Thailand Life Tools

Wat Benchamabophit (Marble Temple)

WATDUSIT

The temple on the back of the five-baht coin, built of Italian marble near the Dusit palaces. Quiet compared with the river temples.

OPEN
—
CLOSE
18:00
FEE
฿100

Every day · Review-based

Opening at 06:00 or 08:00: checking.

THIS WEEK

    Usual days, with holidays and alcohol ban days. Not a promise for a given day.

    Checked 31 October 2026

    Last checked: 31 October 2026 · ฿100 (Checking)

    The marble ordination hall of Wat Benchamabophit at sunset
    Show this to a driver

    วัดเบญจมบพิตรดุสิตวนาราม

    The Thai name, as drivers know it.

    Where
    Dusit, north of the old town, near the Dusit palaces. (Wikipedia)
    Fee
    ฿100 for foreigners in recent visitor reviews (checking). (Planning research summary (owner’s re-check: Google Maps, Naver, guides); Your Thai Guide)
    Hours
    Daily until 18:00 (review-based). Opening at 06:00 or 08:00 (perhaps the grounds and the main hall): checking. (Planning research summary (owner’s re-check: Google Maps, Naver, guides); Your Thai Guide)
    Built
    Begun in 1899 at King Chulalongkorn’s (Rama V) request and finished in 1911. (Wikipedia)
    Dress
    Cover shoulders and knees. If not, you can rent a cover-up near the ticket office (about 100 baht per reviews). Shoes off indoors. Dress code for all temples
    Getting there
    No station next to it: take a taxi or a ride-hailing car and show the Thai name above.
    Getting there

    By taxi: no station close by

    Open in Google MapsAll Bangkok temples

    What to see at Wat Benchamabophit

    1. An ordination hall of Italian marble

      With Carrara marble columns, two marble lions at the door and stained-glass windows, which you rarely see in a Thai temple.

    2. Rama V rests under the main Buddha

      The image is a copy of the Phra Phuttha Chinnarat of Phitsanulok, and King Chulalongkorn’s ashes are under it.

    3. 52 Buddha images in the gallery

      In the gallery round the hall, each in a different posture (mudra).

    4. Three bridges over the canal

      A small canal runs through the grounds; the bridges are part of the view from the hall.

    5. The five-baht coin

      Find a ฿5 coin before you go: the hall’s front is on the back.

    The story

    King Chulalongkorn built a palace nearby and asked for a temple beside it. His half-brother Prince Naris designed it, mixing Thai forms with European materials: marble from Italy and stained glass.

    The 52 Buddha images in the gallery were gathered by Prince Damrong. On Makha Bucha in February and Visakha Bucha in May, the candlelit processions here are among the best known in Bangkok.

    Don’t

    • No photography inside the ordination hall.
    • Shoes off in the ordination hall.

    Dress code for all temples

    Questions

    How much is the Wat Benchamabophit entrance fee?
    ฿100 for foreigners in recent visitor reviews; we are still checking it against the price board.
    What are the Marble Temple’s opening hours?
    Until 18:00 every day (review-based). Sources give 06:00 or 08:00 for opening, so that is still being checked.
    Can I take photos at Wat Benchamabophit?
    Outside, yes. Photography is not allowed inside the ordination hall.
    Why is it called the Marble Temple?
    Its ordination hall is built of Italian marble, with Carrara marble columns.

    BEFORE YOU GO

    Before you go

    1. 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.

    2. Shoes you can slip off

      You take them off at every hall door.

    3. Cash in small notes

      Ticket offices may take cards, but ferries, drinks and donation boxes are cash.

    Money Exchange