5 prettiest temples in Bangkok
Visiting some temples in Bangkok is probably high on your to-do list when you plan a trip to Bangkok. Most people I know fly to Bangkok to kickstart their trip around Southeast Asia. Most people I know also skip over Bangkok – but I’m here to tell you that you shouldn’t!
Bangkok is an amazing city. Is it pretty? Except for some of the temples in Bangkok, not really. But there is definitely a very nice vibe and lots of cute coffee places to explore. Above all, in Bangkok you can have a taste of the authentic Thai life. And that is why you came to Thailand right?
Anyway, here were my favorite temples in Thailand!
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General information for temples in Bangkok
Before you visit temples in Bangkok, here is what you need to know.
First of all, like in most religious places, you are expected to dress modest. From experience, I know that in some places they control this more than in other places. But in my opinion, it is always respectful to dress modest, even if there is no one actively telling you to.
Dressing modest for temples in Bangkok means that you are covered from at least your knees to your shoulders. No shorts, no crop tops, no tank tops. And show no cleavage as well.
Before you enter a temple, you will see everyone removing their shoes. Please do the same, it is mandatory! It is very common to walk around in the temple barefoot or on socks. For this reason I would also advise you to wear shoes that are easy to remove and put on.
And last but not least, it is very disrespectful to turn the back of your feet against the Buddha statues. So if you want to sit down, please do so like the other people do.
Overall, if you adhere to the rules shown around the property, you should be fine!
Wat Phra Kaew
Entrance fee: 500 baht
Included: entrance to Wat Phra Kaew, the Grand Palace and a dance show.
Dresscode: very modest. For Wat Phra Kaew, a scarf covering your upper body is not enough. They will send you back to buy a shirt or vest. Since the scarf could slide off, they want you to wear actual clothing when you enter.
Honestly, Wat Phra Kaew was one of my favourite temples in Bangkok. The property was quite big, which made it nice to walk around here. The temples were absolutely beautiful, with all the golden details. Even the paintings on the walls were amazing.
In our case, a ticket to a dance show was included in the price. A small wagon will take you from the temple site to the Royal Theatre, where you can enjoy a show with traditional Thai dances from multiple times in history. A very interesting and surprisingly entertaining addition to the ticket! Of course, I cannot be sure that this is still the case when you visit but if it is: do yourself a favour and go!
Wat Traimit
Entrance fee: 100 baht
Included: entrance to the temple
Dresscode: modest
Wait Traimit (or the Golden Temple) was actually the first temple I visited in Bangkok since it was in Chinatown – the area that I stayed in. I was hyped up by the internet, that said there was a HUUUGE Buddha statue inside of the temple. But I was quite disappointed. Yes, the statue is quite big, but it’s probably not as big as you’d imagine if I say “HUUUGE”.
Still, it is very much worth the effort of visiting. Tip: if you want to take a cool picture with no people in the frame (unlike my picture below), walk up the stairs and turn to the right. If you photograph the temple from an angle there, you get beautiful pictures with no one else in sight! You can check out my Instagrampost to see what I mean.
Wat Pho
Entrance fee: 200 baht
Included: entrance to the temple complex
Dresscode: modest
Wat Pho was definitely also one of my favourite temples in Bangkok. It was a bit of a hassle finding the entrance – since a guy told us it wasn’t where we were, but after a little search we found out it actually was in the spot we were first in. But once we were in, we loved it there!
The whole property of Wat Pho is quite a big complex. It is very easy and fun to walk around here and explore multiple temples on the site. Wat Pho is one of the oldest temples in Thailand. And apparently, there are more than a thousand statues of Buddha there, so there is quite a lot to see!
One of the reasons people like to visit Wat Pho, is because of the huge reclining Buddha in one of the temples. I did not get a good picture of her, but it looks amazing and it’s cool to walk around the statue. Also good to know: you can buy cold water there for 20 baht! We really needed some in the heat…
Wat Arun
Entrance fee: 100 baht
Included: entrance to the temple + a small bottle of water
Dresscode: modest – in our case, some scarfs were offered at the entrance to those who weren’t covering their shoulders.
Wat Arun is quite a special temple, since it is “on the other side of the river”. Of course, this depends on which side of the river you start, but for most of you, it will be the opposite side of Wat Arun.
Legend has it that hundreds of years ago, the king of Thailand at that time traveled from the old capital of the country, Ayutthaya, to this new place by the river. He arrived at dawn, which is why the temple was first called “the temple of dawn”.
Although this is a historical place and a nice temple to look at, the site itself wasn’t my favourite. I loved looking at it from the other side of the river though – especially at sunset, it is a beautiful sight!
Tip: don’t visit during the hottest hours of the day, since there is little to no shade there!
Wat Saket
Entrance fee: 100 baht
Included: entrance to the temple
Dresscode: modest
Last but definitely not least, Wat Saket. If you are looking for a temple in Bangkok where not only the temple itself is beautiful, but also the journey, this will be the right place. Although the temple, in my opinion, wasn’t the best one I’ve seen, the walk up there is amazing.
I visited this temple with a friend and we were a bit scared of the way up. We read online that it was quite the climb. In the end, we disagreed! Sure. you have to walk some stairs, but it’s not that hard – and we were there in the middle of the day. You get to ring bells while ascending! All in all, this was one of my favourite temples in Bangkok.
