Grand Royal Palace of Bangkok

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Description and is it worth a visit

Royal Palace in Bangkok

Royal Palace in Bangkok

Royal Palace in Bangkok

The Grand Royal Palace in Bangkok (The Grand Palace, in Thai Phrabarommaharadchawang) is the place without visiting which it is impossible to leave Bangkok. Among the many temples and attractions of Bangkok, the palace is the most important and interesting, and for Thais it is one of the most sacred places.

The Grand Royal Palace is a large complex of buildings and temples of incredible beauty. It began to be built in 1782, and officially the construction ended in 1785. Originally it was wooden, and over time it became more and more overgrown with new buildings, wooden buildings were replaced by stone buildings. Now it occupies an area of 218 thousand square meters.m. (for comparison, the area of the Moscow Kremlin is 277 thousand square meters.m.). The territory is divided into accessible to tourists, and into a closed or official part. The royal residence and administrative buildings are located in the closed part, and outsiders are strictly prohibited from entering there, security is everywhere. But the territory open to the public is the most beautiful: there are several palaces and temples, a throne room, stupas and a museum, exhibitions. You can get detailed information about all the buildings, as well as a map of the royal palace for free in the form of a brochure when buying tickets.

Royal Palace in Bangkok

• The Golden Stupa
• Guardian statues in the Palace
• Here everything sparkles with gold and bright colors
• Royal Palace in Bangkok

Royal Palace in Bangkok

The Emerald Buddha Palace (Wat Phra Kaew) stands out especially from all the buildings of the Royal Palace , built by order of King Rama I and intended for his personal worship of the Buddha. There is a statue of Buddha made of pure emerald (jadeite) with a height of 66 centimeters, which was discovered in 1431, and by whom and when it was made, according to legend, no one knows. The statue was found in the Wat Phra Kaew temple in Chiang Rai in the north of the country, and according to one version it was hidden in another clay Buddha statue, and according to another it was covered with gold plates. Photographing in this temple is strictly prohibited, although it is possible to enter the temple hall.

Temple of the Emerald Buddha

And this is the emerald Buddha himself

Ceremonies are held at the entrance to the temple

A shrine near the temple of the Emerald Buddha

In addition to the Royal Palace itself, you can visit several other interesting objects by ticket:

• The Museum of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha Phra Kayu. It can be found in a separate building before leaving the palace. Tells about the history of the temple, there is a rich collection of artifacts and gifts to the temple. It is forbidden to take photos inside, but we took a photo for you, see below.
• Queen Sikirit Textile Museum. It is located after leaving the paid part of the royal palace, you will find it by the signs. The thematic museum about the fabrics of Thailand, despite its specificity, is quite interesting and also worth a visit.
• Thai Mask Dance Show At Sala Chalermkrung. It is held in the building of the Royal Theater from 13:00, 14:30 and 16:00 from Monday to Friday. You can get to the theater building by free buses, which depart according to the schedule from the exit of the palace.

Previously, this ticket was also available for the Vimanmek Mansion on the territory of the Dusit palace complex, but in 2025 it is closed for reconstruction and it is not known whether it will be reopened.

The building of the museum of the temple of the Emerald Buddha Phra Kayu

Inside the temple museum (but photos are not allowed here)

And this is in the textile museum

Despite the fact that the palace is the official residence of the Royal Family of Thailand, the king and his family have not lived here since 1946. In 1946, King Ananda Mahidol Rama VIII died in the palace under mysterious circumstances, and since then the royal family has been living in Chitralada Palace, also in Bangkok. Here, the king appears only for official events. The cause of the death of King Rama VIII has not been reliably established, or at least not announced to the public, and discussion of the circumstances of this tragedy in Thailand is prohibited. You can read more about this tragic event and its alleged causes in Wikipedia.

How to visit the Royal Palace in Bangkok and inspection tips

It is best to start exploring the complex from the very early morning, when it is not too hot and there are not very many tourists. Buses with groups of tourists are starting to arrive here very actively around 11 o'clock, and after that time there is practically no chance to take beautiful photos without crowds of tourists. By noon, there are so many tourists here that in some places it is even difficult to get through some of the narrow passages of the palace. So, if you want to explore the palace in a more relaxed atmosphere, welcome here by 8:30 in the morning.

For a full acquaintance with the palace, at least half a day should be allocated, and ideally this should be done with a guide, an audio guide, or at least with a paper guide. When buying tickets, you can take an excellent paper guide to the palace with a detailed description for free, or for 200 baht a media player-audio guide that will tell you in detail about the history and guide you through the entire territory of the palace ( Russian is also available). Also at the entrance there will be many offers to accompany you around the palace from live guides, the price for whose services is negotiable.

That's how it happens in the palace by noon

To get to the palace, you need to go through the main gate (the main gate and the entrance to the Royal Palace on the map). Immediately after the passage, you will have to go through a whole cordon of guides, all sorts of helped and pestered, whose help is better to refuse. Approximately here you pass the dress code for access to the palace, and if you are not dressed appropriately (T-shirt with open shoulders, shorts, short skirt, beach slippers are considered unacceptable) you will be stopped and offered to rent a cape. The cape is issued free of charge, you only need to leave a deposit of 200 baht. With large backpacks and bags, food and drinks may not be allowed into the Royal Palace either, you can try to leave them in the storage rooms in the same place where the capes are issued.

The ticket offices are not located immediately after entering the main gate. You need to walk along the alley right up to the stop, and then to the left, there you will see the ticket offices. Buy tickets only at the box office, not by hand. Also now you can buy tickets at automatic ticket offices and online on the palace website, the price is the same everywhere.

You can move around the complex of the Royal Palace freely, along an arbitrary route. However, the general movement is in the same direction from the entrance to the exit. Photographing on the territory of the palace is allowed, but strictly prohibited inside the temples of the emerald Buddha, although the emerald Buddha himself can be freely photographed through the doors of the temple from the street. The use of drones is strictly prohibited, and a huge fine is provided for this.

Friends, we remind you that it is much more interesting to get acquainted with the sights of Bangkok with the help of excursions, and therefore we advise you to look at options with online booking and reviews on these excursion aggregators in Russian.:

• 📷 Search for excursions in Bangkok on Sputnik8.com
• 📷 Search for excursions in Bangkok on Tripster.ru
• 📷 Search for excursions in Bangkok on Tezeks.com