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ThailandDescription and is it worth a visit
Doi Suthep Temple or fully Wat Phra Tat Doi Suthep (Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, also Doi Suthep) occupies a special place among the attractions of Chiang Mai. It is also known as the temple on the mountain, since its name directly comes from the name of the Doi Suthep mountain on which it is located, and the word Doi in Thailand means any mountain at all. By the way, although there is an opinion that the temple is located on the top of the mountain, in fact it is not so: the temple is located at an altitude of 1073 meters, and the real peak of Doi Suthep has a height of 1676 meters and is located 8 kilometers from here.
Wat Phra Tat Doi Suthep is not only one of the most revered temples in the north of Thailand, but also one of the most famous in the whole country. It is also one of the oldest temples: it was built in 1383 on the territory of the kingdom of Lanna. Many also give it the title of the most beautiful temple in the north of Thailand, and this is definitely the attraction that you should definitely visit during your trip to Chiang Mai.
Since Doi Suthep is located at an altitude, in addition to the beauty of the temple itself, it offers a breathtaking view of the city of Changmai, which you will see 15 kilometers away. But in order to fully enjoy the panoramic view of the city and the splendor of the sparkling golden temple, it is best to choose clear weather to visit. Despite the importance and fame of the temple, its territory is not very large, and therefore it is almost always crowded here, and during weekends and religious holidays it happens that it is almost impossible to get through.
On the way up to the temple you will also come across a small waterfall and several observation decks overlooking the city. A particularly beautiful view of Chiang Mai can be seen at nightfall, when the city lights up.
Despite the distance of this landmark from the city, the temple is definitely worth a visit, since it is one of the main attractions and the visiting rink of the city. You can visit it by buying an excursion at one of the city's travel agencies (about 1000 baht) or arrange a trip yourself, which will be much cheaper and more interesting, and how to do it, we tell you below on the page.
The legend of the appearance of Doi Suthep
According to one of the variants of the legend, the place for the construction of the temple was chosen by a white elephant, which was allowed to wander along the slopes of the mountain to find a place for construction. When the elephant found a suitable place, he announced it with an elephant cry, walked around three times and fell dead. When you yourself walk up the steps to the temple on foot, and then add in your mind the path that you made to the top of the mountain by car or motorcycle and which the elephant had to do on foot, you will realize that there really is some truth in this legend, and the elephant did not just drop dead.
How to visit Doi Suthep
Doi Suthep Temple is one of the most important and sacred places for Thai believers, therefore, when visiting it, you need to adhere to strict rules in clothing: closed shoulders, no shorts and miniskirts, flashy and overly revealing clothes. Before traveling here, it is better to prepare accordingly, so as not to rush around here in search of a cape on the shoulders and legs. You will have to take off your shoes before entering the temple.
When you are already inside the temple, there is a rule – it is necessary to behave quietly so as not to interfere with believers to pray. Unfortunately, this rule is practically not observed even by local tourists, and therefore it can be loud as at a bazaar in the morning.
When you arrive at the temple (we will tell you how to get there below), you will first find yourself at the parking lot by the road, but the temple itself is located higher on the hill, you will have to walk up 309 steps or by cable car for an additional fee. First you need to climb a little higher up one of the many stairs, to do this, just go where everyone is going. You will get to the platform, from where you can continue on foot along a long staircase, or use the mentioned funicular for 30 baht. It's not difficult to walk at all and not for long, we climbed in one breath in just 5 minutes, and taking into account the fact that long queues sometimes gather on the funicular, it's also faster. And in general, the funicular was made here for elderly and infirm believers who find it very difficult to climb, and not for tourists. So it's better to climb on foot, especially since it is believed that climbing cleanses the soul before visiting the temple.
When you get to the top, you need to pay for admission at the ticket offices for tourists, they are located to the right of the stairs. They give out tickets, and with them you need to go back to the stairs again, there is ticket control and already the entrance directly to the temple territory. After the inspection, you will enter the outer courtyard, where you need to take off your shoes and leave your shoes on the shelves or right on the floor, and after that you can enter the most beautiful part of the temple – the inner courtyard.
🕐 Working hours
Daily from 06:00 to 20:00.
💵Entrance fee / ticket price
The entrance fee to the temple is 30 baht (3.06 USD, money of Thailand, exchange rate). The funicular ascent is an additional 30 baht on request, if you do not want to climb on foot.
🚶 How to get there
The temple is located about 15 kilometers from the city on the mountain of the same name (Doi Suthep Temple on the map). To get here from Chiang Mai, you can use a taxi, tuk-tuk, rented transport or take a Songthaew minibus (they are called Red Bus here). Red Bus costing 100 baht per person depart from the stop at the north gate of Pratu Chang Phuak (see the position of the north gate on the map). Also, minibuses depart towards the zoo and further to Doi Suthep from Huai Kaeo Road near the entrance to Chiang Mai University. Do not rush to hire a tuk-tuk or a minibus as a private taxi for a round trip at once: songthaew is always waiting in the parking lot at the temple, who will take you back to the city for the same 100 baht.
If you decide to get to the temple by rented transport, then be careful when driving, because the road up the mountain to the temple, although of very good quality, is very winding and steep. There is no special parking near the temple, vehicles are parked right on the road, on the roadsides and wherever possible. It's free, but there are prohibition signs and free space is not always enough. So already at the entrance we advise you to look for and occupy a place.
Friends, we remind you that it is much more interesting to get acquainted with the sights of Thailand with the help of excursions, and therefore we advise you to look at options with online booking and reviews on these excursion aggregators: