Located at the heart of Bangkok, Thailand, the Grand Palace was a former residence for King Rama I to King Rama V of the Rattanakosin Kingdom. Today, the place is used for hosting royal ceremonies and welcoming the king’s guests, State guests, and other foreign dignitaries. Palace is located in the old city of Bangkok on the banks of the Chao Phraya river and is one of the must see sites of Thailand.
Our family of 4 (including 2 children9 and 5) visited the grand palace as part of a tour during our recent holiday to Bangkok. The great palace actually includes lot of building, temples, statuettes, mosaics and paintings.
There is a dress code for the palace, no shorts or sandals. Women must not show their knees and shoulders. If you forget they will give you a sarong/trousers to wear until you leave.
There is lot to see in the complex and it is all very elegant and beautiful. You need to make time to walk about and the queues can get quite long for certain temples, particularly the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. You have to take your shoes off and if you have bare feet watch out, the marble is boiling.
If you are visiting Bangkok first time it is a must see sites in Bangkok, where displays the harmonized combination of Thai, Chinese, and European architectural styles which reflect Thai cultures. Both were spectacular in terms of colours, the intricacy of designs and the amount of gold used. We were lucky enough to explore these sights on a clear day and the photos turned out beautiful. It was great to explore with a guide because it allowed us to ask questions and understand what we were seeing. It was also interesting to see the ongoing restorations required to keep everything looking new and fresh. The murals on the walls were beautiful, and Guide was able to help us understand the story from the Ramakien that was illustrated. That part was definitely something we would have missed on our own.
Really enjoyed the Grand Palace and then walked to Wat Pho. Both are must see. There were numerous tourists and locals. The heat was toughest part so please dink lot of fluid, but the sites were extraordinary. You see locals working to clean and restore individual tiles and appreciate the workmanship required to keep the gleam. It is very touristy but at the end of the day it is a place of worship as well so please be respectful to the Thai culture and their religion which we were try to make our kids understand as well.
Everywhere you look its just magnificent. One thing to note is the people standing outside doors of the Palace will try to tell you that the Palace is closed. Do not listen to them and make your way to the main gate. If you’re a history lover seeking history backing more than a 1000 years, this might be the right place.
A wonderful, must see Bangkok experience, but don’t get side tracked. Hats, sunblock and water are a must for walking in the open areas. For more detail shots please check out our Photography page 🙂