What the 500 baht ticket covers
The Grand Palace is run by the Bureau of the Royal Household, and its Buy Ticket page has a single paid category: 500 baht for foreigners (checked 12 October 2026). There is no separate senior, student or online price on the official pages.
The ticket includes:
- the Grand Palace grounds
- Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, inside the same compound
- the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles, also inside the compound
The Buy Ticket page lists two more inclusions: the Arts of the Kingdom Museum at Koh Kerd, Bang Pa-In district, Ayutthaya province (Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 15:30; closed Mondays, Tuesdays, New Year's Day and Songkran Day) and a Khon (masked dance) performance at Sala Chalermkrung Royal, with three 25-minute shows on weekdays at 13:00, 14:30 and 16:00. The same page says the ticket is valid for 7 days from the date printed on it, for one visit to each site. The Practical Information page mentions only Wat Phra Kaew and the textile museum, so if you plan to use the extras, ask at the ticket office that your ticket still covers them.
Thai nationals and children
The Practical Information page says entry to the palace is free for Thai people, who show their ID card at the entrance to visit the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew. The rule is tied to Thai nationality and the ID card, not to the person you travel with: a Thai partner enters free, but their foreign companion still pays 500 baht.
The official FAQ sets the child rule by height, not age: children under 120 cm are free.
Example costs for a couple and a family
All figures use the official prices checked on 12 October 2026.
| Party | Admission | With audio guides |
|---|---|---|
| Two foreign adults | 1,000 baht | 1,400 baht (two guides) |
| Thai national + foreign partner | 500 baht | 700 baht (one guide) |
| Two foreign adults + child under 120 cm | 1,000 baht | 1,400 baht (two guides) |
The audio guide is optional. The FAQ and Facilities page list it at 200 baht per device, in English, French, German, Japanese, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish and Thai, and the FAQ says you leave a passport or a credit card (Amex, Mastercard or Visa) to rent it.
Opening hours and last ticket sale
The official site gives two closing times, so plan around the one that is consistent everywhere: tickets are sold from 8:30 to 15:30. The site footer and the Buy Ticket page give visiting hours as 8:30 to 16:30 daily, while the FAQ and an announcement on the Practical Information page say the palace is open 8:30 to 15:30 (checked 12 October 2026).
Read together, the safe plan is to be at the ticket office well before 15:30 and expect to be leaving the grounds by 16:30. Arriving at 15:00 leaves little time for both the palace buildings and Wat Phra Kaew.
Closures for royal ceremonies
The Grand Palace is a working royal site, and ceremonies close it entirely or cut the hours with only days of notice. Two official notices from 2026 show the pattern:
- The government's Thailand Center published a Tourist Police notice on 15 June 2026 that the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew were closed from 13 to 19 June 2026 for royal funeral ceremonies.
- The Government Public Relations Department announced on 24 July 2026 changed access from 28 to 31 July 2026: the palace closed on 28–29 July with only Wat Phra Kaew and the Royal Pantheon open, free, from 8:00 to 12:00, tickets sold only 8:00–12:00 on 30 July and 13:00–15:30 on 31 July, and the ordination hall of the Emerald Buddha closed on those days.
The palace's own Schedules page shows the current day's status (on 12 October 2026 it listed the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew as open all day) and warns that calendar dates may be changed or added. The Practical Information page gives a phone line for questions: +66 2 623 5500, extension 2171.
When to switch plans
If the schedule shows a closure or morning-only opening on your day, stay in the same area and swap the order: Wat Pho is next door, open daily 8:00 to 19:30 on its own visit plan, and the palace's directions already use Tha Tien pier (N8), which is also the pier Wat Pho's directions end at. Our guide to Wat Pho tickets, hours and massage covers its fee and dress rules. Move the palace to another day of your trip rather than buying an online ticket for a date that might change, since it cannot be refunded.
Dress code as the palace states it
The Practical Information page says visitors must dress appropriately because the Grand Palace is a place of reverence for Thai people, and lists what is not allowed:
- sleeveless shirts or vests
- short tops or see-through tops
- short pants or hot pants
- torn, tight or bike pants
- mini skirts and pants skirts
- sleepwear
The official page does not describe separate rules for men and women and does not mention borrowing or renting cover-ups at the gate, so arrive already dressed to the list above. It also says flying drones over the palace area is not allowed.
Buying tickets on site or online
The Buy Ticket page lists four channels: the ticket office, a kiosk, the website, and WeChat/Alipay. Per the FAQ, you can buy online up to one month before your visit or at the ticket offices in the palace on the day.
For online tickets, the Terms of Use add that:
- you receive an e-ticket by email;
- you scan its QR code at the entrance, or give your booking number at the ticket office or kiosk;
- bank transfer and credit card purchases carry a transaction fee (the amount is not published);
- payment is final, with no refund, cancellation or date change.
The official pages read for this guide do not publish the online booking address as a link, so start from royalgrandpalace.th and its Buy Ticket page rather than from a search result.
Getting there: boat to Tha Chang or MRT Sanam Chai
The visitor entrance moved to Mani Noppharat Gate from 10 January 2024, according to the FAQ. The Practical Information page gives these routes (checked 12 October 2026):
- BTS and boat: take the BTS to Saphan Taksin, Exit 2, walk to Sathorn Pier under the bridge, and take a Chao Phraya Express Boat with an orange flag to Tha Chang (N9). The palace is on your right.
- Boat to Tha Tien: get off at Tha Tien (N8), walk past the food stalls to the large junction, and the palace is ahead, slightly to the right. This pier also suits combining the palace with Wat Pho.
- MRT: the page says to leave Sanam Chai Station by Exit 1 and take bus 3, 9, 44, 47, 53 or 82.
- Tuk-tuk: the page warns these often cost more than a taxi; agree the fare before you get in.
For boat fares and which flag lines stop at Tha Chang, see our guide to Bangkok's river and canal boats. If you are new to the rail network, using the BTS and MRT explains fares and card payment.