Thailand - Bangkok Touring and Sightseeing Guide.

Trips on Bangkok Canals and the Chao Phraya River, visiting Bangkok's Marble Temple and the Buddhist Temple of Wat Arun whilst on holiday in Thailand.

The various locations below can be reached in a variety of ways which do depend on whereabouts you are staying whilst on holiday in Bangkok. Generally the locations within the City mentioned below are situated close to the Chao Phraya River so we have indicated the nearest local ferry station. Prices shown are for guidance and apply to when we visited Bangkok which was March 2010 - so will probably increase as time goes by as is the way these days. Apart from the world famous and beautiful Wat Arun there are several other temples which are quite easy to get too whilst in Bangkok - incidentally as far as Thailand is concerned a Wat means a Temple, Monastery or other religious centre i.e. not necessarily a Buddhist establishment.

The Grand Palace and Wat Prakeo (Wat Prakeo means The Temple of the Emerald Buddha). The nearest express ferry pier to the Grand Palace is Tha Chang - the complex is open daily 0830-1530 although it is closed during official ceremonies. The ticket office is located along Na Phra Lan Road - if you arrive by ferry go straight ahead through the market, cross the road and the entrance is just along on the right. The entrance fee for foreign visitors is an excessive 350 Baht however the ticket does include some other minor sites. There is a strict rule about what can be worn inside the grounds (for both men and women) for instance no shorts, mini-skirts or sleeveless strappy tops are permitted - however it is possible to get suitable clothing just inside the entrance gate.

Construction of the Grand Palace commenced in 1782 to mark the founding of the new capitol, provide a Palace for the King and perhaps most importantly a resting place for the Phra Kaeo - The Emerald Buddha. The complex was once a self sufficient city within a city and today Wat Prakeo is Thailand's holiest Temple. The Ramakien Gallery surrounds the Temple Complex and contains 178 panels depicting the complete story of the Ramakien - the murals are divided by marble pillars inscribed with verses relating to the story.
Starting at Wihan Yot you need to walk around the Gallery in a clockwise direction - each Gateway to the Gallery is guarded by a pair of Yakshas (demons) and each demon symbolises a different character from the story. The eight different coloured Prangs which are located on the edge of the temple are decorated with Chinese porcelain and represent the eight elements (or eightfold path) of Buddhist religion - which are Right view, Right intention, Right speech, Right action, Right livelihood, Right effort, Right mindfulness and Right concentration. The green chedi Phra Mondop is the library and the Golden Chedi - Phra Si Rattana -
The main Bot houses the Emerald Buddha - the area is always very busy and no photographs are allowed inside. The Buddha sits high above the golden altar and is carved from a single piece of jade - it is 26 inches tall and has a lap span of 19 inches. Around the outside of the Bot are 112 garudas (mystical beasts - half man / half bird) which are shown holding nagas (serpents) and are typical of the Wat's garishly bright detail.
Story of The Ramakien. Rama, who was the heir to the throne of Ayodhya, is sent into exile (by his step-mother) accompanied by his wife Sita and brother Laksman. The Demon King Tosakan of Longka (Sri Lanka) abducts Sita. With the help of the white monkey god Hanuman, the two monkey kings Sikrip and Chompupan, together with their armies the brothers pursue Tosakan. On reaching the coast the monkeys build a stone bridge across the sea to Longka and after many victorious battles Rama fights Tosakan and kills him. Subsequently Toskan's brother Piphek is crowned King of Longka and Rama returns with his wife Sita to reign over Ayodhya. Since then the Chakri Kings have taken Rama as one of their names and the old capitol Ayutthaya was named after Ayodhya.

When visited in 2010 the Palace seemed to be closed to the public so you are restricted to wandering around admiring the beautiful buildings from the outside (i.e. particularly the Chakri Throne Hall and the Dusit Throne Hall).

Boat Trip on Bangkok's Canals and Chao Phraya River. Taking a boat ride out onto the busy Chao Phraya River and perhaps floating around some of the adjoining smaller rivers and canals that intersect this huge river is certainly worth doing whilst on holiday in Bangkok. You can make your own mind up about what you want to do - be it using the boat as a means of visiting various sites of interest, or having a thrilling high speed ride through the river's waves, or perhaps just going out for a much more peaceful ride around Bangkok and letting some time pass by.

