Wat Arun and other Bangkok, Thailand Things to Do Tips

I was recommended this tour by a friend of mine. This is how you can go about doing it. The idea is to visit Wat Arun, Wat Pho and Grand Palace all in one day. Its definitely doable but if you have time, I would suggest you do the first two on one day and the Grand Palace on another day.

1. Start off with taking a BTS to Saphan Taksin station.
2. As you exit the station walk towards the Char Praya river.
3. Don't take the tourist ferry which costs more baht.
4. Take the ferry which goes up and down the river which the locals use. Once again, unless you have plans of getting off at the piers and look around, don't buy the season ticket which is valid for unlimited use within the day. Purchase a ticket to Ta Tien pier. If I am not wrong, it costs 25 THB.
5. Get off at the Ta Tien pier.
6. You can see Wat Arun at the opposite side of the river.
7. Take a boat that will take you across the river for 2 THB.
There is an entry fee at Wat Arun for non-Thais.

Once you complete your visit, take the boat back across the river.

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Phone: 02-466-3167
Address: Tha Tien Pier, Chao Phraya River

If you've followed my tip and took the ferry to Ta Tien pier and completed the visit to Wat Arun, you are now ready to go to Wat Pho.

1. Take the small lane that leads you away from the Ta Tien pier to the main road. Ignore the calls of the tuk tuk drivers to take you to the Grand Palace etc.

2. As you reach the main road, take a right turn and walk for 20 meters or so. You will reach the Wat Pho.

3. Purchase a ticket and if you think you need a guide to show you around, make sure you get an authorized one.

4. You need to take off your shoes when visiting the temple. Please also dress conservatively.

Viewing the huge reclining statue of the Budhdha is an ethereal experience.

Once you complete this visit, you are ready to go to the Grand Palace...

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Phone: 02-221-991
Address: Tha Tien Pier, Chao Phraya River, Bangkok
Directions: The entrance to Wat Pho is on Chetuphon road. Entrance is 20B. It's open every day, opening hours are from 08.00am to 5.00pm, with a break from 12.00pm to 1.00pm.

OK, now that you've seen Wat Arun and Wat Pho, you are ready to go to the Grand Palace.

As you exit from Wat Pho, retrace your steps. Instead of turning left to go to the Ta Tien pier, continue walking straight. (Its a 1/2 km walk from Wat Pho). Actually the buildings are adjacent to each other but the entrance of the Grand Palace is on the opposide end, so you got to walk all the way.

Once you reach the Grand Palace, you need to purchase an entrance ticket (think it costs THB 200 - for Thais its FREE). If you are travelling in a group, you might want to take a guide along with you so that he will explain you the various places in the Grand Palace. Otherwise, there's a very interesting thing that you can do - have your own personal audio guide. This was real coooool. For THB 200, you can rent a personal audio guide - with headphones - which is actually a Sony MD player with a tamperproof seal (make sure you have a passport/driving licence/credit card etc. to leave as a deposit for the audio guide).

You will also be given a map of the Grand Palace with all the points marked clearly. All you need to do is listen to the audio commentary and follow the map.

Please carry of bottle of water with you as it gets quite tiring during the 2 hrs that you will spend in the Grand Palace.

Once you complete the tour, you need to return the Personal Audio Guide.

Its upto you what you want to do from here. You can retrace your journey the way you reached the Grand Palace i.e. walk back to Ta Tien, ferry to Saphan Taksin and BTS back OR just take a cab back to your hotel. As is often said in Thailand - 'up to you...'

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Phone: 02-224-1833
Address: Maharaj Pier, Chao Phraya, Bangkok
Directions: The combined compound is open 8.30am to 3.30pm everyday. Cost is 200B (if you are Thai, it's free), and includes admission to Vimanmek Mansion and Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall, both in the Dusit area.