8 Best Bangkok temples

We love Bangkok! It’s big, chaotic and for first-time visitors maybe overwhelming. How to make the most out of your visit? We help you by listing 8 Best Bangkok Temples.

Between 2009 and 2015 we have been visiting Bangkok multiple times. Honestly, we just can’t get enough of the happy chaos, the street food, the shopping, the vibrant city culture, and even the (artificial) Khao San Road is one of our favorites (Khao San is not the authentic backpacking street it used to be but still lots of fun!).

One of the most impressive Bangkok sights are its temples. Bangkok has hundreds of temples (I stopped counting at day 1), big and small. You will find them around every corner; some hidden away behind modern concrete facades with hardly any visitors while others are illustrious attracting huge crowds of tourists.

Temples in Bangkok are all around and part of daily life. Take your time to sit down and watch locals perform their religious ceremony. Inside a temple you will quickly forget the hectic world around you.

Here are our favorites: 8 of Bangkok best temples that should be on your list!

1. Wat Suthat (Wat Suthat Thep Wararam)

This is one of our favorites. It’s not the most popular one in Bangkok, but especially for first-time visitors this temple offers all you need: beautiful architecture, local religious activities, a great gallery with dozens of Buddha statues and an overall relaxing atmosphere right in the middle of Bangkok. Wat Suthat is situated centrally, right next to the Giant Swing (you might want to google that).
The area around the temple is also great for another first encounter with Bangkok: right outside the temple walk the small alleys where Buddha statues are being manufactured and renovated. You will love it. Look at this earlier blog post to read more about this.

2. Wat Phra Kaew

Also known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (don’t you love names like that?) this one is regarded as the most important Buddhist temple in Thailand. It’s situated within the grounds of the Grand Palace, so you first have to pay that hefty Palace entrance fee (400 Bath) to get in. This temple does not have living quarters for monks, something we always love to watch while visiting other temples (eg see Wat Ben below), but the combination of Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew is a must!

3. Wat Arun

I think the most famous one in Bangkok: the Temple of Dawn. Situated on the west bank of the Chao Phraya, you can reach the temple by ferry from Taksin boat pier (only 3 Bath, a real bargain!). The best pictures of the temple are taken from the city side, but don’t miss out on visiting the temple because you can actually climb the central tower (prang). Mind the steep climb! By the way, at the time of writing Wat Arun was undergoing major renovation where also the central tower was closed. Hope it opens again upon your visit! You will especially enjoy the sunset when visiting this temple.

4. Wat Traimit

The temple itself it not very attractive, but Wat Traimit is famous for holding the world’s largest massive golden Buddha statue. It weights five and a half tons… Interesting fact: in the past, artisans made the statues in gold but covered them in stucco and plaster to hide them from invading armies. The Wat Traimit Buddha was discovered when it was accidentally dropped, revealing the gold underneath the plaster….
The temple is situated close to the main Bangkok railway station Hua Lampong.

5. Wat Saket

Wat Saket, also the Golden Mount, is another must-visit (maybe all temples on this list are a must now that I’m thinking about it)! The temple was built on top of a small hill, in the middle of the city and crowned with a golden chedi. The walk to the top (300 steps to get you 58 meters high) can be extremely tiring on hot days, but the views are worth the effort! The path circles around the hill, offering different views and inviting you to hit some bells and gongs along the way (your kids will love it).

6. Wat Pho

The temple of the amazing reclining Buddha: 46 meters long. Try to capture that in one photograph! Wat Pho can be found right next to the Grand Palace. We like Pho not only for its reclining Buddha, the whole temple ground looks amazing. Chedis (or stupas) with beautiful colorful tiles as well as gild Buddha statues in various chapels can be found within Wat Pho’s grounds.
Wat Pho also hosts a leading massage school in Thailand, so you can get your massage right here after a strenuous temple visit….

7. Wat Ben

The Marble temple. Official name Wat Benchamabophitr. Famous for the Italian marble used to build the main ordination hall, but we were far more impressed by the living quarters of the monks. Small alleys where monks stroll and prepare themselves for yet another prayer session. We did not know about this temple before, but were so glad to have found it during our last trip in 2015.

8. Loha Prasat temple

Last but not least: Loha Prasat or the Metal Palace. This one is really unique. The interior stands out because of the beautiful archways with repetitive prayer stools and red-colored ironwork. Metal spires on the outside give the temple a Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings-kind of look. Loha Prasat is situated close to the Democracy Monument and Wat Saket and is a real must (again)!

I hope you find this list helpful when planning your visit to Bangkok. Do you miss a temple that you really like? Just leave me a comment. Of just tell me which of the 8 you like the most!