There are several places along the river where you can hire your boat - we got ours from within the market area at Tha Chang Pier where there are several kiosks offering boat-hire. You should have a price in mind and then certainly do need to haggle - for sure the prices originally on offer will be amazingly high (probably enough to buy your own boat..). The trick is to be patient and go along with the game - as a last resort walking away in pretended disgust will probably generate a reasonable offer which is ok for both parties. The trip we took cost 1000 Baht and was for a 90 minute slow trip on the river and canals without any stops (if you do want to stop anywhere the boatman will happily do so but of course this affects the price and you will have to pay any entrance fees).

We went out along the Chao Phraya River, then turned left down Khlong Bangkok No1 soon passing the Royal Barge Museum - then via the Khlong Bangkok Yah and passing Wat Arun before finally returning to Tha Chang Pier. Some of the boats really do whiz along but we re-stated to our boatman that we were in no hurry as we wanted to take in the scenery and life on the river, photo some of the stilt houses and just relax- he was fine with that. Some of the side arms (canals) are very silted up/overgrown and all but (if not) impassable but you can still see how extensive Bangkok's waterways once were. Some of the side arm lock gates can still be seen - in places the wooden stilt houses are being replaced by more permanent buildings but many are still fronted by stilt-like landing stages.

Wat Prayun - Turtles Pool. Open daily 0900-1630 - free entry.
Located near the river Wat Prayun is reached by getting off the ferry at Tha Saphan Phut - walk across Memorial Bridge and this small temple is down on right - the entrance is guarded by two turtles. Formed in the shape of a hill which was built on the instructions of Rama III to replicate the shapes made by dripping candle wax, the temple is extremely peaceful and excellent to wander around. The area around the temple is well planted with trees and flowers, many water features, miniature shrines, chedis, prangs, grottos and tiny temples.

Local people bring turtles to the temple and release them into the ornamental pools in the hope of gaining some merit for their future lives. This means that the pools are packed with very hungry turtles - just inside the entrance you can buy food and then feed them by hand or use a provided stick if you don't want to risk your fingers.

Wat Arun (Wat Arun Ratchawararam or The Temple of Dawn.) Open daily 0700 to 1700 with an entrance fee of 50 Baht for foreigners. Situated on the river bank, the main ferry stop is Tha Rachini and then you need to get the local ferry across the river (3 Baht). Wat Arun is named after Aruna, the Indian God of Dawn - this Buddhist Temple is one of Bangkok's most visually striking landmarks especially when viewed from the river. Similarly the views of the river from the temple's second tier of the central Prang are excellent.

The Prang (Khmer style tower) is built in the Ayutthayan style and like the temples at Angkor Park in Cambodia represent Mount Meru (home of the devas -gods- in Hindu mythology). You can climb part of the way up the Prang but the steps are very steep and quite shallow in depth so you do need take care and not have a problem with vertigo - the steps represent the difficulties in reaching higher levels of existence...

The main Prang is encircled by four small Prang all of which are most beautifully covered in small colourful pieces of broken porcelain, ceramic and small bowls formed into flower shapes. The smaller Prangs also have statues of Nayu - the God of Wind on Horseback. Some other main features of the Temple are the rows of demons decorated with pieces of porcelain lining the outside of the main Prang, the Chinese Guards at the temple entrances and various statues of mythical creatures.

Wat Rakhang (Temple of the Bells). Wat Rakhang is located near the river and can reached by ferry by getting off at express boat pier Tha Wang Lang. From the Pier turn left and walk straight through Piranknok Pier Side Market then continue ahead to the Temple. If you are on the Grand Palace side of the river use the ferry shuttle from Tha Chang to Wat Rakhang Pier. King Rama I donated 5 large bells to the Temple which is how the temple got it's name. There are also hundreds of smaller bells under the eaves of the main Bot and around the Temple courtyard. Striking the bells is thought to bring you good luck.

Whilst visiting the temple look out for the raised library - a wooden ho trai (scripture library) and don't miss the renovated gold-leaf paintwork on the window shutters and pillars.

Wat Pho (The Temple of the Reclining Buddha) - the correct name for this Wat is Wat Phra Chetuphon but is known by tourists everywhere as Wat Pho. Wat Pho is located very close to the Grand Palace - the nearest Express Ferry Pier is at Tha Tien. The Wat is open daily from 0900 to 1700 and has a small entrance fee of 50 Baht - it's Bangkok's oldest and largest Buddhist Temple and Thailand's foremost centre of public education and traditional medicine including the famous Institute of Massage.


The original Temple was built in the 16th century was subsequently re-built and enlarged by Rama I in the 1780s. The Chapel of the Reclining Buddha was built in 1832 by Rama III and contains a huge 46 metre long gilded Buddha - the Buddha's feet are carved in mother of pearl. The compound has 16 huge gates each of which are guarded by Farang Guards (stone giants) some of which have huge noses, beards and wear top-hats. There are 99 Chedi located around the grounds - the four great Chedi are notable for their garish decorated tiles than for their actual size.

Lumphini Park and Gardens. Lumphini Park may have been named after Lumbini in Nepal which was the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of the Buddhist philosophy. The Gardens are open from 06 to 21 hours daily and located not too far from Salar Daeng BTS station in between the very busy Rama IV, Ratchadamri and Witthayu roads. The entrance gate nearest to the above stations/roads has a large paved area in front of it in the centre of which is a fairly large statue of Rama VI.

There is no charge for getting into the gardens - smoking is not permitted in the Park with a hefty fine for transgressors and there are watchful park attendants who patrol on foot and by cycle. As far as amenities are concerned there are toilets available just inside the gardens when entered from the above-mentioned entrance however there is little facility for buying food and drink within the gardens so it's best to take such with you. (just outside the various entry gates there are stalls selling cold drinks, fruit and some snacks).

These extensive gardens contain around 140 acres of lakes (including the possibility to hire small boats), grass areas, trees and wildlife (including some large monitor lizards and lots of turtles and catfish).he gardens are particularly popular with joggers especially in the late afternoon and evening and also for people just crashing out on the grass areas or using the many seating areas around the lake who want some peace and quiet for a while.

Day Trip to Ayutthaya. Ayutthaya is quite easily reached from Bangkok - a car and driver for the day cost us 1800 Baht - you should ensure before travelling that the agreed price includes all road tolls as these certainly add up. The trip by car takes about an hour although heavy traffic and time of day can lengthen this somewhat. Most hotels organise coach trips to Ayutthaya (some of these involve an option for a return trip along the Chao Phraya by river boat) and you can also get there by train from Hualamphong Railway Station and by bus from Bangkok's Northern Bus Terminal.
Although we just spent one day there it is quite apparent that much more time is needed to really look round this former capital of Siam to do it justice. The City, which was named after Ayodhya (see the story of the Ramakien which is shown on the walls of Wat Phra Kaeo) was founded between 1351 and 1369 by Ramathibodi I who moved here to escape the outbreak of smallpox at Lop Buri. During the 16th and 17th centuries it was part of an extremely important trading route between India and China and people from all over the world arrived there to take advantage of this - the city had a population of 1 million people. The City's importance lasted for about 400 years but ended when the Burmese finally sacked it in 1767 - this was when the capitol was moved to Bangkok.
Ayutthaya is a City Island as it is encircled by three rivers (Chao Phraya, Pa Sak and Lopburi) and was interlaced with many canals and waterways and the it's temples and palaces with their water features must have looked very grand. However today most of the red brick ruins are situated in dusty fields but you can still get a good insight into what they once looked like - a huge contrast to the bright sometimes garish temples and wats to be found in modern Bangkok.

The various sites were all open from 0800 to 1700 daily and generally there is a small entrance fee - varying between 20 and 50 Baht. Also most of these sites had various refreshment facilities.

Wat Yai Chai Monkgoi - Situated across the Pasak River southeast of the "island". In 1357 Ramathibodi I founded the complex as a meditation site for the monks returning from Sri Lanka and it's still in use today. Just inside the entrance gate are the ruins of the Wihan (Assembly Hall) which contains a large reclining Buddha who is draped in a saffron coloured robe. The whole complex is surround by gardens and lakes and extremely pleasant to wander around. The huge Chedi was constructed by King Naresuan to celebrate his victory over the Burmese in 1593 - the Chedi sits on a base which is surrounded by small Buddha's - who are also draped in saffron robes.

It is possible to climb up into the Chedi, from where you get very good views of the surrounding area. Round the back of the Chedi there are some small gardens which contain another Buddha statue.

Wat Maha That (Great relic Chedi or Wat Phra Mahathan). Wat Maha That is located to the east of the Grand Palace within a huge and now very dusty area and was one of the most important royal temple sites in Ayutthaya. The Mahathat Chedi was built during the reign of Phra Borom Rajathirat in the late 14th century to house the remains of the Buddha. This monastery was burnt and destroyed during the war between Ayuttya and Burma in 1767 and has remained as ruins ever since. One of the features are the prangs which lean in all directions and also the numerous headless Buddha's which are scattered all over the site. Don't miss the head in the tree!

Wat Ratburana.
Just across the road from Wat Maha That, the Wat Ratburana was built by King Borom Rajathirat II (Chao Samphraya) in memory of his elder brothers Ay and Yi who killed each other over succession to the throne - leaving Borom as King. There are four bell shaped chedi which lean out from the main prang - some of the original carvings can still be seen.

Wat Phra Sisanphet.
Wat Phra Sisanphet was built on the site of a royal palace in 1448 by King Boroma-Tri-Loka-Nat and was used for important royal ceremonies and also as the royal family's private chapel. The three chedi were built later - two of them by King Ramathibodi II for the remains and in memory of his father and mother and the third chedi was built for the ashes of King Ramathibodi II.
The main Wihan once housed the largest Buddha image known - it was 16 metres high and covered in 173 kgs of gold. This was destroyed when the Burmese finally conquered Ayutthaya in 1767. Rama I salvaged the pieces of the Buddha image and these were subsequently placed within the chedi at Wat Pho.

Wat Na Phra Mane. Situated on the north bank of the Lop Buri River this is the only temple to survive the Burmese invasion. The main Bot was built in 1503 by Angel Indra during the reign of King Ramathibodee II and has outside columns topped with lotus cups and slits instead of windows to let ventilation through - a typical Ayutthaya style.

Wat Phu Khao Thong (Golden Mountain). The Wat is situated on open countryside around 2kms north of Wat Na Phra Mane. Whilst occupying Ayutthaya in 1569 the Burmese erected a Mon-style chedi to commemorate their victory over Siam - when the Thais regained the city they put up with it for around 200 years as it was against Buddhist law to destroy a religious monument. When it finally collapsed King Borommakot built a chedi on the old base - only for the Burmese to once again invade the city in 1767.

The chedi has since been restored and painted white and is something of an unusual sight rising out of the fields. Behind the chedi there are quite a few buildings which seemed to be part of a small monastery and still occupied - both by people and also by quite a few chickens and cockerels.

Wat Chai Watthanaran. This Wat was built in 1630 by King Parsat Thong - possibly to commemorate his victory over Cambodia - it was constructed in the Khmer style and is similar to some of the temple complexes at Angkor (Cambodia). Four small prang and eight tiered and tapered chedi encircle the main large corncob prang. Although a large amount of brickwork now shows through it is still possible to spot fragments of stucco in places.


120 headless seated Buddha's line the outside gallery and two large seated Buddha's gaze out over the river Chao Phraya. At one time the entrance to the Wat was from the river and the views must have been very impressive as the Wat was approached. The whole area is quite open and really pleasant to wander around.

Please take a look at our Bangkok Vacation Guide

Please see our Home Page - where there are links to our other travel sites about England, The Canary Islands, Athens and The Greek Islands, Cyprus, Portugal's Algarve, India, Egypt, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia and several Indonesian Holiday Islands.   Visit our Resources topic if you wish to Email Us and/or to see our site privacy policy.

www.foxysfareast.co.uk