10 Best Temples in Bangkok: Fees, Routes & Dress Code

Featured image: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

10 Best Temples in Bangkok, Ranked for First-Timers

We rank these ten by how much each one repays a first visit. Fees below come from published listings and can change. Confirm them at the official sites before you leave your hotel.

• 1. Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace
  • Our top pick: it holds the 66 cm Emerald Buddha, and entry is ฿500 with ticket sales ending around 15:30.
  • Bags are checked, photos may be barred in the main hall, and royal ceremonies can close the site, so check the Grand Palace official site.
  • Our Grand Palace ticket details cover the visit step by step.
• 2. Wat Pho
  • Home to the 46 m gold Reclining Buddha, with a listed fee of ฿300 and free entry for children under 120 cm, per one listing.
  • Hours run from 08:00 to either 18:30 or 19:30 depending on the listing, so confirm on the Wat Pho official site.
  • Allow at least an hour, and use our Wat Pho visiting guide for the layout.
• 3. Wat Arun
  • We'd choose it for sunset: the central spire is listed at roughly 79 to 82 m beside the Chao Phraya, and visitors can climb part of the main staircase.
  • Entry is ฿200, and the cross-river ferry from Tha Tien costs a few baht. Confirm hours on the Wat Arun official site.
  • Our Wat Arun ferry and sunset tips explain timing.
• 4. Wat Saket (Golden Mount)
  • Climb 318 to 320 steps to a 360-degree view of the old city, and pay ฿100 for the summit.
  • One listing says the summit was under restoration until July 2024, so confirm current access before you commit.
  • Sunset is popular, and our Golden Mount climb guide covers timing.
• 5. Loha Prasat (Wat Ratchanatdaram Worawihan)
  • A metal structure with 37 spires, about 36 m tall, close to Wat Saket. Its terrace looks across to the Golden Mount.
  • Listings disagree on the fee, giving either free entry or ฿20, and hours of 08:30 or 09:00 to 17:00 or 18:00.
• 6. Wat Ratchabophit
  • Free entry, a circular courtyard of halls around a central pagoda, and Thai exteriors with a Western-influenced interior.
  • Allow 30 to 45 minutes. Listings give opening at 08:00 or 09:00 and closing at 17:00.
• 7. Wat Benchamabophit (Marble Temple)
  • Built from Carrara marble imported from Italy, on Rama V Road, farther north than the old-city cluster.
  • Fees are listed as ฿50 or ฿100, and hours as 08:00 or 08:30 to 17:30. Allow about an hour plus transit.
• 8. Wat Traimit
  • Its Golden Buddha stands 3 m tall and weighs 5.5 tons, on the edge of Chinatown near Odeon Circle.
  • Entry is ฿100, with a further ฿100 for the museum, which one listing says is closed Mondays. Hours are listed as 08:00 to 17:00.
• 9. Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen
  • Free entry and a giant gold Buddha that photographers favor. Listings give hours of about 06:00 to 20:30 or 21:00.
  • Take the MRT to Bang Phai, then a taxi. A boat along Bangkok Yai Canal takes about 20 minutes, per one traveler account.
  • Verify the station and pier before you go.
• 10. Wat Mangkon Kamalawat
  • A Chinese temple in Chinatown with red lanterns, free to enter, and listed hours of 08:00 to 18:00.
  • Take the MRT to Wat Mangkon station. Crowds peak around Chinese New Year, and one source reports renovation work, so check current status.

Temples in Bangkok at a Glance

Three big temples cost about ฿1,000 together: ฿500 for the Grand Palace, ฿300 for Wat Pho and ฿200 for Wat Arun. Free or cheap stops fill the rest of a day. Wat Ratchabophit, Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen and Wat Mangkon Kamalawat are all listed as free. Use the table to match fee, time and access to your plan. Time estimates are ours.

How to Choose Your Temples

Your plan depends on hours, budget and heat. With time for only three temples, we'd pick Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Pho and Wat Arun, at ฿1,000 in total fees. Photographers get more from Wat Saket or Wat Arun near sunset. Families should weigh the 318 to 320 steps at the Golden Mount against Bangkok's heat.

• First-timer with one day
  • Take the Rattanakosin route: Grand Palace, Wat Pho, then the ferry to Wat Arun.
• Budget traveler
  • Combine Wat Ratchabophit, Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen and Wat Mangkon Kamalawat, all listed as free.
• Quiet seeker
  • Try Wat Ratchabophit and Loha Prasat, which are smaller and sit away from the main palace crowds.
• Culture and history
  • Spend extra time at Wat Pho, which one source links to Thai massage and medicine, with around 1,400 stone inscriptions.

Three Ready-Made Temple Routes

Each route below is an estimate, so build in slack for queues and heat. Route A fills a full day. Routes B and C each fit about half a day. Costs cover entry fees only, plus the ferry on Route A.

• Route A: Rattanakosin core (full day)
  • Start at the Grand Palace as it opens (฿500), walk to Wat Pho (฿300), then take the Tha Tien ferry to Wat Arun (฿200).
  • Fees total about ฿1,000 plus a few baht for the ferry.
• Route B: Old-city quiet loop (half day)
  • Link Wat Ratchabophit (free), Loha Prasat (free or ฿20), Wat Saket (฿100) and Wat Suthat with the Giant Swing (฿100 in one listing).
  • Fees total roughly ฿200 to ฿220.
• Route C: Chinatown and riverside (half day)
  • Begin at Wat Traimit (฿100, or ฿200 with the museum), then walk or ride to Wat Mangkon Kamalawat (free).
  • Sri Maha Mariamman in Silom is listed as free, with split morning and afternoon hours. Verify them first.
  • For Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen, add transit time by MRT, taxi or boat.

Temple Etiquette and Dress Code

Cover shoulders and knees at every temple on this list. Shoes come off before you enter halls. One traveler report says sarongs are sold or hired at the Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun entrances, though we'd dress properly from the start. Photography is banned in some halls, so follow posted signs. Our Bangkok temple dress code guide covers the details.

• Wear
  • Tops that cover shoulders, and trousers or skirts below the knee. Slip-on shoes make shoe removal easy.
• Behave
  • Keep your voice low and give monks space. Avoid pointing your feet at Buddha images.

Costs, Hours and Timing for Bangkok Temples

Budget ฿1,000 for the three big temples, plus a few baht for the Tha Tien ferry. Add ฿100 each for Wat Saket and Wat Traimit. Grand Palace ticket sales reportedly stop around 15:30, so arrive in the morning. Hours differ between listings. Wat Pho closes at either 18:30 or 19:30, and Wat Arun opens at 08:00 or 08:30. Check each official site on the day. Royal ceremonies can close the Grand Palace, so look at its official calendar. Rainy-season evenings can bring heavy rain, which makes mornings the safer choice.

• Mistakes to avoid
  • If a tuk-tuk driver says a temple is closed, check the gate yourself. This is a common scam warning.
  • Avoid midday heat on stairs at Wat Saket and Wat Arun.
  • Do not rely on old fee lists. Confirm prices on the day.