Tickets
Hotels
Tours
Insurance
Trains
ThailandDescription and is it worth visiting
Wat Saket (Golden Mount Temple) – the full name is Wat Saket Ratcha Wora Maha Wihan. The temple and artificial hill were originally built back when the kingdom's capital was Ayutthaya. Later, starting from the 18th century, the temple was repeatedly expanded and improved by order of the Siamese kings until it took its current form. When the capital moved to Bangkok in the 18th century, the temple was used as a city crematorium. It's said that the remains of over 60,000 people from Bangkok's poor population are buried on its grounds at the base of the hill. Nowadays, of course, the temple is no longer used as a crematorium.
Overall, this is a very interesting and well-known temple in Bangkok, and it's definitely worth visiting if you've already explored the main trio of Bangkok attractions: The Grand Palace, Wat Pho, and Wat Arun. The most interesting feature for tourists is the artificial hill on the temple grounds, which holds one of the temple buildings and a gilded chedi (pagoda). The height of the hill together with the chedi is 76 meters. Before skyscrapers began to be built in the city, the Golden Mount pagoda was the highest point in Bangkok on the eastern bank of the Chao Phraya River (only Wat Arun at 88 meters on the western bank was higher). Climbing to the top gives you an excellent panoramic view of Bangkok's Rattanakosin Island district (see Bangkok areas) from a bird's eye perspective. To get to the top, you'll need to climb over 300 steps (they say exactly 318). As you climb, you'll pass by bells that you can freely ring – no one will say anything (just don't overdo it, they're very loud). It's believed that ringing these bells brings good luck and health. Whether that's true or not, you can find out for yourself. When you reach the top and enter the room at the base of the pagoda, you'll need to find another staircase inside that leads to the observation deck where the chedi is located, and from where the view of the city opens up.
But the temple is known for more than just this. This place is highly revered and visited by Thais because here, at the top of the mount, in a special repository in the very center of the building, a relic of the Buddha is kept – brought from India, but no one says exactly which one. You won't be able to see the relic itself – only the golden sarcophagus in which it's kept is visible. It's located in the very center of the pagoda, and narrow corridors lead to it, which you can walk through but only strictly following the directions indicated by arrows. Every November, a grand Buddhist festival is held at the temple, during which a huge procession climbs the hill.
The temple itself consists not only of the mount and the pagoda on it, as many tourists believe. In fact, the temple grounds are quite extensive, and its main building is located below. It may not stand out among hundreds of other temples in Bangkok, but if you're here, it's worth visiting as well.
🕐 Opening hours
Daily from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM.
💵 Entrance fee / ticket prices
Temple entry is free, access to the observation deck – 100 baht as a donation (3.04 USD, Thai currency)
🚶 How to get there
Wat Saket is located on Rattanakosin Island in Bangkok (temple on the map). From the Khao San tourist area, it's easy to walk here. From other areas, you'll need to take a taxi, bus, canal boat, or metro.
By taxi
A ride via Grab, Bolt, or Maxim from central areas will cost from 100 to 250 baht.
By bus
City buses routes #8, 37, and 47 stop near the temple (fare from 8 to 23 baht). To find out if a particular bus route passes near your hotel, you can use the service on the official city bus website BTMA, Google Maps route planner, or the ViaBus app.
By canal boat (Golden Mount Line)
From the Pratunam and Siam areas, you can get to Wat Saket by scheduled boats on the Golden Mount Line along the canal (klong). Boats depart from the terminal Pratunam Pier from under the bridge at the intersection of Phetchaburi and Ratchadamri roads, and travel through the Siam area almost to Wat Saket at the other terminal Panfa Leelard Pier. The fare is 20 baht, paid in cash to the conductor on the boat. More about Bangkok water transport and how to use it.
By metro
A new MRT Sam Yot underground station appeared one kilometer from the temple. Since the underground MRT doesn't cover tourist areas well, you may first need to take the BTS skytrain or ARL airport rail link to reach it from your area.
For more details on all types of Bangkok transport and how to use them, read our guide: Bangkok transport and how to get around.
Friends, we'd like to remind you that exploring Bangkok's attractions is much more interesting with guided tours, so we recommend checking out options with online booking and reviews on these Russian-language tour aggregators: