So, last weekend the husband and I gave in and finally did the one thing every tourist does in Bangkok: visit the Grand Palace! The sky was ominously overcast in the morning and I was ready to postpone yet again, but the husband took charge and hustled us out of the door, armed with umbrellas and wearing waterproof shows.
There are multiple ways to get to the Grand Palace. We decided to go by boat, which turned out to be an excellent decision. A number of Thai people told us to take a cab because there's very little traffic on a weekend morning but everything's not just about convenience, is it? Especially if you live in the city and aren't pressed for time. So we took the BTS Skytrain to Saphan Taksin. Right under the station, there's a pier where you can buy
a 40 Baht ticket for the Express Boat down the Chaophraya River, which is the one that we took. No matter which pier you want to disembark at, it costs 40 Baht.
Do make sure you get onto the boat heading in the right direction.
The ferry boat was pretty full by the time it reached our pier. The husband and I got in towards the end so we were lucky enough to have an excuse to stand on the prow - is that the right word? My nautical knowledge is painfully non-existent. Anyway, I'm referring to the seat-less, raised section at the front of the boat. The signs warn passengers not to stand there but frankly, when the inside of the ferry boat is jam-packed, you don't have much of a choice! Anyway, it was a perfect vantage point to observe what was going on on both sides of the river. We passed a bunch of riverside places that will need dedicated exploration time - little temples, low-key cafes, fine dining establishments, and so on. Thanks to the cloudy morning and the nip in the air, the 20-minute journey was absolutely GORGEOUS - despite the occasional floating island of garbage on the Chaophraya River!
For the Grand Palace, you need to get off at Pier ("Tha" in Thai) Chang. However, no-one was calling out the name of the pier where the boat was stopping. As a result a group of about 30 palace-bound foreigners - including us - nearly got off two stops early! Luckily, someone saw the pier name in time and we all clambered back in. When you get off at Pier Chang, you enter straight into a local market. Souvenirs, handicrafts, food, and drinks...it's your typical Bangkok tourist market. There was some sort of religious festival going on the day we went so we were handed free snacks as we walked through - yay!
The palace walls lie just outside the market. On your way to the gate, you will pass various hawkers with sarongs, shirts and hats for rent/purchase.
To enter the Grand Palace, men and women must be "decently" clad - avoid shorts, short skirts, sleeveless tops, plunging necklines, raggedy clothes, skin-tight trousers, and so on. You will not be allowed to enter if your outfit is deemed inappropriate! You may also encounter touts and con-men who will try and convince you that the complex is closed. Ignore them and stay the course:
the Grand Palace is open every day from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm.
Tickets cost 500 Baht and - along with the palace itself - include entry into Wat Phra Kaeo (the Emerald Buddha Temple), the Coins Pavilion, and the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles, all of which are on palace grounds. We skipped the coins (not our style) and textiles (line was too long) but the Temple of the Emerald Buddha was stunning! The Palace itself was also lovely. Those who are impressed by sheer size and gilded glitter will find plenty to be awed by, and those who prefer the little details will enjoy the chance to explore the hidden nooks and crannies of the palace. Audio guides are available for 100 Baht, although we found the free pamphlet handed out at the entrance (available in English, Mandarin, German, etc.) quite adequate to satisfy our curiosity. Someone who is very enthusiastic about history and architecture might do
I won't write about the palace in detail (plenty of online info on the style and buildings). Instead, take a look at the photographs in this article to get a sense of our palace experience!
