INTRODUCTION

I am sorry to say but this is yet another review on Thailand, I can not resist as this is place that I visited while I was in Bangkok and I feel it is a must for any tourist who is intending on going to Bangkok in the near future.

Wat Phra also known as the grand palace, is a huge part of Bangkok and Thailand's culture, so on our visit this was a must as I had researched the trip extensively and this along with a few other attractions was on the top of our list.

Out of all of the attractions that me and my husband visited this has to be one of the best, even though I have visited the Wat Pho and the Wat Arun and thought that each was better than the other after visiting them, although they were all equally as beautiful in there own way.

Wat Phra had stolen the lime light from the other two places I had visited, the sheer magnitude of the place fascinated me and I found myself more in grossed in the history and culture in this attraction, than I did at the other two.

WAT PHRA & GRAND PALACE HISTORY

During the tour of Wat Phra and the Grand Palace we were given the history of the place, it was originally constructed in 1782 and was completed and opened for the King Ramas coronation in 1785.

The opening of the Wat Phra The Grand palace was opened to mark the event of the Burmese invasion of Thailand had officially come to an end, so when it opened is served two purposes both for the end of the invasion and the kings coronation.

The actual palace in situated in the middle of the old town, this was the central point before Bangkok became as big as it is today. The whole site is set out over 218.500 square meters, so as you can only imagine it is a massive place.

WAT PHRA & THE GRAND PALACE

The whole Grand Palace complex made up of many intricate buildings that all serve a different purpose, when you arrive you will firstly be hit with the gleaming and glittering Wat Phra Kaew this is home to the emerald Buddha and is the main attraction that is surrounded by the other buildings that make up the Grand palace.

Wat Phra Kaew is the temple complex that is home to the Emerald bubbha and is the place that practices Thai Buddhism and the monarchy. The emerald Buddha is the thing that attracts people to the attraction, but I have to say I was slightly bemused at the actual Buddha only stands at 66 centimetres tall and sits high above any of the bubbha worshipers, but the bubbha is holy and sacred to Thailand so I didn't say anything.

The Wat Phra Kaew is stunning to look at and the architecture is amazing, so I did not feel at all let down by the fact that I was expecting a massive Buddha, as the building was a sight in itself and something not to be missed.

Attached to the temple is the Grand palace the former royal residence which at one point was a closed city, now t is only used by the King for certain ceremonies. The current king has taken up residence in the Chitralada Palace, which is closed to the public but visitors can look at the surroundings and the buildings situated in the Grand Palace but you are never allowed to enter.

The grand palace was stunning to look at the it was the temple itself that amazed me, it was made up of three buildings, the first being the golden Stupa which displayed lots of shrines and relics related to the Buddha, Phra Mondop was a library containing books and text regarding the Thai history and the history of the buddah and lastly the Tripitaka with contained statues of kings and other people of similar significance.

The Wat Phra Kaew and Grand place is all surrounded by a fort, this was built to protect the king and his kingdom from the invasion. On the inside of the fort wall are roughly 170 mural paintings which tell you the story of the Ramayana, these murals are very detailed and stunning in colour we spent almost an hour walking the wall to take in the murals, not only that it was the only place that we were slightly sheltered by the sun and with the very high temperatures this was a god send.

LOCATION

The Wat Phra Kaew and Grand place is situated on the Chao Phraya river and can be accessed by boat or public transport, but I would advise the boat as this is a very in expensive way to travel around Bangkok.

As you take the boat up the river the tall golden spike monument that is home to the emerald Buddha can see seen from miles away, the sun just reflects off of the monument and in my opinion draws you toward the attraction, If I had not planned to go here I would have stopped off anyway as it was a sight that attracted me by sight.

If you have traveled by boat you will be dropped off at the pier which is directly outside the third gate at the Grand palace, this is the best entrance as you have many Thai people telling you the attraction is closed and trying to steer you away to get you to spend money else where. If this happens ignore them and proceed to the official ticket desk and this is never shut.

You can also travel by bus, numbers 503, 508, 512, 2 and 25 will take you to the Grand palace, the buses can be caught throughout Bangkok's city, all you need to do is look for the bus numbers on the timetables to see if the buses stop there.

OPENING TIMES

The official opening times for the public are 8.30AM- 3.30PM, I would advise going earlier rather than later because I went in the afternoon and the place was hectic, I was later informed that the but time to visit is in the morning. If you went in the morning you would certainly avoid the crowds and the highest temperatures.

If you want to take a guided tour that you need to arrive at 10.00AM, or 1.30PM this way you will have an English speaking tour guide. We did this and I was so glad as I would not have understood what I was looking at and what made it so special.

PRICES

This will cost you 250 Thai Baht to enter which was roughly 4.00GBP when I visited, which is very reasonable indeed.

You may want to take some extra cash to buy small souvenirs or keepsakes, as there are a few little stalls that sell small keepsakes.

MY OPINION

If you go into the temple you have to stick to a dress code as it is part of the Thai religion, you need to be covered up. You don't have to be fully covered but they like it if your legs and arms are covered, I did this out a sign of respect. If you are not covered you can rent or buy a shawl to cover up.

We spend half a day looking around Wat Phra Kaew and Grand place, this was strolling around at our own leisure but you can do it in less time if you are in a hurry.

The architecture of the monument and the precise drawing of the murals really impressed me, for this alone it was worth a visit and I would recommend it to anyone but if you are only going to respect the Buddha you will be disappointed as it is so small.

I managed to get hundreds of excellent photographs that capture this day out I will never forget, one of my favorites is me and my husband standing by some massive statues outside the temple, the statues are there to guard and protect the Buddha. These are made of thick stone but they look scary.