The glittering Grand Palace in Bangkok is an architectural wonder that was once home to the kings of the Chakri Dynasty. A visit to the ornate and historic Grand Palace, and the adjacent Temple of the Emerald Buddha, is a highlight of any visit to the Kingdom. The palace was built in 1782 by the Rama I, the first king of the Chakri Dynasty, when he moved the capital of what was then known as the Kingdom of Siam from Thonburi on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River to Bangkok on the east bank. For 150 years the palace was the home of the Thai King. Today, the complex remains the spiritual heart of the Thai Kingdom.

Wat Pho is one of the oldest temples in the Thai capital. It is also one of the largest temple complexes in Bangkok and has the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand. Wat Pho maintains the title as the country’s earliest centre for public education, specialising in religion, science and literature. Most of the Buddha images on display were brought to Wat Pho, by order of King Rama I, from abandoned temples in Ayutthaya and Sukhothai. And of course you'll visit the reclining Buddha, one of the largest Buddha statues in Thailand.

A stay in the Thai capital is not complete without visiting Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, one of Bangkok's most famous landmarks. After the fall of Ayutthaya, King Taksin established a royal palace and temple here to house the Emerald Buddha. The temple was named after the Indian god of dawn, Aruna. It wasn't until the capital and the Emerald Buddha were moved to Wat Phra Kaew at the Bangkok side that Wat Arun received its most prominent characteristic: the 82 metres high prang (Khmer-style tower). Wat Arun is decorated with ornate floral mosaics made from broken Chinese porcelain, a common temple ornamentation in the early Rattanakosin period, when Chinese ships calling at the port of Bangkok used tonnes of old porcelain as ballast.