April 13, 2020

Exploring temples in Bangkok

With ornate, golden decorations and towering Buddha images, temples are one of the most sacred parts of Thai culture. They serve as one of the country’s most important historic symbols, and offer awe-inspiring architecture and beauty. It is hard not to be impressed by these works of art.

Above, is the view of Bangkok from the Temple of the Golden Mount, which is located in a lush environment on top of a mountain in central Bangkok. It is perfect if you are looking for a beautiful view of the city that is, perhaps a bit different from the classic rooftop bar overlooking the Chao Phraya River.

Visiting temples are a must when coming to Bangkok, as it offers a unique view into traditional Thai culture. You get a glimpse of the daily lives of many people, their values and beliefs. Investing your time and learning about the culture of the places you’re visiting, can be one of the most rewarding experiences when travelling.

This Temple Guide is perfect for those of you who are new to Bangkok and want some help in navigating a foreign city and figuring out how to spend your time there. Bangkok is one of the largest cities in the world, and it is home to thousands of temples. I have, however narrowed it down to a few of the most well-known and spectacular temples in and around the city.

The sunny courtyard at Wat Pho, which is beautiful to explore, but can be a bit tiring unless you have brought water and sunscreen to combat the Bangkok heat!

Practical tips for visiting temples in Bangkok

For your first visit to the temples in Bangkok, you want to make sure to find a good balance between exploring the temples, learning about the history, and getting between them comfortably and safely. You also want to avoid the mistakes that can turn your day into a stress-fest, which is why I am sharing a few practical tips below:

Exploring and navigating between temples

Buddha images in the cloister of Wat Pho

Local customs and crowds

Other practical tips

A Phad Thai and mango juice after spending half a day visiting temples is something I can highly recommend.

Wat Saket – Temple of the Golden Mount

There are plenty of beautiful decorations and beautiful Buddha images that you will want to stop to admire as you conquer your way up the mountain. I really love how the mist came out in this shot.

Wat Saket is probably my favorite among the temples in Bangkok, and I’m going to explain why. It is located on a mountain, surrounded by lush greenery and gardens which makes it stunning to walk around, as well as a perfect spot for seeing Bangkok from above.

There are many steps to climb to the top, but there are also plenty of resting spots to explore as you go up. Also, the view is totally worth the hike.

The temple has a dark history as a crematorium and cemetery of plague victims, which feels far away from its present beauty.

View of the Bangkok skyscrapers from the temple. I would recommend going here at sunset to avoid some of the heat during the day.

The temple is open every day from 9 AM to 7 PM and there is a 50 THB admission fee, it is however usually free if part of an arranged tour.

The views of Bangkok from the temple are really beautiful and offer a unique perspective of the city.

Wat Pho – Temple of the reclining Buddha

Commonly known for its giant reclining Buddha, Wat Pho is the tourist magnet you don’t want to miss when in Bangkok. Explore the lush grounds and ornate structures, walk alongside the 46 metre long Buddha and admire the ostentatious decor inside the temple. This complex is home to over a thousand Buddha images and supposedly also where the traditional Thai Massage originated.

The famous reclining Buddha, seeing it n real life has the ability to make you feel a bit small and insignificant. Don’t forget to admire the fine details of this piece of art.
Gorgeous traditional buildings and structures in the garden of Wat Pho

Wat Arun – Temple of Dawn

The Eiffel Tower of the East is best seen from the water and sure not to be missed when visiting Bangkok. The locals are proud of Wat Arun, which was originally built before the 1600’s. Their pride is understandable when you see the structure towering over the Chao Phraya River, just on the opposite side of the Grand Palace. It lits up at night, which also makes it a main attraction for the evening boat cruises on the river.

Although admirable from the water, It is possible to visit the temple for a small entrance fee of 50 baht. The entrance ticket also allows you to climb to the top, which gives you a beautiful view of the Chao Phraya River and the city which has formed around it.

Wat Arun by day

I never visited this particular temple itself, but I did get admire it from the water. Wat Arun was part of our tour of the Bangkok Canals, included in our Temple tour with Amazing Asia Tours. You can find and book the tour for yourself here. Our guide Gui Tar helped us out with everything from transport (by car and boat) to guiding us around, taking couple photos and having lunch with us. He also shared plenty of interesting stories about the temples, Bangkok, his own life and experiences.

