Touring Bangkok's Grand Palace, Emerald Buddha, & Reclining Buddha

In this post I’m talking about three of the most famous sights in Bangkok. We’re Touring Bangkok’s Grand Palace, Emerald Buddha, & Reclining Buddha. All are must see’s, and you’ll see why below!

The Emerald Buddha and Grand Palace are right next to each other, so it’s very easy to get from one to the other. Definitely leave plenty of time to spend hours walking around and soaking in the beauty. The Grand Palace is on a compound with many other buildings, and there’s a lot to see. I particularly enjoyed the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles. The dresses on display here are to die for!

The Emerald Buddha is the most important Buddhist temple in Thailand. The palace grounds are its backdrop, and the fact that you can’t take a camera inside makes it even more unique and special. It’s a sacred place, and I loved learning about this (new to me) culture.

After the Emerald Buddha and the Grand Palace, we set off to see the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho). This temple is located just behind the Emerald Buddha, and is exactly what it sounds like – a statue of Buddha in the reclining position. While it’s only a ten minute walk, thanks to our last minute private tour, we were able to drive there. I know it doesn’t sound like a big deal, but getting that break inside a freezing cold vehicle when it’s 100+ degrees outside was AMAZING!

Anyway, the Reclining Buddha measures 150 feet long and is no joke. My husband was super excited for this stop, as it was featured on The Amazing Race, which he is obsessed with.

A popular thing to do here is purchase bronze coins at the entrance and drop them in all 108 bowls. The money goes to the monks and towards the overall upkeep and renovation of Wat Pho. It makes a fun ringing sound, which you will constantly hear while here!

As I briefly mentioned here, bring socks (and don’t wear flip flops). Most, if not all of the temples in Bangkok, require the removal of shoes. The dress code doesn’t end there. Pants must go all the way to your feet. This means no ankles showing! No tank tops or super short sleeves that show your shoulders, and obviously low-cut shirts are out too. Basically, the less skin showing the better. I wore long pants, sneakers (and socks!), a t-shirt, and then a light tunic with sleeves. I had a lot of trouble finding something with long sleeves to wear, because of the heat (the tunic is Victoria’s Secret). I’m glad we saw all the major temples on the same day, so I didn’t have to worry about a strict dress code the remainder of our trip!

Anyway, here are some pictures from Touring Bangkok’s Grand Palace, Emerald Buddha, & Reclining Buddha!