Bangkok temples
WAT
Entrance fees and hours for Bangkok’s main temples and the Erawan Shrine, each marked official, review-based or checking, with the Grand Palace dress rules and two walks you can follow on your phone.
- TEMPLES
- 9
- FEES
- ฿0–฿500
- WALKS
- 2
TEMPLES
Fees and hours side by side
| TEMPLE | DISTRICT | DAYS | OPEN | CLOSE | FEE | BASIS | CHECKED |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Palace | DISTRICT PHRA NAKHON | DAYS Every day | OPEN 08:30 | CLOSE 15:30 | FEE ฿500 | BASIS Official | CHECKED 31 Oct |
| Wat Pho | DISTRICT PHRA NAKHON | DAYS Every day | OPEN 08:00 | CLOSE 19:30 | FEE ฿300 | BASIS Official | CHECKED 31 Oct |
| Wat Arun | DISTRICT BANGKOK YAI | DAYS Every day | OPEN 08:00 | CLOSE 18:00 | FEE ฿200 | BASIS Review-based | CHECKED 31 Oct |
| Wat Traimit (Golden Buddha) | DISTRICT SAMPHANTHAWONG | DAYS Every day | OPEN 08:00 | CLOSE 17:00 | FEE ฿100 | BASIS Checking | CHECKED 31 Oct |
| Wat Suthat and the Giant Swing | DISTRICT PHRA NAKHON | DAYS Every day | OPEN 08:30 | CLOSE 20:00 | FEE ฿100 | BASIS Review-based | CHECKED 31 Oct |
| Golden Mount (Wat Saket) | DISTRICT POM PRAP | DAYS Every day | OPEN 07:00 | CLOSE 19:00 | FEE ฿100 | BASIS Review-based | CHECKED 31 Oct |
| Wat Benchamabophit (Marble Temple) | DISTRICT DUSIT | DAYS Every day | OPEN — | CLOSE 18:00 | FEE ฿100 | BASIS Checking | CHECKED 31 Oct |
| Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen | DISTRICT PHASI CHAROEN | DAYS Every day | OPEN — | CLOSE — | FEE Free | BASIS Review-based | CHECKED 30 Oct |
| Erawan Shrine | DISTRICT PATHUM WAN | DAYS Every day | OPEN 06:00 | CLOSE 22:00 | FEE Free | BASIS Review-based | CHECKED 31 Oct |
Foreigner fees. “Official” is from the temple’s own pages; “review-based” from blogs and recent visitors.
Grand Palace: tickets until 15:30.
Wat Suthat and the Giant Swing: Closing at 20:00 or 21:00: checking.
THIS WEEK
The next seven nights
Every temple here opens daily; holidays and alcohol ban days are marked. Not a promise for a given day.
Checked 31 October 2026
The Grand Palace costs ฿500 and sells its last tickets at 15:30, so go there first. Wat Pho is ฿300 and open until 19:30 on its official page; Wat Arun across the river closes at 18:00. Wat Paknam and the Erawan Shrine are free. Usual hours, not a promise for a given day.
Entrance fee calculator
With a guide
- Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun guided tour · GetYourGuideAffiliate link★ 4.8 · 5,962 reviews · from ฿750 per person
- Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun guided tour · KlookAffiliate link★ 4.8 · 5.9K reviews
Pick by situation
- Free entry
- Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen, Erawan Shrine
- Only an hour or two
- Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Wat Traimit (Golden Buddha), Wat Suthat and the Giant Swing, Golden Mount (Wat Saket)
Temple dress code
The Grand Palace is the strictest and the only one with an official list. Dress for it and you are fine at every other temple.
