ianandmarYou shouldn’t go to Bangkok if you don’t have time for The Grand Palace. It is not only the number 1 attraction in the city but it is also a good introduction to Thailand as a country with rich history, traditions, and culture. This article will give you tips for visiting The Grand Palace, Bangkok.
Brief historical background
The kings and his people who are members of the government resided in the palace for almost 130 years, from 1782 to 1925. After the abolition of Thailand’s absolute monarchy however, the next successors moved to other residences in Bangkok which means the palace has had no residents for almost 100 years. From time to time though, there are important events held in the palace throughout the year.
More info on the buildings and names here.
We have been there last 2012 and came back again after 5 years in 2017. The first time we visited, we were not on tour. We just bought tickets and went in. The second time around though, we were with a group on a guided tour.
Which one do we recommend? Here are the differences.
NO TOUR
- ride a public transport to reach the palace
- on your own time
- freely hop to temples that interest you
- spend more time for photographs
- navigate your way through the palace
ON TOUR
- pick up and drop you off back to the hotel
- limited time, approximately 1.5 hours in the palace
- extra information and history for each temple
- guide brings you to temples with more historical value
- guide that can answer your questions
- before heading back to the hotel, you have an extra stop over at a jewellery shop in case you want to purchase a piece of jewellery
Tips for visiting The Grand Palace, Bangkok
Having tried both, we recommend first timers to join a tour for a complete Grand Palace experience. The temples have much more meaning when history and stories are added. Yes, they are pretty on the outside but they are a lot prettier on the inside. Imagine, seeing a golden reclining Buddha but you have no idea why it is positioned that way, and taking nice photos of the architecture but you don’t know the differences of each design.
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Apart from recommending you guys to visit the Grand Palace, there are also a lot more things to do in Bangkok. Need a little help with planning? You can check out this Bangkok Guide.
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Don’t know where to book? Try the one we got. Email Travease for an inquiry at bookings@mytravease.com.
Was this article helpful? Did joining a tour work better for you as well?
Good read! 🙂 Will definitely use this when we head to Thailand. Thanks for the tips!
Welcome, Kelly! 🙂
Love this! I have also been to the Grand palace in thailand, it was so beautiful =)
I totally agree! Everything is so well maintained considering the volume of people coming in and out everyday.
I agree with you. As much as I like wandering on my own to discover new places, joining a tour guide when I am in a new place is better. Specially if there are cultural differences and lots of history!
I used to wander solo before but actually having a guide that gives you information on things you didn’t even think of before is a cherry on top.
Love that you gave the history of the Grand Palace! I went there about a year ago but was crunched for time when I went, and I wish I would’ve been able to spend more time there. It sounds like a guided tour would be a good option if I make it back to Bangkok!
Oh! Sorry you didn’t have enough time but you can always go back, whenever you visit Asia. 🙂
Great recommendations for first time travelers visiting the grand palace. We always prefer to do the locations ourselves without a tour but that’s just a personal preference.
I agree with you! I have been going around without tours as well and then I tried joining one and realized, it’s not so bad after all. 🙂
I’m heading here in a few months’ time so I can’t wait to check this out! Thank you for sharing – this is saving me a lot of time in research haha <3
Stephanie | theFantasia.com
Yay enjoy! And welcome. 🙂