Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo - Bangkok - travel guide

• Angkor Wat,
• Vat Phou and Associated Ancient Settlements within the Champasak Cultural Landscape,
• My Son Sanctuary

• The Inn at Temple Street,
• Sloane Court,
• The Scarlet
• and more

Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo

The king’s official residency from the 1782s through the mid-20th century.

One of the most exciting destinations for visitors to Bangkok is the Grand Palace, which includes the highly important shrine of the famous
Jade Buddha(also known as the Emerald Buddha) in Wat Phra Kaeo. Each of the buildings within the compound, which covers an area of 218,400 sq m/54 acres, expresses one of the stylistic and cultural epochs of Thai history and, in particular, the character of the reigning kings. The buildings in the whole of the consecrated area have retained the style of the age when they were built in spite of repeated restoration. Each of the many renovations has concentrated on preserving the pure essence of the originals, and particularly of the huge murals that have always suffered from severe atmospheric pollution in the ever-expanding city of Bangkok.
Wat Phra Kaeo(Temple of the Emerald Buddha). The guardian figures were sponsored by Chinese merchants and seem a little out of place in a setting that is otherwise dominated by typically Thai architecture. At the entrance gate there are murals depicting the opening of the Ramakien epicas well as marble tablets with inscriptions that were put in place by King Chulalongkorn(Rama V).

Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo travel guide created by marco polo, last edited by marco polo