Top 12 Reasons to Visit Grand Palace, Bangkok

Let us discover at least twelve reasons and maybe more on why you should visit the Grand Palace, what to expect from the place of interest, where to stay, how much time you require, would there be fees, when and why to visit both the Grand Palace and Bangkok itself, are there other nearby places to visit whilst you are there, how to get around Bangkok, insider tips for travelers and where to shop of course!

The Royal Palace is also Thailand’s most sacred Buddhist temple site, which the Thai people hold close to their hearts. Between 1782 to 1925 the Grand Palace, which is really a place of great interest, has donned many roles with ease from the royal residence, the war ministry, the Thai mint, the Royal Court, the administrative and government seat. The palace has an outer court, central court, and an inner court. The outer court had all the buildings where the king was involved in, like the administrative, civil, army, treasury and such. The center court is the palace and temple complex. The inner court, on the other hand, had the royal residences, temple, court hall and annexes for the king’s royal duties and his stay.

Some of the must-see attractions at the Grand Palace are discussed below.

The holy Grand Palace temple also known as Temple of the Emerald Buddha aka Temple of the Jade Buddha in elegant Thai style of architecture and contains some precious remnants of the Buddha, generally hair, bones or teeth, and is zealously guarded at the entrance by sentinel demonic figures of Chinese origin that stand on either side of it. The sitting Buddha is a single jade block carving robed in a golden cloak. A rendition of "Ramakien" with murals accompanied by marble plaque commentaries of King Rama the Fifth follows till you come to Phra Si Ratana where the holy relic is enshrined. The term emerald has been used because of the green color of the jade from which the statue was hewn.

The Grand Palace canopy over the shrine has nine tiers and the most intricate statue of the Sitting Buddha within it. The sitting Buddha is a single jade block carving robed in a golden cloak. The statue itself is small and legend has it that it was carved in India’s Pataliputra whereas some say it originated in Burma. That aside, the statue ensconced in plaster was discovered in 1434 in Chiang Rai when a lightning bolt struck a package of artifacts exposing the lost Buddha below. The package was brought in through Cambodia and Sri Lanka or Ceylon way back in 1778. Thus the Buddha traveled to Bangkok’s Grand Palace and has been enshrined there since then. The golden robes of the statue are changed thrice a year by the king in a special celebration for the new season.

Just behind the Phra Sri Ratana of the Grand Palace lies the center of attraction, which is the glass-mosaic decorated Phra Mondhop holding the triple basket of the Tripitaka of the sacred scriptures. These Buddhist scriptures rest in the mondhop on a mother-of-pearl lacquered black bookcase on a floor of silver.

This is the treasury part of the Grand Palace or Phra Viharn Yot which holds the ancient treasures. Among them is the stone throne of Thailand’s founder, the 13^th century King Ramkhamhaeng’s throne discovered by Rama the fourth or King Mongkut. He is credited with bringing the throne back to Bangkok after discovering it when traveling as a monk.

The Royal Pantheon at the Grand Palace was originally designed to be the shrine of the emerald Buddha till a fire destroyed it. After restoration, it was turned into a mausoleum- themed holding-room for sculptures of pre-deceased kings. The Pantheon or in Thai Prasat Phra Debidorn section has full-size life-like statues of the Chakri dynasty’s eight kings. The present ruler King Bhumibol, is the 9^th ascendant to the title. The doors of this section are opened to the public only on the 6^th of April every year when Chakri Day is celebrated.

The stone-hewn model of the real monument's design that had been used from the actual planning of the Angkor Wat lies at the Grand Palace from the days of Rama the fourth. It is interesting to see how these buildings were planned and executed in ancient times. The present location of the Angkor Wat is in Cambodia and indicated that the rule of the then Siam kingdom did include Cambodia in its territories as an acceding state.

At the Grand Palace there is a Central court which contains the Royal Reception Halls. The Boromabiman Hall is part of the building with a view of the lawns and was used for the annual bash of the King, ever since the reign of King Rama the sixth. Currently, it is used to accommodate visiting Buddhist monks ranked very high or the State Heads on official visits. The reigning monarch does not live here though he grew up here. He resides at the Chitralada Residence. The royal inner court was home to the king’s consorts, daughters, and the young below the age of twelve. The interior frescos of the grand palace are depictions of the four elements and Indian gods of Agni, Varuna, and Indra who are considered the universal guardians. The plaques and inscriptions just below extol are the ten royal virtues of propriety, liberality, clemency, readiness to make sacrifices, modesty, freedom from anger, conscientiousness, freedom from suspicion, right dealing and great patience.

The great Chakri dynasty’s Grand Palace had an English architect who built it in the typical Italian style Renaissance buildings. It was King Rama V who altered it to reflect the Siamese style with a sloped roof and many mondhops. When viewed from the air it appears to be in sync with the environment, but it is in the layout and design that the superimposition of styles can be perceived. Adorning the walls of the palace interiors are paintings, detailing befitting the royal residents, portraits, treasures, and memorabilia of all the kings of the dynasty which makes it a veritable treasure trove providing an insight into the royal lives.

