Which one to choose in Bangkok
Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) vs Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha)
Two temples in Bangkok. Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) has 46 tickets and tours to book; Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha) has 42 tickets and tours to book. The table and the two notes below put them side by side; the full pages have what to see, the ticket and the timing for each.
Bangkok, Thailand
Wat Arun stands on the Thonburi bank of the Chao Phraya, opposite Wat Pho, and most people simply take the cross-river ferry from Tha Tien pier and buy a ticket at the gate. Thai nationals enter free; foreign visitors pay a small fee. No advance booking is needed, which makes the independent visit the obvious choice if you only want to see the temple itself.
Organised options fall into a few groups. The commonest are half-day or full-day guided walks around the old city that include the Grand Palace and Wat Pho and end with the ferry to Wat Arun; check whether the entry tickets are part of the price.
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Bangkok, Thailand
Wat Pho is one of the easiest of Bangkok's great temples to visit on your own: the ticket is sold at the gate, foreign visitors pay a fee while Thai nationals enter free, and there is no need to book ahead or join a queue for timed entry. Inside, you can wander the courtyards for as long as you like, and the massage school in the grounds takes walk-in customers.
Most of the tours sold online combine Wat Pho with the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, a few minutes' walk to the north, and with Wat Arun across the river by ferry;
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