The Royal Treatment: A Bangkok-and-Beyond Thailand Itinerary That Includes Grand Palace

Your Day-By-Day Thailand Itinerary That Includes Grand Palace (Without The Royal Missteps)

Planning a Thailand itinerary that includes Grand Palace requires strategic thinking roughly equivalent to a military operation, minus the camo gear. The difference between a memorable cultural immersion and a sweaty, frustrating ordeal often comes down to timing, preparation, and knowing which tourist traps deserve your baht and which deserve your back.

Days 1-3: Bangkok’s Greatest Hits

Your Thailand adventure begins with arrival at Suvarnabhumi Airport, where you’ll face your first authentic Thai experience: deciding between the Airport Rail Link ($1.50) or a taxi ($10-12 including tolls). The rail link is efficient and traffic-free, but taxis offer blessed air conditioning and the chance to witness your driver perform advanced-level prayer rituals at every intersection.

Accommodation in Bangkok spans all budgets and comfort levels. Budget travelers can book Nappark Hostel ($12-20/night), where the bathrooms are cleaner than most American gas stations and the social scene livelier than a college orientation week. Mid-range options include Riva Surya ($70-120/night), offering river views without river-draining prices. For those seeking the full royal treatment, the Mandarin Oriental ($350-500+/night) employs doormen with posture so perfect they make your childhood ballet teacher look like a slouch.

Day 1: The Grand Palace Experience

The Grand Palace opens at 8:30 AM and closes at 3:30 PM daily, with a $15 entrance fee that’s worth every penny. Arrive by 8:15 AM—this isn’t casual advice but the difference between photographing temples and photographing other tourists’ elbows. The complex requires modest dress: knees and shoulders covered for everyone, regardless of how oppressive the 90F heat feels. Forgot your modesty pants? Rental facilities will outfit you in stylish borrowed garments that scream “I didn’t read the guidebook.”

Inside the 94-acre complex, prioritize Wat Phra Kaew (home of the Emerald Buddha, which is actually jade and approximately the size of a garden gnome) and the Chakri Maha Prasat Hall, where European architecture meets Thai sensibilities like peanut butter meeting jelly in a sandwich designed by a committee. For optimal photos, the eastern entrances receive the best morning light, transforming ordinary architecture into Instagram gold.

After temple fatigue sets in, lunch at nearby Err Urban Rustic Thai ($15-25) offers respite with dishes like grilled pork neck and crispy rice salad—flavors so authentic they’ll make you question every pad thai you’ve ever eaten back home.

Day 2: Beyond the Palace

Begin your second day at Wat Pho, home to a 150-foot gold-plated reclining Buddha lounging more impressively than your uncle after Thanksgiving dinner. The $5 entrance fee includes a small bottle of water—barely enough to replace what you’ll sweat out while walking the grounds, but a thoughtful gesture nonetheless.

In the afternoon, hop aboard a river ferry ($0.50 per trip) to cross to Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn that ironically photographs better at sunset. Its steep stairs—at an incline that would violate building codes in America—provide views worth the quad burn and inevitable fear of descending.

As evening falls, Bangkok’s Chinatown (Yaowarat Road) transforms into a culinary Disneyland where the rides are fish balls and the mascots smell like garlic. For optimal food safety, follow this simple rule: eat at stalls with lines of locals, not empty ones with aggressive English-speaking touts. The TandK Seafood stall serves prawns the size of small lobsters for about $12, while Jay Eng’s noodle cart delivers flavor complexity that makes molecular gastronomy seem like child’s play.

Day 3: Markets and Modern Bangkok

Morning brings Chatuchak Weekend Market if you’re lucky enough to visit on a Saturday or Sunday. With over 15,000 stalls, it’s like Black Friday meets a treasure hunt, minus the pepper spray. Weekday visitors can substitute with the smaller but equally chaotic Pratunam Market, where wholesale clothing prices make HandM seem like Gucci.

After market madness, decompress at the Jim Thompson House Museum ($6 entry), where America’s Thai silk savior-turned-mysterious-disappearance-case lived surrounded by antiques and architecture that puts modern McMansions to shame. The lush gardens provide rare natural shade in a city where trees often seem like mythological creatures.

Cap your Bangkok stay with drinks at a rooftop bar—Above Eleven offers panoramic views without panoramic prices ($8-12 per cocktail), while the Sky Bar at Lebua ($20+ per drink) lets you recreate Hangover II scenes without the face tattoo. Throughout Bangkok, the BTS Skytrain ($0.50-1.50 per trip) provides transport that’s air-conditioned and mysteriously absent of performance artists—making it vastly superior to the NYC subway in every measurable way except literary inspiration.

Days 4-5: Historical Excursions

No Thailand itinerary that includes Grand Palace would be complete without contextualizing it historically. A day trip to Ayutthaya—Thailand’s former capital and UNESCO site destroyed by the Burmese in 1767—provides that context while offering ruins less crowded than Bangkok’s attractions. Travel by train ($1-2 one-way, 2 hours) for local color, or splurge on a private taxi ($50-60 round trip) for the luxury of leaving whenever temple fatigue strikes.

Bicycle rentals ($3-5/day) offer independence for exploring Ayutthaya’s scattered ruins, though cycling in 90F heat requires the endurance of an Olympic athlete and the sweat tolerance of a sauna enthusiast. Key photo spots include the Buddha head entwined in tree roots at Wat Mahathat—fascinating evidence that nature always wins against human ambition, given enough centuries.

Alternative day-trippers can visit floating markets like Damnoen Saduak or Amphawa. The former offers more Instagram opportunities but with tourist-trap elements that would make Times Square blush; the latter provides a more authentic experience with fewer paddle traffic jams. DIY approach costs $15-20 for transport, while tours run $25-40 but eliminate the navigation challenges. Either way, arrive before 8AM for the best photos and pre-sweltering temperatures.

Days 6-7: Beach Extension OR Northern Thailand

Your final days present a classic Thailand dilemma: beaches or mountains? For southern beaches, flights to Phuket or Krabi ($50-120) save precious vacation time over overnight trains and buses ($20-50). Phuket offers Florida-style development with better food; Krabi showcases limestone cliffs that make the Grand Canyon look like a sidewalk crack; Koh Samui serves as honeymoon central where even solo travelers may feel compelled to hold their own hands romantically at sunset.

Beach activities follow predictable patterns: island-hopping tours ($25-40), snorkeling rentals ($5-10), and cooking classes ($30-50) where you’ll make a pad thai that temporarily convinces you opening a Thai restaurant back home is a viable career pivot. Accommodation ranges from beachfront hostels ($15-30) to resorts where $500/night gets you a private infinity pool and staff who remember not just your name but your preferred breakfast fruit arrangement.

Northern Thailand alternative? Chiang Mai provides cultural immersion without Bangkok’s intensity. Reach it via overnight train ($30-50 for sleeper) for the authentic experience of waking up with a stiff neck and great stories, or via one-hour flights ($60-100) for the authentic experience of modern convenience. The Old City’s temples showcase a subtler style than Bangkok’s sparkle-fest, while the Sunday Night Market sells crafts actually made in Thailand rather than secretly imported from China.

Ethical elephant tourism deserves its own paragraph. Skip attractions offering rides or performances in favor of observation-only sanctuaries like Elephant Nature Park ($80), where the only tricks animals perform involve eating enormous quantities of bananas and making you feel guilty about humanity’s historical treatment of these intelligent creatures.

Practical Matters

Money management in Thailand requires acknowledging ATM fees ($6-7 per withdrawal) that seem designed by sadistic banking executives. Withdraw larger amounts less frequently, carry cash for smaller vendors, and save credit cards for hotels and upscale restaurants. Tipping follows different rules: round up taxi fares, leave 5-10% at restaurants where service charges aren’t included, and resist the American urge to tip everyone who makes eye contact.

Weather preparations change seasonally. November-February (cool season) requires exactly one light sweater for northern evenings. March-May (hot season) demands constant hydration when humidity makes Houston in August feel like a desert. June-October (rainy season) brings dramatic afternoon downpours that create temporary urban rivers before disappearing, leaving behind steam that could press pants without equipment.

Communication-wise, SIM cards available at the airport ($10-15 for week-long data packages) provide better connectivity than most American suburban neighborhoods. Transport apps like Grab eliminate taxi negotiation headaches while costing roughly 20% more than flagged cabs—a sanity tax most willingly pay after their first tuktuk overcharging experience.