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The Best Way to Visit the Grand Palace in Bangkok

The Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, is one of the most visited tourist stop-offs in the country. It receives more than 8 million visitors every year, and features on most Bangkok itineraries.

The Grand Palace is apparently somewhere between the third and the eighth most visited attraction in Asia, depending on which listings you look at, and it features on the World’s Most Visited Tourism Attractions list along with The Great Pyramids and The Colosseum.

One of the main reasons for that is that Bangkok’s Grand Palace is one of Thailand’s most revered and well-known heritage sights, having originally been the official Chakri Dynasty Monarchs’ residence when Bangkok was first established as the capital.

Image by Leiden University sourced from wikimedia commons

With the complex being divided into two zones, the palace is also adjacent to the ‘Temple of The Emerald Buddha’, which is home to the even more renowned and revered ancient ‘emerald’ (actually jade) Buddha statue that actually turns out to be smaller than some people may be expecting. They certainly won’t be disappointed though by the sheer grandeur and style of the Grand Palace’s architecture.

The Palace itself is divided over three main sections, namely the outer, middle, and inner courts, and is still used for hosting grand royal ceremonies such as welcoming state guests or honouring birthdays.

Practical Information

ADDRESS: PHRA BOROM MAHA, RATCHAWANG, PHRA NAKHON, BANGKOK 10200

TEL: 02 623 5500

OPENING: 8.30 am – 3.30 pm

ENTRY FEE: 500 baht

DRESS CODE: MEN – LONG TROUSERS AND SLEEVES, WOMEN – LONG DRESSES AND SLEEVES WITH NO SHOULDERS OR LEGS SHOWING

ACCESSIBILITY: HUA LAMPHONG MRT SUBWAY STATION, WONGWIAN YAI BTS SKYTRAIN STATION, TAXI, FERRY

WEBSITE: WWW.ROYALGRANDPALACE.TH

So here is a guide to possibly the best way to visit the Grand Palace in Thailand!

Image by daloyshin sourced from wikimedia commons

Some of this may sound logical and some may sound obvious, but many people still fall foul of a variety of factors that could affect their visit to the Grand Palace quite considerably if it is not well-planned.

This could be anything from dodgy tuk-tuk drivers to fake ticket vendors or trip organisers. The fact is you can easily organise a visit to the Grand Palace by yourself without getting caught adrift in the old town of Bangkok where the palace is situated.

The same advice is obviously applicable to just about any tourist hotspot or monument that you are likely to visit in Bangkok, especially if you happen to be there during a high tourist season time. These generally tend to be around March to May and November to February, in accordance with holidays in other countries.

It is a good idea to buy tickets in advance, in order to at least limit the possibility of spending time in long queues at entrances.

Where to buy tickets

The Grand Palace official website is the best place to buy tickets from.

It can be done online and allows you to choose the dates of your visit and book in advance (up to one month) to avoid unnecessary lines. You would also be able to skip any queues or lines if you had booked a Grand Palace tour, but of course there would be many additional add-ons with a tour that you may not need or want.

You may well smile to yourself but some of these outfits are deceptively well organised and have been fleecing many an unsuspecting tourist with a smile for years in sometimes creative ways.

The admission charges are also on the website, which rather amusingly states: Thais – Free Foreigners – 500 baht.

TIP: children under 120cm in height are free according to the website.

Of course you can also buy tickets at the entrance gate. The downside to this is that you will most likely have to wade through a few levels of bogus ‘officials, staff, and tour guides’ offering to sell you tickets or some other ware.

There are a number of entrances but as far as tourists and foreigners are concerned there is only one.

Image by Wolfgang Holzen sourced from wikimedia commons

So the main entrance is via a street called Thanon Ratchapruek, close to the open and expansive Sanam Luang. The Thais go in through the other different entrances, which can be interesting when you turn up with one and are told to go around the back to the ‘foreigner’ entrance where you will make your rather princely donation for entrance.

When to visit the Grand Palace

Weekdays are definitely a better bet than weekends for avoiding the crowds.

And it is wise to check the opening and closing times of the Grand Palace, but a general rule of thumb for visiting is to get there early.

Arriving pretty much at opening time (provided you are a morning-ish person) might be the best bet if you want to have any chance of seeing the complex grounds in all their glory before they are crowded with people.

Another very good reason for taking this approach is the temperature. Bangkok can feel crazy humid hot at various points throughout the day, and in summer, with temperatures often exceeding 40 degrees C, you wouldn’t really want to be out there at midday.

It does get hot in the grounds of the palace, and can seem unbearable at times so this needs to be kept to mind in order to avoid a potentially uncomfortable and exhausting experience.

The fact that the Grand Palace is not open in the cooler evening time, when the blistering sun and oppressive humidity have subsided somewhat, does limit your options as well – so definitely go for the early start if possible, having made the necessary travel arrangements beforehand and taking into consideration travelling times, routes, method etc. And of course there is always the Bangkok rush hour to consider.

It does say on the website that the palace is open daily, but it might be worth a quick check beforehand ad there are many special days and holidays in Thailand that may or may not affect opening.

It can take anything from one to four hours to make your way around the complex of the Grand Palace and the Temple of The Emerald Buddha, depending on when you go, and your own interest and energy levels!

Image by Andy Marchand sourced from wikimedia commons

Make sure you get to see the centre pieces of the complex

It is sound advice to head first to the temple, and then proceed in a clockwise direction in order to have the best chance of taking in all of the historical sites.

Possibly one of the most famous and revered temples in Thailand, Wat Prakeow (Temple of The Emerald Buddha), is home to various holy relics and statues.

Apparently (according to tradition) the temple includes a bone or hair of the Buddha, housed in a golden chedi.

Image by sim100 sourced from wikimedia commons

Then there is the delicate and intricate statue of a meditating Buddha, crafted from semi-precious jade stone, and draped also in gold robes that were apparently made by one of the Thai Kings.

At just 66cm in height, the ‘emerald’ Buddha is often perceived as smaller than expected, and is believed to have originated in India or Burma. It’s actual age is only estimated, but is thought to have been some time prior to the 1500s, and the figure ended up in Bangkok in 1778.

Image by Basile Mo

Then there is the ‘Phra Mondop’ building, constructed entirely of green and gold glass mosaics. It is a small building with a guilt spire and pure silver floors. The Canon of Buddha – scriptures originally inscribed on a palm leaf in Pali language – are located here along with many other sacred Buddhist scriptures.

Obviously you won’t be allowed inside to flick through said scriptures in a frenzied attempt at enlightenment, but the building itself has to be seen.

The Great Chakri Palace is another building of note within the grounds.

Formerly the royal residence, it was designed by a British architect using the Italian Renaissance style. This had a few optional extras included at the behest of the king, namely Siamese-style pointed and stepped roofs. There are many paintings and other impressive forms of art to be beheld within the halls of this former residence.

There is also all manner of other buildings, structures, halls, and monuments to be beheld within the grounds of the Grand Palace, including a mini Anchor Wat replica (that was used for a planned replica within the palace grounds that never happened).

There is also the ’Phra Thinang Amarin Winitchai’ (High Residence), which is a kind of former throne room of Rama I.

This hall, being highly ceremonial in nature, is still in use today for prestigious ceremonies that might involve other heads of state visiting the country.

There is a golden, boat-shaped throne in the hall, which houses a giant, nine-tier umbrella which signifies the power of the king.

There is plenty to see and do within the walls of the former residence of Bangkok’s Grand Palace complex, so a bit of forward-planning is the way to avoid being overwhelmed or becoming exhausted by the heat and crowds.

Conclusion

So now you know the best way to visit the grand palace!

Fortunately the palace is also within very close proximity of a good few other local landmarks and temples, so with a bit of logical planning beforehand it’s  fairly easy to make a day of it and get the most out of your historical and cultural sightseeing in Bangkok.