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ThailandWe tell you about one of the most beautiful and important temples in Bangkok – the Temple of Dawn or the Temple of Dawn Wat Arun. You will learn how to visit it and how to get there inexpensively on your own, how much you need to pay for admission and other useful information about Wat Arun.. 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 Dawn or Temple of Dawn Wat Arun (fully Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan) is considered one of the most beautiful temples in Bangkok with its relative modesty and simplicity. Unlike most other popular temples, the Temple of the Morning Dawn does not abound with golden statues, emerald decorations, etc. in huge quantities. But due to its high The pagodain Khmer style (it is called prang, and it differs from a simple Thai pagoda in that it is richly decorated with carvings and inlaid with colored glasses, mirrors, porcelain and seashells) the temple is a very significant landmark. The height of the prang is, according to various estimates, from 66.8 to 88 meters, and it is still the highest in Thailand. Before the construction of skyscrapers in Bangkok, the tower was the tallest building in the capital for a long time. And what's great, now anyone can climb to the very top and admire Bangkok from a bird's-eye view.
The Temple of the Dawn is located next to two other famous sights of Bangkok: the Grand Royal Palace and the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, but on the other side of the river. It makes sense to combine visiting all these three attractions in one day. Moreover, the Temple of the morning dawn is ideally worth visiting before dark, climb to the very top and admire the panorama of the immediate surroundings of Bangkok, including the sights mentioned above, and then go down and wait for dusk. It is with the onset of darkness, when the floodlights begin to illuminate the pagoda, it manifests itself in all its glory. We recommend the following route to visit all three attractions: early morning inspection of the Royal Palace; then the Temple of the Reclining Buddha; a walk through Chinatown; completion of the day tour climbing to the top of the pagoda of the Temple of Dawn while it is light (but do not be late, because the temple is open until 17:30), and contemplation of the evening illuminated temple from the opposite side of the river (it gets dark in Bangkok from 18 to 19 hours, depending on the time of year). The best view of the evening temple opens precisely from the opposite bank of the river, where, by the way, you can find a restaurant overlooking the temple and have dinner there.
This temple got its name in honor of the Indian (and not Buddhist, as many believe) god of dawn Arun. The temple was built back in the days when the capital of the kingdom was the city of Ayutthaya, but no one knows the exact date of the temple's foundation. After the transfer of the capital from Ayutthaya to the site of present-day Bangkok, the temple acquired the status of the main royal temple, and until 1785 there was a statue of the emerald Buddha, now kept in the grand Royal Palace.
🕐 Working hours
Daily from 07:30 to 17:30.
💵Entrance fee / ticket price
200 baht (6.13 USD, currency of Thailand)
🚶 How to get there
The Temple of the Dawn is located in the Thonburi district on the west bank of the Chaopraya River (temple on the map), this is on the opposite side of the river from where Temple of the Reclining Buddha and The Grand Royal Palace.
There are no metro stations nearby in Wat Arun, and you will have to get there by taxi, bus or regular boat on the river. A taxi ride from the river side, where the Palace and the temple of the reclining Buddha are located, will cost from 200 baht, since you will have to go around almost the entire city center through the bridge. But it is much cheaper and more convenient to get here by water transport. Next to the temple is the Khun Mae Pueak pier, to which a boat departs every 10-15 minutes for 5 baht from the Tha Tien Pier, which is located between the Temple of the Reclining Buddha and the Royal Palace. To get to Tha Tien, in turn, you can walk after visiting the Temple of the Reclining Buddha and the Royal Palace. You can also get to Tha Tien by boat on the Chaopraya River from BTS Saphan Taksin Metro Station, this is in case you decide to get to Wat Arun from Pratunam, Sukhumvit, Siam and others where there is a subway. Immediately upon leaving the Saphan Taksin station, go to the Sathorn Pier and board the boat in a northerly direction (to the right) under the orange flag. The fare from Sathorn to Tha Tien Pier costs from 15 baht, but don't take a private water taxi or a tourist boat instead of a regular boat. Read more about boats on the Chaorpaya River and how to use them 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: