Wat Phra Kaew can be reached either by taxi (ask the concierge of your hotel to write down the name for you and do not forget to take a business card of the hotel itself) or, which is a lot more fun, by Express Boat. Enter the boat at Oriental or Si Phraya (River City) pier and ask the fare collector for a ticket to Tha Chang (Chang Pier). The fare is only 7 Baht. The taxi will drop you off at the main entrance; if you arrive by boat, just walk from the pier to the road - there are many interesting food stalls - and then straight ahead until you can see the white palace walls (it is only a three to five minute walk). Take care: you will not be admitted by the guards if you are not properly dressed, which means LONG pants and a shirt with sleeves for men, and either pants or a knee-covering skirt and a "decent" blouse for ladies  - and everything please clean and ironed. Once you are past the main gate, you must buy a ticket at the ticket booth (it is 100 Baht per person, January 1999). Ignore the self-employed "guides" that wait there and offer "free" tours, if you visit their jewellery or antique shop afterwards, this is just a waste of time. If you want a guided tour, buy the official one. (However, you will also be handed a brochure with a plan and descriptions of the buildings when you show your ticket at the entrance, so there is no real need for a guided tour.)

Have your camera ready and make sure that you have enough film (if not, you can buy more at the photo shop in front of the entrance), because once you enter there are going to be plenty of things that you will want to make a picture of. Wat Phra Kaew was built in 1782 under  the reign of King Rama I (see Overview of the History of Thailand) Once you are past the entrance, you will see to your left a large golden Chedi on a platform, and in front of you the back of the large chapel (Bot) with the Emerald Buddha ("emerald" means "green"; the statue is in reality made of a single piece of fine green jade.  It is a surprisingly small dark green figurine (only 75 centimeters high) sitting under a golden filigree canopy on a high  throne. The Bot is a splendid building  with a red and blue three-tiered roof that rests on high colums that are like the walls covered over and over with blue and golden fayence ornaments. Other noteworthy buildings  are the Phrasad Phra Tephidon (Royal Pantheon), crowned with a high filigree Prang (which contains the relics of the previous kings of the Chakri dynasty), with lovely mythical Khinaree (half man, half bird) statues in front of it, and Ho Phra Montien Tham (or Damma), the supplementary library. This library houses the temple`s copies of the holy scriptures and has especially attractive doors with mother-of-pearl inlays. The main library has (unfortunately!) recently been renovated and, instead of the old warm golden and bronze, now is coloured in the most awful bright green!

And don`t miss the murals in the galleries that enclose the temple complex! These lovely paintings depict scenes from the Thai Ramayana (Ramakien) Epic. The pictures are unbelievably vivid and detailled and show besides the heroic tale of Rama and his war against the giant king lots of fascinating vignettes from life in ancient Thailand.
 

When you feel you have inspected everything in Wat Phra Kaew to your heart`s delight, walk over to the Grand Palace, which is the former royal residence (the Royal family now resides in the Chitralada Palace near the Dusit Zoo; this palace is not open for the public). The first building you reach is the Maha Montien ("Great Residence") with  the Amarinda Vinichai Throne Hall (which is the only part of the building that can be visited). The centerpiece of the Amarinda Vinichai Hall is a boat-shaped throne with gilded carvings and glass inlays, crowned by a nine-tiered white canopy. Also noteworthy are the decorative paintings on the walls and the ceiling. Next comes the Chakri Maha Prasad ("Grand Palace") - a renaissance style building, but  with three Prangs  instead of domes - a remarkable and beautiful mix of European and traditional Thai styles. This palaces houses elegant state rooms and in the ground floor an exhibition of the royal weapons collection. The third important building is the Dusit Maha Prasad ("Audience Hall") in which King Rama I was crowned It has an especially interesting four-tiered roof and in front of it is a very pretty pavilion, the Amporn Phimok Prasad.

Directly opposite the Dusit Maha Prasad  is the Wat Phra Kaew Museum Museum. It houses on two floors interesting collections oftemple ornaments, like several large chofahs (relics of previous restaurations of the temple), and, on the upper floor, pretty  collections of devotionals, jewellery, royal decorations, and other items, as well as exhibits with copies of the Emerald Buddha and his splendid costumes - one for the rainy season, one for the dry season, and so on. This little museum is well worth a visit.