Because 95% of the Thai people are Buddhist there are countless of amazing temples you can visit during your holiday in Thailand. You most likely don’t have enough time to visit them all, so we made this list that contains the best temples in whole Thailand.
Grand Palace [Bangkok]
Grand Palace is located in the capital Bangkok and is the official residence of the Kings of Siam. It is also one of the most popular tourist attractions in Thailand. With a combined area of 218,400 square metres you need at least a couple of hours to wonder around and shoot some memorable holidays photos of all the buildings, statues, halls and gardens.
Grand Palace is also home to Wat Phra Kaew, the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. It contains the famous Emerald Buddha (Phra Kaew Morakot), a Buddha image carved from a single block of jade. If you have some time left you can also take a look inside the coin or wapen museum.
Entrance Fee: 500 bath
Open From: 08:30 – 15:30
Big Buddha [Phuket]
The Big Buddha, also known as Phra Puttamingmongkol Akenakkiri Buddha or Ming Mongkol Buddha, is one of the most important landmarks of Phuket. The 45 metres tall Buddha, constructed with reinforced concrete and white Burmese jade marble, is located on the top of the Naked Hills, offering the best 360-degree view of the island.
Next to the Big Buddha is a smaller “gold coloured” statue made out of brass.
The Big Buddha is still being build and visitors can make a donation by purchasing a marble tile to be places forever inside the Big Buddha. You can write your name or a short message on the tile for good luck.
Entrance Free: Free
Open From: 08:00 – 19:30
Ayutthaya City
Ayutthaya is not a single temple, but a small village with many temples. This now so peaceful village once was the centre of wealth and war between Thailand and Myanmar. At one point there were over 400 temples, however most of these structures were destroyed when the Burmese invaded the kingdom in 1767.
Most visitors only see the 4-km wide island in the middle of the Ayutthaya province, which can be explored during a one or two day trip. We advice you to rent a bicycle for 50 bath and go “Temple-hopping”.
Some of the more populair temples are Wat Phra Sri Sanphet (also known as Ancient Palace), Wat Maha That, Wat Chai Wattanaram, Wat Lokayasutharam and Wat Yai Chai Mongknon. You can also take a short break at the elephant village.
Entrance Fee: Not all temples are free. Some of the bigger temples have a entrance fee of 10 – 50 bath.
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep [Chiang Mai]
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is located on the Doi Suthep mountain, 15 kilometres from the city of Chiang Mai. To reach the sacred site visitors can climb 309 steps to reach the pagodas or take a tram. You will have to pay a small fee to enter the temple.
The Temple is said to have been founded in 1383 and has been expanded over time. Inside you will find a golden “stupa”, a White elephant shrine and
golden and green glass buddha statues.
Entrance Fee: 30 bath
Open From: 08:00 – 19:00
Wat Pho [Bangkok]
Located next to the Grand Palace you can find one of Bangkok’s oldest temples, Wat Pho. This Buddhist temple complex is founded in the 16th century and is home to the 46 meter long Reclining Buddha, one of the largest single Buddha images. It is also the birthplace of traditional Thai massage, which is still being practiced at the temple.
With an area of over 80,000 square metres, Wat Pho is a must-see during your time in Bangkok. Wat Pho is home to more than one thousand Buddha images, 91 small chedis, four big chedis, a small temple museum and the most sacred building of the complex, Phra Ubosot. Phra Ubosot is used for performing Buddhist rituals.
Entrance Fee: 100 bath
Open From: 08:00 – 19:00
Tip: Make sure you wear appropriate clothing when visiting these temples. If you are wearing shorts or t-shirts without sleeves you might be denied entrance or you are forced to rent or borrow proper clothing.
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