This place is a must see. Ok it is hot in Bangkok and there is plenty of walking to be done but go prepared and you will love this place. It is a real camera moment so clear the memory cards before you go. I can still hear the chanting now... it was so beautiful.

Okay, this must be said,
I was in Bangkok for three days, and on all three I tried to visit the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo. On the third day it finally came to it, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. I found that sightseeing in Bangkok was not at all as I thought it would be. You can make schedules all you want of were to go and when, but I bet you wind up being somewhere else and loving it. I'm glad to have visited the Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo at the end of my trip to BKK, because it was the icing on my cake. There's glitter and gold everywhere you look, you can't even imagine if you haven't seen it with your own eyes. There's a million details not to be overlooked. It's grand! The temple of the emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaeo) itself is very beautiful and peaceful. The Royal Palace is around the corner, not as splendid, but worth the time to visit while you're there anyway...

OK, first of all, it is just walking around outside in the heat that makes this place so difficult to fathom. You are not allowed to dress in shorts, sandals, etc. so they make you cover up (when it is boiling hot in Bangkok, that is ridiculous). There really is little to see here besides ornate roofs as you cannot go inside anywhere at all. It is extremely crowded and I just wish I had never gone. I love Bangkok and I know you are going to the Grand Palace anyway but you are going to feel the same way. Check out Vimnamnek Mansion, John Thompson House, Dusit Zoo (if you like zoos), Recling Buddha (Wat Po), Khao San Road, etc., but this place is really worth maybe a quick 1-hour walk-through!

...if your visiting Bangkok. Okay its full of tourists but its worth the visit to see the ornate temples and palace grounds including the changing of the guard. Its inexpensive just make sure you have enough camera film. You can also make a trip to the reclining buddha at the same time as its just around the corner and there's loads of market stalls to get some bargains 5-10 minute transfer away by tuk tuk depending on traffic.