Landmark · Rattanakosin
The Grand Palace
Bangkok’s royal showpiece
Why go
Home of Siam’s kings since 1782, the Grand Palace is Bangkok at its most dazzling: gilded spires, mirrored mosaics and the Emerald Buddha, the most revered image in Thailand. It is the one ticket in the city that everyone queues for, and it earns it.
What to see
- Wat Phra Kaew, the royal chapel holding the Emerald Buddha, carved from a single block of jade.
- The upper terrace, a golden chedi, a model of Angkor Wat and mosaic-clad pillars, all in one frame.
- The Ramakien murals, two kilometres of painted epic running around the compound’s cloister walls.
- Chakri Maha Prasat, the throne hall that puts a Thai roof on an Italianate palace.
How to skip the crowds
Gates open at 8:30am; be there for opening and do Wat Phra Kaew first, ahead of the tour groups. Anyone outside telling you the palace is closed is running a scam. Walk past.
Getting there
Take the Chao Phraya river boat to Tha Chang pier and walk five minutes. Cover knees and shoulders, or rent a wrap at the gate. Wat Pho and its Reclining Buddha are ten minutes south on foot.