Wat Arun by night

If you want to see this beauty by night, I recommend taking one of the many dinner cruises. These are available for departure every night. Note that the cruises vary in quality and pricing. We took a cruise with Amazing Asia Tours, linked here. I would, however not recommend it. The operators of the cruise were too pushy, asking everyone to tip multiple times on top of already listed service charges.

If I were to go for a new Dinner Cruise, I’d try this one out. The reviews are good, and I want to believe that a cruise which is part of the Shangri-La Hotel concept offers a high-quality experience.

Wat Traimit – Temple of The Golden Buddha

Inside Wat Traimit, you will find a Buddha made of pure gold. It weighs over 5,5 tonnes and measures about three metres (9,8 ft). The Buddha can be dissembled with a key which also allows for easier transportation. The Buddha has an estimated worth of $ 250 million.

History of the Golden Buddha

To me, the most fascinating part of the story of the Golden Buddha, is not that it’s made of pure gold, but used to be covered with a layer of stucco and coloured glass. It remained so for over 200 years, and was rather insignificant until 1955.

The entrance of Wat Traimit

The concealed statue was left at the ruins of the Ayutthaya Temples before being moved in 1801, when the new King ordered that Buddha images from ruined temples around the country should be brought to Bangkok.

Part of the concealment fell off in 1955. Once the gold was discovered, they gave the Buddha a prime spot at Wat Traimit. The remnants of the concealment and the history of the Buddha are on public display as well.

The story about the Golden Buddha is definitely intriguing. While smaller than other Buddhas you will see in Thailand, its history, radiant golden surface and intricate details will leave you in awe.

Ayutthaya Temples

About an hour north of Bangkok, you will find the Ayutthaya Temple ruins, commonly called Ayutthaya Historic Park. Unesco has deemed parts of Aytthaya as a World Heritage site. The ruins are commonly compared to Angkor Wat in neighbouring Cambodia. While I have yet to explore Ayutthaya myself, I learned that Amazing Asia Tours operates a private day tour to the ruins. Although I am considering Amazing Asia Tours, based on previous experience, I am interested in visiting independently. That would enable us to bicycle around the ruins and explore the area at our own pace.

Image
Image by Be Free Tour, which operates tours to Ayutthaya as well.

I learned about Ayutthaya on our trip to Thailand, but unfortunately did not manage to visit. It remains at the top of my priority list for when I return to Bangkok.

The Grand Palace

As the official residence of the Kings of Thailand since 1782, and commonly used as a site for royal ceremonies and state functions, the Grand Palace is one of the most famous tourist sights in all of Bangkok. It is made up of numerous buildings, halls, pavilions set around open lawns, gardens and courtyards. Although partially open to the public, it is mainly a working palace with several royal offices inside.

The Grand Palace is inspired by, and and partially designed to follow the organization and structure of the Ayutthaya ruins.

Grand Palace
Image borrowed from Emerald Buddha

Wat Phra Kaew is a part of The Grand Palace. This is also where they keep the famous Emerald Buddha.

Jade Buddha image at Wat Phra Kaeo, Chiang Rai
Image borrowed from Thaizer

Opening hours of the Grand Palace

The opening hours of the Grand Palace varies and may change with short notice. I know from firsthand experience, as The Palace was intended to be part of our Temple Tour. However, our hotel informed us that The Palace was closed for the Kings birthday, on the day before our tour.

There is a common tourist scam circling about the palace randomly closing at certain times. People tend to hang out in the area waiting for tourists to fool. Scammers may approach you, saying that the Palace is closed. Instead, they want you to join them for cheap suits or some other kind of bait.

Usually, these people are quite harmless. They may want to take you somewhere far off and try to trick you into buying overpriced things. This is a common Bangkok scam, and I can recommend staying away from TukTuks in general. They usually overcharge, and there is always a risk for detours.

However, they had actually closed the Grand Palace on the day of our tour. We didn’t have more days in Bangkok to reschedule for, but got to visit plenty of other beautiful temples instead. The Grand Palace does, however remain on top of the Bangkok bucket list for next time.

I hope that you, by now have a better idea of how to navigate the temples in Bangkok. I hope I’ve also managed to add a few temples to your bucket list or travel itinerary. Visiting temples is a true highlight of any Thailand trip, and I can highly recommend it!

What are your favorite temples in and around Bangkok? Please let me know in the comments!

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About me

Hi and welcome to my travel guide! My name is Beatrice. I’m a lawyer in my twenties living in Stockholm, Sweden. I started Foodie on Vacay because I travel quite a bit, and my trips are always centered around having great food experiences.