Bangkok In One Day: What Are The Most Famous Temples?
Bangkok is the entryway to Southeast Asia for many travelers. The city is an important transport hub for the countries in the region. Many travelers only change flights in Bangkok and see nothing but the airport. However, every passing tourist should spend at least a day in Bangkok to explore this metropolitan city. So how can you spend one day in Bangkok? What are the most exciting, most famous temples in Bangkok?
After devouring pad thai on Khao San Road, most tourists begin their sightseeing trips in Bangkok with Buddhist temples.
How to prepare for a day in Bangkok?
The Buddhist temples in Thailand are called wats.
The best time to visit most temples is early in the morning. The temperature is cooler, and the temples are less crowded. The wats play an essential part in Buddhist traditions. Monks live in the temples, attend to prayers and duties, and then collect food from ordinary people on the streets. If you wake up early in Bangkok, you will see monks walking around, performing their daily alms ritual.
Dress code: Thai temples are sacred places, so you must dress appropriately. No short pants or sleeveless tops.
5 temples on the map of Bangkok: it’s enough for a day
Without further ado, here is a map showing the 5 temples I will write about in this article: Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Wat Traimit, and Loha Prasat.
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1. Grand Palace
If you want to visit one thing in Bangkok, it should be the Grand Palace. It houses Thailand’s most sacred Buddhist temple, Wat Phrae Kaew.
The complex of the Grand Palace on the eastern bank of the Chao Praya River has been the official residence of the kings of Siam (Thailand) since the 18th century. It consists of numerous buildings with different functions and eclectic styles. They were built during the reign of several dynasties.
The complex has massive walls, and demons guard its gates.
Wat Phra Kaew
Perhaps the best-known of the buildings is Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The wat is home to the eponymous statue. The main Buddha image of the temple is actually made of jade stone. It is 60 cm high and depicts the Gautama Buddha meditating in the lotus position.. The sculpture is usually dressed in distinct attires appropriate for the different seasons. He has three sets of clothes: for the summer, rainy and cool seasons. I saw the Buddha in his long clothing because I visited Bangkok in the “cool” season. You are not allowed to take photos inside the temple out of respect.
The Golden Stupa
Near the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, on the so-called Upper Terrace, you will find the Phra Si Rattana Chedi, the golden stupa.
Stupas are typical Buddhist structures with rich symbolism, usually containing relics of monks or the Buddha himself. Most of them are compact structures. Demons hold up Phra Si Rattana Chedi on the Upper Terrace.
The palace grounds also accommodate secular buildings such as the Dusit Maha Prasat throne hall.
In addition to the above, the Grand Palace has a gallery, a museum, a villa, a library, a mausoleum, and a royal reception hall, to mention a few.
Grand Palace is the highlight of a Bangkok sightseeing tour. However, one day in the temples of Bangkok is only enough for drifting with the flow of tourists and seeing the most notable sights.
Sightseeing trip: an easy one-day in Bangkok
After getting the gist of the Grand Palace, it is time to wander off the beaten track. At the exit, tour operators – people waving brochures – chase tourists, trying to coax them into ”special offers.” They are considered scams, and every guidebook on the planet will specifically warn you not to fall for these offers.
So, of course, I had to join a sightseeing tour. A fellow tourist, an eager German adventure-seeker, persuaded his reluctant wife to join, and also some others, because, you know, “no risk, no fun.”
Then we got into a water taxi that took us across the Chao Praya river to two other famous Bangkok temples.
2. Wat Arun
The first one was Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn). This iconic temple of Bangkok is located on the other side of the Chao Phraya River, almost opposite the Grand Palace.
The distinctive shape of Wat Arun consists of a central prang (a Khmer-style tower) surrounded by 4 smaller buildings.The 80-meter-high tower in the middle of the temple is simply exquisite. It is decorated with mosaics, mirrors, and porcelain flowers on its entire surface.
It is also recommended for tourists who like extreme sports. The steep staircase leading to the top of the pagoda is almost perpendicular to the ground.
3. Wat Pho
The second attraction during our one-day trip was Wat Pho, the largest and oldest temple in Bangkok. It is famous for its enormous, gold-plated Reclining Buddha. Located just next to the Grand Palace, Wat Pho also houses 1,000 Buddha images and 91 chedis (stupas).
Besides the Buddhist relics, a massage school in the temple attracts many travelers. If you join the admiring, wide-eyed crowd of tourists, don’t forget to give something back.
For instance, you can ask for a blessing for a mere 10 bahts.
Bangkok Sightseeing Tour: Verdicts
Our sightseeing trip ended here, and we didn’t get victims of such a terrible scam. As rookie tourists of Southeast Asia, we paid like €5 each. It is not quite the riches of Solomon, and we visited two magnificent temples. Maybe some expert travelers, who don`t fall for the scam, can have the same experience for 4 euros.
More day trips in and around Bangkok
4. Wat Traimit (Temple of the Golden Buddha)
How to get to Wat Traimit?
No trip to Bangkok is entire without a tuk-tuk ride. Hail one and head to the following two locations.
Wat Traimit is a stunning temple located at the beginning of Yaowarat Road in Chinatown.
The main attraction of Wat Traimit is the massive Buddha statue made of solid gold – the largest of this kind in the world. The majestic statue measures 3.5 meters and weighs 5.5 tons. It was discovered by accident in the 1950s when the East Asiatic Company bought some land near the temple. They wanted to remove a plaster Buddha figure they found on the site. A crane dropped the statue due to its weight. After some tropical downpour, the monks noticed that the plaster started peeling off and that gold shone through it. Later, they peeled off the cover to reveal the gold statue.
5. Loha Prasat
Loha Prasat (or Metal Castle) is a unique structure on the Bangkok skyline. It was submitted to UNESCO in 2005 to become a World Heritage site. If you happen to be around Khao San Road, it is a must-see because it is located near the Democracy Monument.
And with that, you’re back to Khao San Road, the origo of every trip to Bangkok, Thailand, Southeast Asia.
Wow! What gorgeous temples. Thank you for sharing your tips about the best time to visit and dress code. I’ll definitely be referring back to this list later.
Wow, these are some beautiful locations! And very inexpensive for all the experiences you were able to have! The intricate architecture of the temples is fascinating.
This was one of my favorite days in Bangkok because I was able to learn more about the Thai culture. I loved exploring Bangkok and these temples. I even had a massage at Wat Pho!
I must admit that I was not really prepared for how many and how big the temples were in Bangkok. I am sorry we missed the Loha Prasat on our visit. I can see why it was submitted for UNESCO status.
These temples in Bangkok look beautiful. That’s good to know about dressing guidelines before visiting. So insane to read about the Buddha statue in the Wat Traimit temple – what a find!
I love all the beautiful temples in Bangkok. Wat Pho and Wat Arun were my two favorites!