What you need to decide
- Have you filed the arrival card, and how long can you stay? Every non-Thai national entering Thailand has to complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online at tdac.immigration.go.th within 3 days before arriving. The official card is free, and one submission can cover up to 10 travellers. The visa rules also changed on 15 September 2026: the 60-day visa exemption was revoked and replaced by 30-day and 15-day exemptions, so an older article may give you the wrong length of stay (Immigration Bureau and government pages, checked 12 October 2026). See Thailand Digital Arrival Card for Bangkok arrivals.
- Which airport, and train or taxi? Bangkok has two airports with different rail links. From Suvarnabhumi the Airport Rail Link runs 05:30 to 24:00; from Don Mueang the SRT Red Line costs 33 baht to Krung Thep Aphiwat, where you change to the MRT. At both airports an official taxi costs the meter plus a 50-baht airport charge plus expressway tolls.
- How will you pay on the trains? The MRT and the BTS Skytrain are separate systems. The MRT takes contactless credit cards at the gate; the BTS ticket machines take coins or a QR payment, and the BTS sells its own Rabbit card. Neither operator's fare table could be read on 12 October 2026, so check fares on the station machine.
- Which day for the Grand Palace? It sells tickets only from 8:30 to 15:30 and closes or cuts its hours for royal ceremonies at short notice. That makes it the fixed point of your plan; Wat Pho next door is open until 19:30 and is the flexible part.
- Will you claim VAT back? Only on goods, only with a form issued in the shop on the day you buy, and only when you leave by air.
Plan in this order
Compare the main sights
| Sight | Adult price (checked 12 October 2026) | Hours | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Palace | 500 baht for foreign visitors; under 120 cm free | Ticket sales 8:30–15:30 | On the day, or online up to a month ahead; online tickets cannot be refunded or changed |
| Wat Pho | 300 baht; under 120 cm free | Daily 8:00–19:30 | Buy at the temple; payment methods not published, so carry cash |
| Jim Thompson House | 250 baht; 150 baht ages 10–21 with ID; under 10 free | Daily 10:00–17:00 | Optional online booking since 8 September 2026; walk-in tours still offered |
| Chatuchak Weekend Market | Free entry | Saturday and Sunday 9:00–18:00 (government page from August 2025) | None |
For two adults, a Grand Palace and Wat Pho day costs 1,600 baht in admissions, plus 1,040 baht if you both take an hour-long Thai massage at Wat Pho (520 baht each). Dress for both: the palace bans sleeveless tops, short trousers and mini skirts, and Wat Pho asks you to cover the knee and take your shoes off before entering religious buildings.
Getting in from the airports
| Route (checked 12 October 2026) | Cost | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Suvarnabhumi, Airport Rail Link | 15–45 baht by station; 45 baht to Phaya Thai (from a government page last updated July 2023) | 05:30–24:00 |
| Suvarnabhumi, public taxi queue (Level 1, Gates 4–7) | Meter + 50 baht + tolls | 24 hours |
| Don Mueang, SRT Red Line to Krung Thep Aphiwat | 33 baht, then MRT from Bang Sue | Station 05:30–24:00 |
| Don Mueang, A1–A4 buses | 30 baht (A1, A2) or 50 baht (A3, A4) | Varies by line; airport pages disagree |
| Don Mueang, taxi queue | Meter + 50 baht + tolls; luggage fees may apply | 24 hours |
Bangkok taxi meters start at 40 baht for the first kilometre and add 3 baht per minute when traffic moves at 6 km/h or slower (rates in force since 13 January 2023).
Getting around the centre
On the MRT Blue and Purple lines you can tap a contactless Visa, Mastercard or UnionPay credit card; debit cards work only from Thai issuers. The old MRT and MRT Plus cards stopped working on 1 June 2026. On the BTS, a Rabbit card costs a 120-baht issuance fee with no deposit and a 100-baht minimum top-up, so 220 baht up front. BTS trains run from 05:00 to 01:00.
On the river, choose the express boat by its flag. The orange flag costs a flat 19 baht and covers the longest stretch; the red flag costs 33 baht, shown as reduced from 50 (operator route page, checked 12 October 2026). Two adults riding the orange flag from Sathorn to Tha Tien and back pay 76 baht. The palace's own directions take the orange flag to Tha Chang (N9), or the boat to Tha Tien (N8), which is also where Wat Pho's directions end.
Recommendations by situation
Re-check on the day
- Grand Palace schedule: open the palace's Schedules page on the morning of your visit; ceremonies closed the palace from 13 to 19 June 2026 and changed access from 28 to 31 July 2026.
- Train fares: check the fare on the ticket machine. The Airport Rail Link fare above comes from a 2023 government page, and BTS and MRT fares were not readable on official pages on 12 October 2026.
- Boat timetable: the express-boat route page says both "Monday to Sunday" and "Monday to Friday" for some flags, and Oriental pier (N1) is closed for repairs. Do not count on the yellow, green-yellow or red flags at weekends.
- Chatuchak hours: the only official hours come from a government page dated August 2025; no official page gives Friday or Wednesday–Thursday times.
- TDAC and visa rules: both changed in 2025 and 2026; read the current pages before you file.
- VAT refund fee and counters: the refund fee table is published only as an image, and the counter locations come from an older Revenue Department page; ask at the refund office.
