Grand Palace, Bangkok

The Grand Palace is seriously pretty.

There are no BTS or subway stations nearby, so you probably have to take a taxi to come here if you stay at a city hotel (ie located in Silom or Sumkhumvit). I happened to by staying at a riverside hotel. There is a public pier right beside the Mandarin Oriental pier. At this public pier, you can catch tourist ferries that go up and down the river. Get off at Tha Chang pier to get to the Grand Palace. The Grand Palace is only 3 mins walk from the pier.

The tourist ferry is 40 baht per person per trip but there are also day passes available. On my way to the Grand Palace, I actually hopped onto a public ferry that costed nothing. The Mandarin Oriental had informed me that the fare is 15 baht but no one came around to collect any money from me.

I am not sure if the river is the best way to get to the Grand Palace though. All the piers are seriously rotting. They are crowded, noisy and chaotic. I didn’t see any sign in English. It was never clear to me which ferry is for whom. Hence, prepared to be shooed roughly away by the people working the boats (since there is no sign in English).

The alternative to go to the Grand Palace is to take a taxi. However, I was told by Mandarin Oriental it can take up to 45 mins to travel from a riverside hotel to the Grand Palace in the event of traffic jams.

Once you get to the Grand Palace, the ticket costs 500 baht, inclusive of entrance to Emerald Buddha, Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles, all within the compound of the Grand Palace.

The Grand Palace is very crowded, full of tourists of everywhere.

If I had to choose between the Grand Palace in Bangkok and the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, I would say the Grand Palace is prettier. Some architecture of the Grand Palace is decidedly western, unseen in the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh.