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ThailandIn the article we tell you about the most famous and most visited temple of Bangkok by tourists – the temple of the reclining Buddha Wat Po. You will find out what is interesting about this temple and how it stands out among others, whether it is worth visiting and how to do it yourself. Well, if something remains unclear or you just want to talk about a holiday in Thailand or share your experience, we invite you to our 💬 Thailand travel chat.
Description and is it worth a visit
Temple of the Reclining Buddha Wat Po or Wat Pho (Wat Pho, also Temple of the Reclining Buddha) is the abbreviated name of the temple, and the full name is Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimolmangklararm Rajwaramahaviharn. It was built together with the foundation of Bangkok and the development of the territory of Ratannakosin Island under King Rama I, who decided to move the capital from the former city Ayutthaya and founded the capital here.
This is the largest and oldest temple in Bangkok, and at the same time the most famous among tourists and the most visited, as well as one of the most famous symbols of Thailand. Rarely any feature film, the action of which takes place in Bangkok, does without shots from the temple. Despite the "promotion" and tourist popularity, it should definitely be visited, especially since it is located almost right next to The Royal Palace of Bangkok, which, in turn, is simply a must-visit. Nearby, on the other side of the river, there is also The Temple of the Dawn (Wat Arun). The ideal option for visiting these most important sights of Bangkok would be, for example, the following route: from early morning to arrive and see the Royal Palace (4 hours), then visit the Temple of the Reclining Buddha (1 hour), after a short walk through Chinatown, and finish the day with a visit to the Temple of Dawn while it is still light (1 hour), and finally admire it at dusk.
WiFi is available on the territory of Wat Po, access to which is provided at the ticket offices upon request when purchasing tickets. Also at the ticket office you can get a free brochure with a detailed description of the temple complex and a map.
The territory of the Temple of the Reclining Buddha covers an area of more than 80 thousand square meters.m., and the length of the perimeter walls is more than one kilometer. But it is known not only for its impressive size, but first of all for the largest statue of the reclining Buddha in Thailand (46 meters in length and 15 in height). According to some estimates, this is the largest reclining Buddha in the world. But these achievements are not limited to this either: the temple is the record holder for the number of Buddha statues in Thailand, there are more than a thousand of them here. It is also considered the birthplace of traditional Thai massage, and the oldest massage school operates here, where anyone can study, but, of course, for a fee. Massage enthusiasts and professionals from all over the world come here to study and practice. The temple is generally considered the center of medicine and massage in Thailand, and even on the walls here you can see images for practical use in massage. By the way, the first medical university of Thailand was founded here.
There are many buildings on the territory and chedi, there is a small park, there is a small artificial pond with a waterfall (the pond is called crocodile pond for some reason). In general, the territory is divided into two parts, north and south, by Thanon Chetuphon Street. For tourists, only the northern part of the temple is of interest, where, in fact, all the most interesting things are located. In the southern part there are dwellings for monks, a massage school and other outbuildings. At the same time, the entrance to the temple for tourists is located just on Thanon Chetuphon Street between the northern and southern parts of the temple territory. If you wish, you can walk around the non-tourist part completely unhindered, but there is absolutely nothing to see there.
To get acquainted with the temple, it is not necessary to resort to the help of guides (guides are available at the entrance when buying tickets), it is very easy to explore it yourself. The only thing we can recommend is not to limit ourselves to examining the reclining Buddha himself, located in the viharna in the northwestern part of the complex. Be sure to take a walk around the territory, do not hesitate to enter other temples of the complex, while showing due respect and taking off your shoes before entering. Of course, the clothes should be appropriate for you: no open shoulders, shorts, skirts and beach shoes.
In addition to visiting the temple, you can do a traditional Thai massage here, because, as mentioned above, the temple is considered the birthplace of Thai massage and there is a school here. The price of a massage for such an iconic place is quite reasonable:
- Traditional Thai massage 30 minutes – 260 baht / 7.8 USD
- Traditional Thai massage 1 hour – 420 baht / 12.6 USD
- Foot massage 30 minutes – 280 baht / 8.4 USD
- Foot massage 1 hour – 420 baht / 12.6 USD
In the viharna of a large reclining Buddha, 108 bronze vessels are installed along the walls, and for a reason. Being there, you can constantly hear the jingling of coins that visitors throw into these vessels. It is believed that if you walk around the Buddha and throw coins into all the vessels, good luck will come to you, and also that with each coin thrown you can make a wish. You can also do this by buying small coins at the entrance to the viharn for 20 baht.
🌐 Website: https://www.watpho.com
🕐 Working hours
Every day seven days a week from 8:00 to 18:30.
💵Entrance fee / ticket price
300 baht (9 USD, currency of Thailand), cook without change, it is not given; guide escort (optional) for 1 person - 200 baht, 2 people - 300, 3 and more - 400 baht.
🚶 How to get there
The Temple of the Reclining Buddha is located next to the Royal Palace of Bangkok on the banks of the Chao Phraya River on the Ratannakosin Peninsula (temple on the map). In walking distance are the tourist area of Khao San and Chinatown, part of Riverside (see districts of Bangkok).
There is no metro near the temple, and you will have to get from other areas of Bangkok by taxi, water or bus:
A taxi ride on the meter from most of the central districts of Bangkok will cost no more than 200 baht. To order, it is better to use the Grab, taxi Maxim applications, you can try InDrive. Uber taxi doesn't work here. You will see the fare immediately in the app. You can pay in cash at the end of the trip.
If there is a subway near your hotel, then you can get to the Saphan Taksin skytrain station, and then from the pier next to the station by Express Boat along the Chaopraya River for 16 baht to reach the Tha Tien pier next to the Royal Palace, and walk to the temple (see learn more about Bangkok's water transport here). But in general, this is a rather complicated and workaround.
The cheapest way to get to Wat Pho temple is by city buses №1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 25, 43, 44, 47, 53, 60, 82, 91, 123, 501, 508 ( the fare, depending on the distance and category of the bus, costs from 8 to 36 baht), but in time it can take quite a long time. To set a bus route around Bangkok, you can use Google Maps, the ViaBus app, or view routes on the official website of city buses BTMA.
Another option to get closer to the Royal Palace and the Temple is to swim along the canals by water taxi, but you will have to walk part of the way. The nearest water taxi stop is located near the Temple of the Golden Mountain (almost two kilometers from the palace) and is called Panfa Leelard. You can get to it without changing trains from the following areas Pratunam and Siam for 20 baht on the boats of the Golden Mount Line, but then you have to walk another two kilometers to the temple.
Learn more about all types of transport in Bangkok and how to use it here...
Friends, we remind you that it is much more interesting to get acquainted with the sights of Bangkok with the help of excursions, and therefore we advise you to look at options with online booking and reviews on these excursion aggregators: