Thailand Life Tools

Wat Traimit (Golden Buddha)

WATSAMPHANTHAWONG

The 5.5-tonne solid gold Buddha at the east end of Chinatown, on the top floor of a white marble hall. Go in the afternoon and walk on into Yaowarat.

OPEN
08:00
CLOSE
17:00
FEE
฿100

Every day · Review-based

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 Golden Buddha in its hall at Wat Traimit
    Show this to a driver

    วัดไตรมิตรวิทยาราม

    The Thai name, as drivers know it.

    Golden Buddha hall and museum

    • Golden Buddha hall: ฿100 in 2025–2026 visitor reviews (checking). Thai visitors are free.
    • Museum floors (Golden Buddha exhibition and Chinatown Heritage Centre): ฿100, a separate ticket, closed on Mondays (review-based).

    (Planning research summary (owner’s re-check: Google Maps reviews); Thai Budget Planner; Your Thai Guide)

    Where
    Samphanthawong, at the east end of Yaowarat (Chinatown). (Wikipedia; Wikipedia; Wikipedia)
    Fee
    Golden Buddha hall ฿100 in 2025–2026 visitor reviews (checking until we see the price board); the museum is a separate ticket. Thai visitors free. (Planning research summary (owner’s re-check: Google Maps reviews))
    Hours
    Daily 08:00–17:00 (review-based); the museum closes on Mondays. (Bangkok Spirit; Your Thai Guide)
    Built
    The statue’s gold was found under plaster on 25 May 1955; the present hall opened on 14 February 2010. (Wikipedia; Wikipedia)
    Dress
    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. Dress code for all temples
    Getting there
    MRT Hua Lamphong (BL28) is a short walk away; MRT Wat Mangkon (BL29) is at the other end of Yaowarat Road.
    Stations
    • MRT Hua Lamphong (BL28), Exit 1 · Last train toward Tha Phra 23:30 · toward Lak Song 00:10

    Open in Google MapsAll Bangkok templesChinatown (Yaowarat) night market

    What to see at Wat Traimit

    1. The Golden Buddha: about 3 m tall, 5.5 tonnes of gold

      In the shrine hall on the top floor. Sukhothai style, usually dated to the 13th–14th century.

    2. A crack that changed everything, 25 May 1955

      The ropes broke while it was being moved, the statue fell, and the plaster chipped to show gold underneath. The exhibition floor below tells the story.

    3. Almost 200 years in disguise

      It was covered in plaster, probably before Ayutthaya fell in 1767, so that no one would steal it.

    4. A four-storey marble hall, opened 2010

      The shrine hall sits on top; below are the Golden Buddha exhibition and the Chinatown Heritage Centre (the museum ticket).

    5. A Guinness record, 1991

      Listed as the sacred object with the highest intrinsic value.

    The story

    Before 1955 nobody knew: it looked like an ordinary plaster Buddha until the fall cracked it open.

    The temple, once called Wat Sam Chin, took its present name in 1940 and became a second-class royal temple in 1956.

    Don’t

    • Shoes off in the shrine 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 Traimit entrance fee?
    The Golden Buddha hall is ฿100 in 2025–2026 visitor reviews (checking); the museum floors are a separate ticket. Thai visitors are free.
    What are Wat Traimit’s opening hours?
    Daily 08:00–17:00 (review-based). The museum is closed on Mondays.
    Is the Golden Buddha really solid gold?
    Yes: about 5.5 tonnes. It was hidden under plaster for almost 200 years and found in 1955.
    How do I get from Wat Traimit to Chinatown?
    Walk out of the gate onto Yaowarat Road: Wat Traimit is at its east end.

    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

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