Wat Arun

Wat Arun is Bangkok's postcard: a tall, tapering Khmer-style prang on the Thonburi bank of the Chao Phraya, encrusted with millions of fragments of Chinese porcelain and seashell arranged into flowers, and surrounded by four smaller prangs at its corners. The temple is older than Bangkok itself. When King Taksin moved the capital to Thonburi after the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767, legend says he arrived at this spot at dawn and renamed the temple in honour of Aruna, the god of dawn; for a time it housed the Emerald Buddha before King Rama I carried it across the river to the new Grand Palace. The great central prang was raised to its present height in the reigns of Rama II and Rama III, and much of the porcelain decoration came from broken ballast and tableware brought by Chinese trading ships. Up close, the detail is astonishing: tiers of demons and monkeys hold up the levels, and the floral mosaics sparkle in sunlight. Visitors can climb the steep steps of the lower terraces of the main prang for a view across the river to the Grand Palace and Wat Pho; the upper levels are closed. Around the prang are an ordination hall with a Buddha image said to have been moulded by Rama II, galleries of seated Buddhas and a riverside promenade. The entry fee is a modest couple of hundred baht. Despite the name, sunset is the classic time to see it, but from the other side of the river: once the temple closes in the early evening, it is floodlit, and the rooftop bars and restaurants along Maharat Road in the old town have the city's best view of it.

The simplest way to visit is from Tha Tien pier, beside Wat Pho, where a cross-river ferry shuttles across in a few minutes for a small fare; the tourist boat and Chao Phraya Express also stop at Wat Arun pier. Plan your visit for the mid to late afternoon, when the low sun lights the porcelain and the morning tour groups have gone. The steps up the central prang are very steep, almost ladder-like in places, so take them slowly and use the handrails, especially coming down; they are not suitable for those uneasy with heights. The dress code is the same as other Bangkok temples: covered shoulders and knees, with sarongs available to rent at the entrance.

Around the temple, you will see stalls renting traditional Thai costume. Wearing Thai dress for photos at Wat Arun has become hugely popular with Thai and Asian visitors and is warmly encouraged by locals; it is not considered disrespectful. Photographers should come back after dark: from the Tha Tien side, the temple is floodlit in gold, and a drink on one of the riverside rooftops on Maharat Road is one of the great Bangkok evenings. Dinner cruises on the river also pass the temple after dark, and many time their route to linger opposite it.

Wat Arun is part of Thonburi, the old capital on the west bank, which is quieter and more residential than the Bangkok side. If you have time, walk inland along the narrow lanes behind the temple, or take a longtail boat tour into the khlongs (canals) of Thonburi, where wooden houses on stilts, small temples and floating vendors show a very different side of the city. Loy Krathong, which falls on Tuesday 24 November in 2026, is a particularly beautiful night at the riverside, when people float candlelit offerings on the water in front of the temple.