This is wherein King Rama I received his subjects and is the official court and throne room of the Chakri Palace. All ceremonies and annual celebrations of the reigning monarch’s coronation are still held in this very same hall. There is a peristyled porch in the front portion which is where the elephants were once tethered to the gold and red posts while the King’s proclamations were announced to his subjects.

Once Rama the First’s audience chamber, the single large Dusit Maha Prasat inner hall at the Grand Palace received visitors with the monarch seated on the niched throne set on the walls of the south wing. Modernity demanded larger thrones as used currently to seat the king. The interior murals got added on as the deceased monarch’s received obeisance when lying-in-state in this hall. The furniture, couches, ornamental objects have all been here since the days of Rama the first.

This was the robbing chamber of King Rama the first and lies just adjacent to the Dusit Maha Prasat at the Grand Palace. Having completed the meeting of his subjects the wooden pavilion called the Amphorn Phimok Prasat was used to change into princely regalia before he entered the audience room. A simple procedure of drawing the ornate gold-worked curtains and drapes would suffice to provide privacy to the king as he changed into his formal ceremonial robes. Such simplicity and discipline are worthy of emulating and a part of the royal traits throughout the history of the Buddhist Chakri Dynasty.

The Grand Palace is open every day of the week from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. The Royal Pantheon is open only on April 6^th of each year and the day is celebrated as Chakri Day. Entrance to the palace is through tickets that cost an expensive 500 baht.

The physical address is The Grand Palace of Bangkok, Na Phra Lan Road, Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang, Phra Nakhon.

Online tickets to the Grand Palace can be bought in advance if you do not like waiting in queues or crowds at the booths. The tickets are valid for entry to the Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall, Wat Phra Kaeo, Queen Sirikit Museum of Textile, the Vimanmek Palace, and the Royal Thai Decorations, Coins Center and include subsequent entry to the palace for seven days from your first visit.

The grand palace offers four free English guided tours at 10 am and 10:30 am in the mornings and again at 1:30 pm and 2 pm in the afternoons. You can rent audio guides and indulge in a self-guided tour of the Grand Palace. Audio guides in French, English, German, Mandarin, Spanish, Russian, or Japanese can be rented at the entrance for an additional 100 baht.

The grand palace of the Emerald Buddha and its temple is located on the banks of the River Chao Phraya. Popularly travelers use the Saphan Takin Station accessed by BTS Skytrain to take a River Chao Phyara Express Boat to Tha Chang Wang Luang Pier. From here it is walking distance to the Grand Palace main entrance

You can also use the metered taxis and Uber to be driven in to visit the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Get in and ensure every ride is metered. The ticketing booths at the entrance also work from 8:30am-3: 30 pm.

It is a fact that hotels are always located close to the landmarks and tourist attractions. Easy access and transportation score high on the traveler’s list. If you wish to be within reach of the Grand Palace and take maximum advantage of your stay, rather than expensive tickets, try the hotels like the Villa Phra Sumen Bangkok which offers budget rates, a free tuk-tuk to the Grand Palace shuttle, and excellent room facilities. The Phranakorn-Nornlen Hotel has affordability, a rooftop restaurant, and free breakfast as its guest house USP. The Riva Surya Bangkok riverside resort serves the mid-range travelers with a pool and free gym facilities thrown in. The top-end hotel close by is the Siam with its 5-star luxury facilities, private boat transfers, a lap pool, private butlers and an in-house cooking school.

At the top of the list is the Grand Palace. Other places like the Jim Thompson’s House and Museum associated with the silk revival movement, the Soi Cowboy Sukhumvit bar, Khao San Road Old City for its clubs, bars and nightlife, Patpong or Nana Bazaar and the Chatuchak Weekend Market for the once-in-a-lifetime shopping experience, the Chao Phraya riverside, its express boat trips and its resorts, Wat Pho old city for Thai massages and the visit to the Reclining Buddha Temple, Chinatown with loads of noodles, shopping and typical food, and the Floating Market for fresh fruits and vegetables can fill the few days of your vacation very well with shopping, partying, temple discoveries and cultural learning.

We have just undertaken a wordy tour of the Grand Palace of Bangkok and given you the much-needed foresight required before you plan your trip to Bangkok covering as much as would be helpful to any traveler to this marvel of Bangkok. Booking your flight trips for the grand palace tour with trip.com is easy and a value-add to this trip. No matter what the guides and blogs say, the visit to the Grand Palace is sure to be a learning experience you will treasure for a very long time. And yes, Bangkok has much more to offer than just the visit to the Emerald Temple. Hope to see you soon at the Bangkok and feel free to discover and add your own innovative ways to beat the heat and the tourist crowds here. We hope you have found more than just twelve reasons to visit the Grand Palace.