Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha)

Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha) tickets and tours: which one to book

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;

they come as group walks, private half-day tours and longer days that add a long-tail boat ride through the Thonburi canals, a tuk-tuk ride to the Golden Buddha at Wat Traimit or a stop in Chinatown. A licensed guide is usually included, while the temple tickets may or may not be, so read the details. Some operators also offer photo shoots in traditional Thai costume among the chedis. If you have seen the palace already, the independent visit is the sensible option; for a first morning in Bangkok, a guided walk covering the palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun saves time and explains the symbolism of the three.

Visiting Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha): what to see and how to behave

Wat Pho is older than Bangkok itself: a temple stood here in the Ayutthaya period, and King Rama I rebuilt it from 1788 as the main temple of his new capital, where some of his ashes are kept. Rama III expanded it greatly in the 19th century and turned it into a kind of public university, with inscriptions and pictures on medicine, history and literature set into the walls; these have been recognised by UNESCO's Memory of the World programme. Most visitors head first for the hall of the Reclining Buddha in the north-west corner of the grounds. The gilded figure is 46 m long and shows the Buddha at the moment of passing into nirvana; the soles of its feet are inlaid with mother-of-pearl in 108 panels of auspicious symbols.

Along the wall stand 108 bronze bowls, and you can buy a cup of small coins and drop one into each for luck. Then take time over the rest: the four great chedis, covered in coloured ceramic tiles and dedicated to the first kings of the dynasty, the cloisters lined with hundreds of gilded Buddha images, the ordination hall with its carved stone panels, and the Chinese stone guardians at the gates. The temple is also the home of a famous school of traditional Thai massage, and a massage in the pavilion on the east side is a good way to end the visit. Shoes come off in the halls, and visitors should dress modestly and keep their feet pointed away from Buddha images. The temple lies just south of the Grand Palace, close to Tha Tien pier and Sanam Chai MRT station.

Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha): opening hours, ceremonies and the best time to go

Wat Pho is open every day from early morning into the early evening, longer than the Grand Palace; check the official site for the current hours. The first hour after opening is the quietest time in the hall of the Reclining Buddha, which becomes crowded from mid-morning, while the late afternoon brings warm light on the tiled chedis and fewer groups. The cool season from November to February is the most pleasant time to explore the open courtyards.

March to May is very hot, and from June to October short heavy showers are common, though they pass quickly and thin the crowds. Buddhist holy days and Songkran, the Thai New Year in mid-April, bring local worshippers making merit. Allow one and a half to two hours, more with a massage. A sensible order is the Grand Palace at opening time, Wat Pho late in the morning or after lunch, and then the ferry from Tha Tien to Wat Arun.