Wat Arun, the starting point
Wat Arun is open daily from 8 am to 6 pm. You get there by ferry from Tha Tien pier on the east bank, a crossing of a few minutes. Allow about an hour for the prang, its terrace and the ordination hall. Opening hours and the entrance fee are in the temple's page.
Within ten minutes on foot: the Thonburi riverbank
Leave the temple by the pier and walk along the west bank. Within a few minutes you will find:
- Thai costume rental shops around the entrance, very popular for photos at the foot of the prang.
- Cafés and small restaurants with terraces over the river, handy for watching the prang light up at nightfall. Several places are covered in our guide to restaurants with a view in Bangkok; no prices are given here, because menus change.
- The neighbourhood lanes, with wooden houses, noodle stalls and workshops, far from the tour groups.
The river: the other bank, a few minutes by ferry
On the other side, Tha Tien pier is next to Wat Pho, whose reclining Buddha is a ten-minute walk away, and the Grand Palace, fifteen minutes away. The ferry, which costs a few baht in cash, is the simplest way to combine the three sites in half a day. For the express boat, see the page on the Chao Phraya River.
20 minutes on foot or by taxi: Kalayanamit and Kudi Chin
Further south on the west bank, two sites can be visited together:
- Wat Kalayanamit, a large temple with a giant seated Buddha, near the mouth of the Bangkok Yai canal.
- Santa Cruz Church and the Kudi Chin district, a former Portuguese community founded in the 18th century, where you can taste traditional cakes in the lanes.
The distance exceeds ten minutes: about twenty minutes on foot depending on your pace, or a few minutes by taxi. In strong heat, take a taxi or Grab and walk back.
Beyond: the Thonburi canals
The Thonburi khlongs are visited by boat: see the page on the Thonburi khlongs and the Thonburi guide. For an artists' house on a canal, a few kilometres from Wat Arun, see Baan Silapin, on Khlong Bang Luang.
A half-day route
- 8 am: ferry to Wat Arun at opening, before the heat.
- 9:30 am: walk along the riverbank, coffee.
- 10:30 am: Wat Kalayanamit, then Kudi Chin for the cakes.
- 12:30 pm: lunch in Thonburi.
- Late afternoon: ferry back to Tha Tien, then Wat Pho.
Practical tips
Clothing covering shoulders and knees is required in temples: see what to wear in temples. The ferry runs during the day and until late in the evening; check the last departure at the pier. For a sunset over the prang, stand on the opposite bank.
For the rest of the royal district, see Rattanakosin Island.
