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Wat Suthat and the Giant Swing

WATPHRA NAKHON

The red Giant Swing stands in the street; Wat Suthat behind it has one of the largest bronze Buddhas in Bangkok. A short walk from MRT Sam Yot.

OPEN
08:30
CLOSE
20:00
FEE
฿100

Every day · Review-based

Closing at 20:00 or 21:00: 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 (Review-based)

    The red Giant Swing and Wat Suthat lit up at night
    Show this to a driver

    วัดสุทัศนเทพวราราม

    The Thai name, as drivers know it.

    Where
    Phra Nakhon, in the old town; MRT Sam Yot (BL30) is nearby. (Wikipedia; Wikipedia)
    Fee
    ฿100 for foreigners (review-based: two blogs agree). The Giant Swing is in the street and free. (Planning research summary (owner’s re-check: Google Maps, guides); Thai Budget Planner; Your Thai Guide)
    Hours
    Daily from 08:30 into the evening, closing at 20:00 or 21:00 (review-based; which of the two is checking). (Planning research summary (owner’s re-check: Google Maps, guides))
    Built
    Begun under Rama I in 1807 and finished under Rama III in the 1840s. (Wikipedia; Wikipedia)
    Dress
    Cover shoulders and knees. Reports say there are no loaner sarongs here, so bring your own. Shoes off at the main hall door. Dress code for all temples
    Getting there
    MRT Sam Yot (BL30), then a short walk. From here the Golden Mount is close enough to walk.
    Stations
    • MRT Sam Yot (BL30), Exit 3 · Last train toward Tha Phra 23:26 · toward Lak Song 00:14

    Open in Google MapsAll Bangkok temples

    What to see at Wat Suthat

    1. The Giant Swing, 21.15 m

      Free to see from the street. In early March each year the setting sun lines up with its centre (6 March in 2025).

    2. Phra Si Sakyamuni, about 8 m of bronze

      The main Buddha image, brought from Sukhothai, in the ordination hall.

    3. The longest ordination hall in Thailand

      That is how it is usually described; walk its full length inside.

    4. 28 Chinese pagodas around the base

      Small stone pagodas on the lower terrace, one for each of the 28 Buddhas.

    The story

    The swing was built in 1784 in front of a Brahmin shrine for a swinging ceremony. It was moved to this spot in 1920, and the ceremony stopped in 1935 after fatal accidents.

    The present swing went up in 2006 and was dedicated in 2007; the old timbers are in the Bangkok National Museum. Wat Suthat itself is a first-class royal temple, one of ten in Bangkok.

    Don’t

    • Shoes off in the ordination hall.
    • Do not point your feet at the Buddha when you sit down.

    Dress code for all temples

    Walks with this temple

    Questions

    How much is the Wat Suthat entrance fee?
    ฿100 for foreigners (review-based). Seeing the Giant Swing from the street is free.
    What are Wat Suthat’s opening hours?
    Daily from 08:30, and open into the evening: until 20:00 or 21:00 by different sources (review-based).
    How tall is the Giant Swing?
    21.15 metres. It dates from 1784; the present one was rebuilt in 2006.
    Can I walk from Wat Suthat to the Golden Mount?
    Yes. It is the old-town walk on this site: Wat Suthat, then Wat Ratchanatdaram, then the Golden Mount.

    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

    Michelin nearby

    MICHELIN Guide Thailand 2026 restaurants whose nearest station is Sam Yot, within 1 km in a straight line.

    • Jay Fai · 1 Star · ฿฿฿ · 650 m straight line from Sam Yot
    • K. Panich · Bib Gourmand · ฿ · 700 m straight line from Sam Yot
    • Mae Thum Padthai Kheng · Selected · ฿ · 750 m straight line from Sam Yot
    • Kolun.h · Bib Gourmand · ฿ · 750 m straight line from Sam Yot
    • Thai Tham · Bib Gourmand · ฿ · 800 m straight line from Sam Yot

    All Bangkok Michelin restaurants on one map