Not allowed at the Grand Palace (official list)
- Sleeveless shirts and vests
- Short tops and see-through tops
- Hot pants and short trousers
- Torn, tight or cycling trousers
- Mini skirts and trouser-skirts
- Sleepwear
How strict, temple by temple
| Temple | Basis | Dress |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Palace | Official list | The list above, checked at the gate. |
| Wat Pho | Official rule | Shorts not allowed, long trousers fine; women’s shorts above the knee not allowed; shoes off inside buildings. |
| Wat Arun | Review-based | Dress is checked at the gate: cover shoulders and knees; shorts and vest tops are turned back. Sarongs can be rented near the entrance. Shoes off inside the ordination hall. |
| Wat Traimit (Golden Buddha) | Review-based | Cover shoulders and knees; if not, you’ll need to buy or rent a scarf or wrap at the entrance. Hats off and shoes off inside the halls. |
| Wat Suthat and the Giant Swing | Review-based | Cover shoulders and knees. Reports say there are no loaner sarongs here, so bring your own. Shoes off at the main hall door. |
| Golden Mount (Wat Saket) | Review-based | No sleeveless tops or shorts/skirts above the knee. There’s no sarong loan, so bring a light layer. 300+ steps, so wear comfortable shoes. |
| Wat Benchamabophit (Marble Temple) | Review-based | Cover shoulders and knees. If not, you can rent a cover-up near the ticket office (about 100 baht per reviews). Shoes off indoors. |
| Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen | Review-based | No gate check reported, but cover shoulders and knees. Shoes off when entering the great stupa. |
| Erawan Shrine | Review-based | It’s an open-air shrine with no dress check. Dress neatly; you can keep your shoes on. |
Temple manners
- Shoes off before you step into an ordination hall or a shrine hall; leave them at the door or on the rack.
- It is generally taught not to touch anyone’s head, and not to point your feet at a Buddha image or a monk: sit with your feet tucked behind you.
“The Grand Palace is closed today”
Someone near the palace says it is closed today and offers a tuk-tuk to another temple or a shop. It is an old trick: police were already cracking down on it in 2015. Check closures only on the palace’s own schedule page.
Official Grand Palace scheduleKhaosod English on the 2015 crackdown
When the Grand Palace closes
The Grand Palace can close at short notice for royal ceremonies. This page keeps no list of dates: check the official schedule on the day.
Self-guided walks
- Riverside temple walk: Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat ArunAbout 5–6 hours · fees about ฿1,000 · start 08:30
- Old town walk: Golden Buddha to Golden Mount at sunsetAbout 5 hours · fees about ฿320 · start 13:00
Other temples
- Grand Palace฿500 with Wat Phra Kaew; last ticket 15:30; the strictest dress code.
- Wat Pho฿300; open to 19:30; the 46 m Reclining Buddha.
- Wat ArunAbout ฿200; closes 18:00; reached by the cross-river ferry.
- Wat Traimit (Golden Buddha)฿100 (museum separate); 08:00–17:00; the 5.5-tonne gold Buddha by Chinatown.
- Wat Suthat and the Giant Swing฿100; 08:30 into the evening; the Giant Swing in front is free.
- Golden Mount (Wat Saket)฿100; open to 19:00; the old town’s sunset view.
- Wat Benchamabophit (Marble Temple)฿100 (checking); Italian marble, on the five-baht coin.
- Wat Paknam Phasi CharoenFree; hours checking; the 69 m Big Buddha and the glass stupa.
- Erawan ShrineFree; a Hindu shrine at Ratchaprasong; 06:00–22:00.
Questions
- How much are temple entrance fees in Bangkok?
- The Grand Palace is ฿500 and Wat Pho ฿300 (official). Wat Arun is about ฿200, and the Golden Mount, Wat Suthat, Wat Traimit and Wat Benchamabophit ฿100 each (review-based; Wat Traimit and Wat Benchamabophit still checking). Wat Paknam and the Erawan Shrine are free. Thai visitors and young children are free at the Grand Palace and Wat Pho.
- Which Bangkok temples are free?
- Wat Paknam Phasi Charoen, with its giant Buddha, and the Erawan Shrine, which is a Hindu shrine rather than a temple (review-based).
- What should I wear to Bangkok temples?
- Cover shoulders and knees, with no torn, tight or see-through clothes. The Grand Palace checks this at the gate against its official list; dressed for it, you are fine everywhere else.
- Is the Grand Palace closed today?
- Check the official schedule page on the day. Ignore anyone outside who says it is closed and offers a tuk-tuk elsewhere: that is a known scam.
- Which temples are open in the evening?
- Wat Pho until 19:30 (official page); the Erawan Shrine until 22:00, Wat Suthat until 20:00 or 21:00 and the Golden Mount until 19:00 (review-based). Wat Arun closes at 18:00 and the Grand Palace stops selling tickets at 15:30.
BEFORE YOU GO
Before you go
Cover shoulders and knees
Pack a light long-sleeved top or scarf and long trousers or a long skirt; it is hot, so loose cotton works best.
Shoes you can slip off
You take them off at every hall door.
Cash in small notes
Ticket offices may take cards, but ferries, drinks and donation boxes are cash.