ThailandDon't want to read a lot of text? Here are quick answers about the Grand Palace in Bangkok:
- When to go? – At opening, by 8:30 AM. By 11 o'clock organized groups arrive, and it becomes hard to squeeze through the narrow passages. Allow at least half a day for the visit.
- How much is a ticket? – 500 baht. It includes the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the temple museum, the textile museum and a dance show. Audio guide in Russian – 200 baht, a cover-up is provided free with a 200 baht deposit.
- How to get there? – By taxi from the center about 200 baht, by metro to MRT Sanam Chai station and a 20-minute walk, by river tram or city buses. More details in the table below.
- What to see first? – The Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the temple museum, the textile museum and the Thai mask show.
- Dress code? – No shorts, short skirts, tank tops with bare shoulders or beach flip-flops. At the entrance they give a cover-up with a 200 baht deposit. Large backpacks, food and drinks are best left in the locker room. Photography inside the Temple of the Emerald Buddha is forbidden.
- Beware, scam! – If a tuk-tuk driver says the palace is closed today and offers a "free tour" – it's a lie. Just walk to the entrance, the palace is open.
And now for all the details:
The Royal Palace in Bangkok: Description and Whether It's Worth Visiting
Let's say right away: yes, it's worth visiting. The Grand Palace isn't just "another temple" on the list of attractions. It's one of the largest and most iconic places in all of Thailand, and we think neither the time nor the money spent on the visit is a waste. Hundreds of beautiful photos and a mass of impressions are guaranteed – there's really plenty to see and be inspired by here. If you have only one free day in Bangkok, the palace is what should be first on your schedule.
The Grand Palace in Bangkok (The Grand Palace, in Thai Phra Borom Maha Ratcha Wang) is the capital's main attraction and one of Thailand's most revered places. For Thais it's almost a shrine, and the reason isn't only its connection to the royal family. It houses the Emerald Buddha – a statue that devout Buddhists particularly revere. Anyone can see it with their own eyes, and for that alone it's worth coming.
It's a large complex of buildings and temples of incredible beauty. Construction began in 1782, and officially ended in 1785. Originally it was wooden, and over time it grew more and more new buildings, with wooden structures replaced by stone ones. Now it occupies an area of 218 thousand square meters (for comparison, the Moscow Kremlin's area is 277 thousand square meters).
The palace grounds are divided into the part accessible to tourists and the closed or official part. The closed part houses the royal residence and administrative buildings, and entry there is strictly forbidden to outsiders, with guards everywhere. But the area open to visitors is the most beautiful: here are several palaces and temples, a throne hall, stupas and a museum, exhibitions. When visiting, you don't have to know the name and purpose of every building and element, there are enough impressions without that, with how everything sparkles with beauty and splendor. But if you still want to dig deeper into the topic, when buying tickets you can take a free map of the Royal Palace as a brochure with information and an audio guide for an additional fee.
What to See in the Grand Palace
Among all the structures of the Royal Palace, the Temple of the Emerald or Jade Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew) stands out especially, built by order of King Rama I and intended for his personal worship of Buddha. Here is displayed a statue of Buddha made of pure emerald (jadeite) 66 centimeters tall, which was discovered in 1431, and who made it and when, according to legend, no one knows. The statue was found in Wat Phra Kaew temple in Chiang Rai in the north of the country, and according to one version it was hidden inside another clay Buddha statue, and according to another it was covered with gold plates. Photography in this temple is strictly forbidden, although anyone can enter the temple hall and see the shrine with their own eyes.
The Emerald Buddha's clothing is changed three times a year personally by the King of Thailand – this tradition is alive today. The ceremony is held by season: in summer the statue wears a light golden robe, in the rainy season – a sash over the shoulder, in winter – a thick golden vestment. All the outfits are made of pure gold and decorated with precious stones. The king himself ascends to the statue, removes the previous clothing, cleans it with fragrant water and dresses it in the new one.
Tourists aren't allowed into the temple itself at that moment. But the palace grounds are usually opened on a special schedule (for example, only until noon), and from outside you can see the arrival of the royal procession and even receive a blessing with holy water. So if your day in Bangkok coincides with the ceremony – it's a rare chance to touch a royal tradition, but don't expect to see the ceremony itself.
Besides the Royal Palace itself, your ticket also lets you visit several other interesting sites:
- Museum of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Phra Kaew. You can find it in a separate building before exiting the palace. It tells about the temple's history, and here there's a rich collection of artifacts and gifts to the temple. Photography inside is forbidden, but we've taken photos for you, see below.
- Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles. It's located after exiting the paid part of the Royal Palace, you'll find it by the signs. A themed museum about Thailand's fabrics, and despite its specificity it's quite interesting and worth visiting too.
- Thai mask dance show At Sala Chalermkrung. Held in the royal theater building at 1:00 PM, 2:30 PM and 4:00 PM Monday to Friday. You can get to the theater building by free buses that depart on schedule from the palace exit.
Previously, this ticket also gave access to the Vimanmek Mansion on the grounds of the Dusit Palace complex, but it's closed for reconstruction and it's unknown whether it will reopen.
Here are photos of just a small part of what you can see here:
Despite the fact that the palace is the official residence of Thailand's Royal family, the king and his family haven't 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 lived in the Chitralada Palace, also in Bangkok. Here the king only appears for official events. The cause of King Rama VIII's death is still a subject of debate, you can read more about this tragic event and its alleged causes on Wikipedia.
How to Visit the Royal Palace in Bangkok: Tips and Dress Code
Very often tours combine a visit to the Royal Palace with a visit to the Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho) and the Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun), which are very close by. However, you need to understand that these three attractions are very large-scale, and exploring them is tiring not only physically but also emotionally. I.e. it's quite likely that after walking around the Palace you won't have the energy left to enjoy the views and atmosphere of the other temples. So if possible, we'd advise visiting them all not at once in one day, but over several days, or maybe even on different trips.
It's best to start exploring the complex early in the morning, when it's not too hot and there aren't many tourists. Buses with tourist groups start arriving very actively by around 11 o'clock, and after that time there's practically no chance of taking beautiful photos without crowds of tourists. By noon there are so many tourists here that in some places it's even hard to squeeze through some of the narrow passages of the palace. So if you want to explore the palace in a calmer setting, welcome here by 8:30 AM.
For a full acquaintance with the palace you should set aside at least half a day, and ideally you should do it with a guide, audio guide or at least a paper guidebook. When buying tickets you can take an excellent paper guidebook to the palace with a detailed description completely free, or for 200 baht a media player-audio guide that will tell you about the history in every detail and guide you through the entire palace grounds (Russian is also available). Also at the entrance there will be many offers to accompany you through the palace from live guides, whose service price is negotiable.
To get into the palace, you need to pass through the main gate (the main gate and entrance to the Royal Palace on the map). Right after passing you'll have to go through a whole cordon of guides, various helpers and touts, whose help is better declined. Around here you also go through the dress code check for palace access, and if you're dressed inappropriately (tank top with bare shoulders, shorts, short skirt, beach flip-flops are considered unacceptable) you'll be stopped and offered to rent a cover-up. The cover-up is provided free, you just need to leave a 200 baht deposit. With large backpacks and bags, food and drinks you may also not be allowed into the Royal Palace, you can try to leave them in the lockers right where the cover-ups are given out.
The ticket offices aren't right after entering the main gate. You need to walk along the alley straight to the end, then turn left, there you'll see the ticket offices. Buy tickets only at the ticket offices, and definitely not from hand. Also now you can buy tickets at automatic ticket machines and online on the palace website, the price is the same everywhere.
You can move around the Royal Palace complex freely, along an arbitrary route. However, the general flow goes in one direction from the entrance to the exit. Photography on the palace grounds is allowed, but strictly forbidden inside the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, although the Emerald Buddha itself can be freely photographed through the temple doors from the street. Drone use is strictly forbidden, with a huge fine for it.
Be vigilant! Near the palace there are always scammer tuk-tuk drivers with a very old trick: the palace isn't open today, come with me on a free tour. Don't believe them, it's a lie. Just walk past and go to the palace, and you'll discover that it's actually open. And this supposedly free tour, if you agree to it, is actually just a ride around souvenir and jewelry shops, where experienced sellers will work on you until you buy something at exorbitant prices.
🌐 Official website: https://www.royalgrandpalace.th/en/home
🕐 Opening Hours
Daily, no days off, from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM (ticket sales and visitor entry stop at 3:30 PM). Sometimes (very rarely) the palace closes for solemn royal ceremonies. If you're going to Bangkok for the palace, in the morning before leaving the hotel check the official website or ask at the reception – that way you definitely won't arrive at closed gates.
💵 Entrance Fee / Ticket Prices
500 baht (14.93 USD) + 200 baht media player-audio guide in various languages, optional. You can buy tickets online with payment by Russian card or via SBP on Trip.com.
🚶 How to Get There
The Royal Palace of Bangkok is on the banks of the Chao Phraya River on the Rattanakosin peninsula (Grand Palace entrance on the Bangkok map). Important! The palace grounds are large, and to avoid walking around it, try to head straight to the main entrance Mani Noppharat Gate on the north side to the point marked on our map.
Very close to the palace are the Khao San and Chinatown districts, part of Riverside, and you can get to the entrance from these districts on foot.
And here's how to get to the Royal Palace from other Bangkok districts:
-
By Taxi
A metered taxi ride to the Royal Palace from most central Bangkok districts will cost about 200 baht. You can order a taxi in Bangkok via the Grab, Maxim, InDrive apps, but Uber doesn't work here. In these apps you'll see the price right before ordering the trip, and you can pay it with a card linked in the app (Russian cards don't work) or in cash to the driver at the end of the trip.
-
By Metro
If there's a metro near your hotel, you can now get to the palace by it. The new Sanam Chai station of the blue line of the MRT subway is relatively nearby, from there it's a 20-minute walk (1 kilometer) to the main entrance of the palace.
If there's no MRT subway station near you, then take the BTS skytrain to Saphan Taksin station, and then from the pier next to the station take the Express Boat on the Chao Phraya River for 16 baht by commuter boat to the pier next to the Royal Palace. This route isn't complicated and is very interesting, but it's quite long in time, since from the center it's kind of a detour. And price-wise for two or more it'll be comparable to a taxi.
-
By City Buses
The cheapest way to get to the Royal Palace is by city buses No. 1, 3, 9, 15, 25, 30, 32, 33, 39, 43, 44, 47, 53, 64, 80, 82, 91, 201, 203, 501, 503,508, 512 (fare depending on distance and bus category costs from 8 to 36 baht), but it can take quite a long time, and from some districts you may have to travel with transfers. To plan your route you can use the service on the official city bus website BMTA or route planners on Google Maps or the ViaBus app (recommended).
-
By Canal Boats
Another option to get closer to the Royal Palace is to take a boat along the canals on commuter boats on Bangkok's canals. The nearest water taxi stop is near the Golden Mount Temple (almost two kilometers from the palace) and is called Panfa Leelard. You can sail there without a transfer from the Pratunam and Siam districts for 17 baht, and then it's 2 kilometers to the palace entrance on foot or by taxi for 100 baht.
More details on how and what to take to get around Bangkok for tourists.
From Pattaya or Hua Hin
If you want to visit the Royal Palace from Pattaya or Hua Hin, it's best to do it as part of a tour, this will let you save both time and energy, and get much more impressions. You'll be picked up from the hotel early in the morning, driven through several points in Bangkok and told lots of interesting things along the way. Tours to Bangkok with a visit to the palace are sold at every travel agency at the resorts (cost from 2900 baht), or you can pick options online, which is even cheaper:
- 📷 Tours from Pattaya on Sputnik8.com – tours in Russian
- 📷 Tours from Pattaya on Tripster.ru – tours in Russian
- 📷 Tours from Pattaya on Trip.com – lots of options, Russian cards work
- 📷 Tours from Pattaya on GetYourGuide – lots of options, but only foreign cards
In theory you can also go here on your own within a day, but this is that rare case when we don't recommend doing so. If you go on your own by bus, you'll first have to get to one of the bus stations, then get to the palace by public transport or taxi, fend off the touts and tuk-tuk scammers. All this takes a lot of time and energy, and as a result, besides the palace you'll have no strength or time left for anything else. And you'll still need to get back. You can also rent a car and drive, but we don't recommend that either because of the very difficult traffic and parking difficulties in the historic district of the palace. And believe us, we know what we're talking about, we've driven around Bangkok by car.
And now all the ways in one table for clarity:
| Method | Approximate price | Travel time | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taxi / Grab, Maxim, InDrive | ~200 baht from the center | 20–40 minutes | Couples, families, if the hotel isn't near the metro |
| MRT metro to Sanam Chai | from 16 baht | 30–40 minutes + 20 minutes walk | Those saving money and ready to walk a bit |
| River tram on the Chao Phraya | 16 baht | 40–60 minutes | Those coming from Saphan Taksin or Khao San |
| City buses | 8–36 baht | 30–90 minutes | Budget travelers with time to spare |
| Canal boats | 17 baht | 30–50 minutes + 2 km walk | Those coming from Pratunam or Siam |
| Tour from Pattaya or Hua Hin | from 2900 baht | All day | Those who don't want to deal with transport |
Friends, a reminder that it's much more interesting to explore Bangkok's attractions with guided tours, so we suggest checking out options with online booking and reviews on these Russian-language tour aggregators: