Cluster · Bangkok

Rattanakosin (Grand Palace & Wat Pho)

Morning-only cluster: the Grand Palace at opening, Wat Pho next door, then the river pier for Wat Arun by ferry; open courtyards with little shade, and a strict dress code.

Key facts

28″ bags: forbidden
Time budget: half
Rescue coverage: 98% ≤7′; max p90 6.9′
Places: 2

RattanakosinPhoto: Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0

Rules in force · 10Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore…Grand Palace, Wat Pho and other temples check dress at th…BTS and MRT are packed 07

Southeast Asia ↗Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Brunei and Myanmar; never carry a bag or parcel for anyone.
Southeast Asia ↗Carry a passport valid for at least six months from entry with two blank pages; airlines refuse boarding on less.
Thailand ↗Check entry rules and any arrival card on the official Thai government sites for your passport; visa-exempt stays and pre-arrival forms change.
Thailand ↗Do not criticise or mock the monarchy: insulting the royal family is a criminal offence.
Thailand ↗Temples and palaces: shoulders and knees covered, shoes off before entering halls.
Thailand ↗E-cigarettes and vapes are illegal to import or use; do not pack them.
Central Thailand ↗Day-trips in Mar–May: leave by 07:30 and be back indoors by 13:00.
Bangkok ↗Grand Palace, Wat Pho and other temples check dress at the gate: shoulders and knees covered, no see-through or sleeveless clothing; loan sarongs are limited.
Bangkok ↗Ask for the meter or use a ride-hailing app; decline flat-fee quotes near tourist sites and stations.
Bangkok ↗BTS and MRT are packed 07:30–09:30 and 17:00–20:00, and many stations are stairs and gates: take a taxi with large suitcases.

Actions

Map to the centre

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Directions

From where I am

Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.

Walking weather, next 5 days

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Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Plan

How the ground walks, and what is here

Bound and physics

The Grand Palace and Wat Pho on the east bank of the Chao Phraya, from Tha Chang pier south to Tha Tien pier.

Slope: flat
Stairs: Few
Shade: low
Surface: paved courtyards and pavements
Sleep here or visit: visit

On the ground

Where to rest, how to leave, where to sleep nearby

Rescue anchors

8 places to rest · checked on a 40 m (130 ft) grid

A rescue anchor is a spot where you can stop and recover if the walk goes wrong: a bench, a café, a toilet. Every letter on the map is one anchor, and each has a card below. We check that any point in the cluster is within about 7 minutes’ walk of one, so you are never far from somewhere to sit down.

Map © OpenStreetMap contributors. Lettered circles: rescue anchors (green works in any conditions, amber only on hot days). Dashed outline: the cluster. Red dots: spots more than 7 min from any anchor (none if you see no red). North is up; not for navigation.

Grand Palace visitor gate

Place to sit · Shelter from rain · works in any conditions

Wat Pho entrance courtyard

Place to sit · Shelter from rain · Toilet · works in any conditions

Tha Tien pier

Place to sit · Shelter from rain · Food & drink · works in any conditions

Rest stop 1