’t allowed to take photos. The Temple of the Emerald Buddha houses the most holy Buddha sculpture and the inside of the temple may not be photographed. There are many signs, in several languages, warning you not to take a photo. Please be aware of them while touring the complex.
Bring lots of water and sunscreen. The complex is huge and Bangkok’s weather can quickly get overwhelming while you explore. There is little shade and few options for water so be sure to bring your own.
Where to go next?
There are tons of things to do in Bangkok once you have gotten your fill of the Grand Palace!
- Check out Wat Pho, a nearby temple that is just a few minutes walk from the Grand Palace. Wat Pho is known for its beautiful stupas and hundreds of gold Buddha statues. It’s definitely worth a visit. Admission is 100 Baht and the temple is open from 8AM to 5:30PM.
- Take a day tour to Bangkok’s Floating Markets. You can shop for souvenirs and delicious food from boats along a river. Get all the insider info in my guide to the floating markets!
- Bangkok’s Chinatown is only a few stops away on the river boat. Take the boat with the orange flag and get off at N5 Ratchawong. From there you can walk to Yaowarat Road, the heart of Chinatown, were you can find great shopping and delicious Dim Sum.
- Take a Taxi to MBK and check out one of Bangkok’s best shopping malls! You could spend hours wandering around the maze of shops in the mall. If you want to see one of Bangkok’s more upscale malls check out the nearby Siam Paragon.
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Such a nice guide to the Grand Palace! I like the fact that you included the details such as price, location, and what to do there. All of this is critical information. The photos really show off the spectacular structure. Enjoyed the guide and will bookmark for future use.
Great guide! Pinned it! Good tip about the metered taxis, most of them will charge you an arm and a leg if it’s not running!
a really good read and I particularly liked all the detail information and the pricing, although I wish you had translated the baht into US or Euros so we didn’t have to go looking for an exchange rate. For me I love to know the details they are so important and you do this very well.
Oh, good point! I will try and have the exchange rate next time to make things easier 🙂
Wow I barely remember my visit to the Grand palace other than I think I took a boat to get there – your pictures are trying to dig my memories out so hard right now!
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There is almost too much detail to even take in! What lovely palace! I need to add Bangkok to the list of places I want to see (which is already very long!) because I love an ornate palace. Would you consider Bangkok kid friendly over all?
Natalie recently posted…Hawaii Volcanoes National Park with KIDS
There are tons of cultural experiences to be had and if done right Bangkok can certainly be kid friendly! Kids would love things like the Aquarium, a day trip to the floating markets or even exploring some of the cooler shopping malls.
Hi Natalie! I’m American but I live in Bangkok most of the time and had my baby here (she’s 2 now!) There are SOOO many kid friendly activities here, and Thai people love kids. There’s lots of play places in the malls that are reasonably priced, and generally just a ton of kid stuff!
This is a great, user friendly guide to the Grand Palace. I highly recommend the river taxi as well. Taxis into and out of the Grand Palace area can be a pain. Also, it might be useful for visitors to know that the country is still in mourning for King Bhumibol, and while the Grand Palace is now open to tourists, many many many mourners are visiting each day to pay respects to his urn. I would recommend wearing black (it actually might be required).
Melanie Grosjean recently posted…A Family Guide to Korean Hanok Stays
Yes, very good point! It’s very important to be respectful during this difficult time for the Thai people.
Kassie- The Fly Away Life recently posted…Guide to the Grand Palace, Bangkok
What a cool place to visit. I am hoping to make it to the Great Palace someday – it must be really interesting times in the City right now with the King dying and all the mourners and visitors. A real thrill would be to go to the floating markets as well.
Faith Coates recently posted…The Wild Atlantic Way: Donegal
Wow these pics are seriously unreal. The amount of detail in the building is phenomenal. I want to go just to take 8 million different photos! Thanks for sharing.
The Grand Palace is pretty magnificent. I wrote about the Grand Palace not too long ago and seeing your photos makes me reminisce of my time spent there! It is expensive for travellers to visit, but the entire experience just makes it all worth it.
Janine Good recently posted…Your Guide to Visiting the Karni Mata Rat Temple in India
You are a life saver! I am about to go to Bangkok in a few days and was definitely going to visit it. I could use several of the information included here. Thanks!!
Abigail recently posted…6 Things to Eat, See & Do in Niagara Falls, Canada
Have a fantastic time exploring the Kingdom! Bangkok is my favorite city and I just can’t get enough of it. Enjoy 🙂
The dress code got me into trouble as well. I was wearing a sleeveless top and shorts. I wish I had read your post before I headed there ;). Luckily there are locals selling sarongs just outside the Palace.
I am visiting Bangkok in Feb 17. This would probably be the first place I would go after reaching there. Thanks for the guide. It really helped me get an idea about the place.
Enjoy BKK! It’s one of my favorite places 🙂
Great tips, girl and such a good estimation of costs. We’ve been there some time ago and I can still remember how busy this palace was!!
So crowded! I remember that I went into one of the buildings and when I came out there were suddenly 300% more people in the complex!
Such intricate details! Temples like this one are so incredible to visit, they offer such an interesting perspective and the architecture is jaw-dropping. What an amazing privilege to be allowed to visit. I think all temples have quite strict dress codes from my experience.
Yes, all the temples that I’ve been too have a pretty strict dresscode, but the Grand Palace is stricter for men than others I’ve been to in Thailand. My boyfriend often got away with shorts in other temple areas but obviously I covered up to the ankles.
This post has just reminded me how much I love Thailand! This place was incredible
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The Grand Palace always gives me mixed feelings. On one hands, it is really an awesome sight, It’s my job to question exactly what it must have been like for your first european to own seen it. Alternatively, the generally good attitude I have toward Thais is spoiled here because there are many cheats and scams. Essentially, if anybody foretells you who isn’t in the grand palace dress code don’t believe Any kind of what they’re told. I used to be informed the palace entrance reaches the choice direction that we was walking, it was subsequently closed to foreign people until after noon, it was subsequently Thai’s only, which the Jim Thompson house didn’t open until after 1. Clearly, I used to be offered an trip with a nearby “Standing Buddha.” Fortunately, I understood better. Also, the street vendors are very aggressive, essentially pushing their wares for your hands. Like I mentioned, unless of course obviously you’re talking with some cop or somebody inside the military, prepare to get lied to. It genuinely sucks as this is really the only place which i have observed Thailand that we felt just like a tourist I used to be treated using this method. Do not get scammed!
amazing post
grand place is the most awesome place in Bangkok.
nice post
i like always grand place in bangkok.
Wow its looks incredible… I am putting into my list 🙂