Visit the Royal Palace of Bangkok: tickets, prices, schedules

You're in Thailand, the "smile country"? So don't miss visiting the Royal Palace of Bangkok, a must to admire in the kingdom of Siam!

When you come to Thailand, the points of interest are not missing, from one end to the other of this great country! But if you had to choose one, it would certainly seem to you to go to visit the Royal Palace of Bangkok: in addition to its prominent cultural, spiritual and political role, it is also well present in the Thai soul and in the heart of all the inhabitants there, still today, extremely attached.

To convince you to take a look at this marvel of the Far East, and to help you organize your visit, we have prepared a complete program that crosses all the information essential to your stay: historic of the place, attractions not to be missed, access plan but also schedules and prices are presented below!

So, ready to visit the Royal Palace in Bangkok?

History of the Royal Palace of Bangkok

The first capital of the kingdom of Siam (the ancient name of Thailand) was Sukhotai, between the 13th and 14th century, then the city of Ayutthaya, which was repeatedly destroyed by the Burmese troops between the 14th and the 18th century; to see his capital destroyed, the king Rama 1 , founder of the dynasty Chakri - still reigning today-, chose to settle on the other side of the Chao Praya River in a small village named Bangkok.

The current capital was born! In 1782 he built the Royal Palace of Bangkok on the river, and a temple, Wat Phra Kaeo , which acts as a chapel of the palace, to house there the statuette of the Emerald Buddha. It is the latter who, still today, makes the reputation of the Royal Palace in Bangkok: this statue in jadéite is venerated throughout Thailand and represents the religious emblem of the reigning dynasty. Its origin is legendary: in the 15th century it appeared in a Buddhist monument cracked by lightning!

During the recent history of Thailand, many other royal buildings came to build around these two sumptuous palaces, and it is this set of flamboyant buildings, grouped in a gigantic 218-hectare enclosure, which we come to see when we decided to visit the Royal Palace of Bangkok.

If you like visiting Thai palaces and temples, you can book a combined visit of the Royal Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun .

What to see and do at the Royal Palace in Bangkok?

The Royal Palace of Bangkok is, in fact, a complex of many impressive, multicolored and perfectly maintained buildings: let’s start with the Wat Phra Keo, a sumptuous chapel that houses the famous Emerald Buddha: this is the most visited Buddhist site in all of Thailand! In fact, the block of jadeite constituting the statuette with its base is only 75 cm tall, and the statue itself does not exceed 60 cm! It is assumed that it was cut in the 15th century by the artists of the Chiang Saen School. Today, it is presented on a gigantic pedestal of eleven meters high, sheltered by a glass cage and a 9-storey golden umbrella.

Anecdote interesting, the Emerald Buddha has three costumes of precious stones, which are only changed by... the king himself, during the great ceremonies punctuating the cultural and spiritual life of Thais. At the foot of the altar you can see many gifts and gifts from all over Thailand!

Once the visit to the chapel is completed, head to the Royal Pantheon, in bright colours: if you wish, you can collect it - it is necessary to remove its shoes. It should be noted that when visiting the Royal Palace in Bangkok, it is possible to pray and burn incense in many areas planned for this purpose: and it is not reserved only to Thais.

A splendid museum is also available upon presentation of your entry ticket, and retraces the rich history of this spectacular place in many ways! Don’t miss a tour at the Royal Pavilion of Thai decorations and coins: a permanent exhibition of commemorative medals and coins will make you travel in time until the 11th century by giving you the opportunity to admire insignia and medals of this particular kingdom.

You can also admire the Office of the Royal House, as well as the Office of the Director of Cabinet of Her Majesty; but stay out, of course! Indeed, the Royal Palace of Bangkok is, for part, still used today by the Royal Thai Administration and thus has a leading political and administrative role.

Grand Palais Plan in Bangkok – What to see at the Royal Palace?

Here's what the numbers match on the Royal Palace map Bangkok:

• 1. Temple of the Emerald Buddha

• 2. Royal House Office

• 3. Office of the Chief Executive Officer of Her Majesty

• 4. Sala Luk Khun Nai

• 5. Sala Sahathai Samakhom

• 6. Museum of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha

• 7. Regular Pavilion of Royal Decorations and Thai Currency

• 8. Phra Thinang Amarin Winichai

• 9. Phra Thinang Phaisan Thaksin

• 10. Phra Thinang Chakraphat Phiman

• 11. Phra Thinang Dusidaphirom

• 12. Phra Thinang Racharuedee

• 13. Phra Thinang Sanam Chan

• 14. Ho Sastrakhom

• 15. Ho Sulalai Phiman

• 16. Ho Phra That Montien

• 17. Phra Thinang Chakri Maha Prasat

• 18. Phra Thinang Moon Satharn Borom Ard

• 19. Phra Thinang Sommuthi Thevaraj Uppabat

• 20. Phra Thinang Borom Ratchasathit Mahoran

• 21. Phra Thinang Dusit Maha Prasat

• 22. Phra Thinang Phiman Rattaya

• 23. Phra Thinang Aphorn Phimok Prasat

• 24. Phra Thinang Rachakaranya Sapha

• 25. Ho Plueng Krueng

• 26. Mount Kailasa

• 27. Siwalai Garden

• 28. Phra Thinang Boromphiman

• 29. Phra Thinang Mahisorn Prasat

• 30. Phra Thinang Siwalai Maha Prasat

• 31. Phra Thinang Sitalaphirom

• 32. Phra Phuttha Rattanasathan

• 33. Phra Thinang Chai Chumpol

• 34. Phra Thinang Suthaisawan Prasat

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How to visit the Royal Palace of Bangkok?

The Royal Palace of Bangkok is located near the Chao Praya River, right next to the Wat Pho -the temple of the Buddha lying in Bangkok. It is surrounded by a white wall and its sharp roofs are recognizable from far away! To the extent that no metro station is present in the surrounding area, you will have to choose between taxi, boat or bus to visit the Royal Palace of Bangkok:

• By taxi: It will cost you a few hundred bahts -less than ten euros - to get to the place, they are relatively affordable, but given the permanent traffic jams, it is not necessarily fast or pleasant.
• By boat: The boat is probably the most interesting way to get there! After taking the Silom line of the Skytrain BTS - Bangkok's airline, go down to Saphan Taksin Station before taking exit number 2. A public boat, the Chao Phraya Express Boat, is right in front of you and will lead you along the river to Station 9, Tha Chang., which is only five minutes’ walk from the main entrance of the Royal Palace of Bangkok. You will cross a friendly market where many typical restaurants await the visitor, before or after they have come to visit the Royal Palace of Bangkok.
• By bus: Many lines offer a stop very close to the site – due to the strong tourist demand – and this is probably the simplest option, especially when you don’t speak Thai!

Schedules & Rates of the Royal Palace of Bangkok

HORARI

The Royal Palace of Bangkok is open every day from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. - but the ticket sales are stopped at 3:30 p.m. It is important to know that the site is closed at local religious ceremonies, especially on November 18, on December 5 and 6... First get in touch to avoid the disappointments!

RATES

To visit the Royal Palace in Bangkok, it will cost you 500 Bahts, a little less than fifteen euros. Admission is free, however, for Thai nationals. Admission is also free for children under 1m20. It is possible to visit the Royal Palace of Bangkok with an audioguide for 200 more baht.

Have you visited the Royal Palace in Bangkok?