Its fun, easy and one of those things you just have to do when your in Thailand. I’m going to talk you through what you need to know about temple hopping in Bangkok. Do’s and Don’ts, Time and Cost, Transfer and Scams, AND most importantly DRESS CODE!
The Grand Palace
COST: 400 Baht | TIME: 8am – 3:30pm
We started of at The Grand Palace, taking a Grab from our hotel ‘President Park’ which was only a 20 minute drive. We encountered our first scam of the day as the driver was insisting that he took us to a market before taking us to see The Grand Palace. But we stood our ground and kept our cool, (literally it was humid) and made sure he took us to the right location. After getting out of the taxi you will be approached by strangers telling you that the Palace is closed “it opens at 11am” do your research and don’t be fooled.
This place is magnificent! The grand palace is in the heart off Bangkok and its the official residence of the King of Siam. Its one of the most famous landmarks and your going to want to see the beauty this place has to offer. The Emerald Buddha is also located right here at the Palace. Remember to get there early, we got there around 10am and the tour groups came flowing in. I mean thousands of people. It was still worth the visit.
Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho)
COST: 100 Baht | TIME: 8am – 5pm
Moving on, we took a Tuk Tuk to the Reclining Buddha, which was a 5 minute drive away from The Grand Palace. You can walk it, but in that humidity? no thanks. Be be prepared to HUSTLE as the Tuk Tuk drivers will double or even triple the price so always be mindful of that. We’d seen lots of pictures of the Reclining Buddha but nothing can describe this place better than seeing it in person. You will be taking back by the sheer size of the Buddha.
Wat Arun
COST: 100 baht | TIME: 8.30am – 5.30pm
To get to Wat Arun you have to catch the water taxi from Tha Tien Pier, which is a 5 minute walk from the Reclining Buddha. The water taxi only costs 4 Baht per person to get across. Wat Arun has got to be our favourite temple in Bangkok. The attention to fine details and architecture is just mind blowing. Wat Arun is most beautiful at sunset, but also breathtaking during the day so make sure you add this temple to your list!
Dress Code
This one we learnt the hard way. Antonio was wearing long quarter lengths that did fully cover hes knees and reached just above his ankles, but this still wasn’t enough. When trying to enter The Grand Palace, we were told by security that he cannot enter dressed like that and was pointed towards a small shop setup at the gates of the temple which sale elephant pants. So unless your going for that “look at me, I’m backpacking in Thailand” look then we’d highly suggest wearing long trousers and avoiding the charge and funky parachute pants!
