Byodo-in
Uji, Japan
Byodo-in sells its own tickets at the gate, and there is no need to book: the general admission covers the garden…
2 tickets & tours
By type
Best buddhist temples to visit worldwide
A Buddhist temple is a working monastery as much as a monument, and its parts vary by tradition. In Thailand and Sri Lanka look for the ordination hall, the assembly hall with its main Buddha image and a bell-shaped stupa holding relics; in Japan, a gate with guardian figures, a main hall, a pagoda and often a garden; in Nepal and Tibetan Buddhist temples, a white stupa ringed by prayer wheels. Murals, Buddha footprints and great reclining images are the details worth slowing down for.
How to visit a Buddhist temple: shoes, dress and manners — Shoes, dress, feet, photos and offerings in Buddhist temples, from the wats of Thailand and Sri Lanka to the Zen temples of Japan.
Dia Tang Phi Lai Pagoda
Ha Nam, Vietnam
There is no ticket to buy for Dia Tang Phi Lai Pagoda: it is an active Buddhist temple, entry is free and visitors may…
2 tickets & tours
Gangaramaya Temple
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Gangaramaya is an easy temple to visit on your own. There is no online ticket: foreign visitors buy an entry ticket at…
2 tickets & tours
Global Vipassana Pagoda
Mumbai, India
The Global Vipassana Pagoda charges nothing for entry, and there is no ticket to reserve: visitors walk in through the…
2 tickets & tours
Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara
Colombo, Sri Lanka
There is nothing to book for Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara. Sri Lankan worshippers enter freely, and foreign visitors pay…
2 tickets & tours
Linh Ung Pagoda (Son Tra)
Da Nang, Vietnam
Linh Ung Pagoda on the Son Tra peninsula is an active Buddhist temple with no admission charge, so there is no ticket…
2 tickets & tours
Longhua Temple
Shanghai, China
Longhua Temple is entered with a modest ticket bought at the gate, and you do not need to reserve it in advance.
2 tickets & tours
Mendut Temple
Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Mendut has its own small ticket office and the entry fee is modest, paid on the day;
2 tickets & tours
Ninna-ji
Kyoto, Japan
For most of the year you can walk into the outer precinct of Ninna-ji without paying, and you buy separate tickets at…
2 tickets & tours
Shuanglin Temple
Jinzhong, China
Shuanglin Temple is a museum-like site that charges admission at the gate.
2 tickets & tours
Silver Pagoda (Wat Preah Keo Morakot)
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
The Silver Pagoda stands inside the walls of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, and the only way in is with the palace…
2 tickets & tours
Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple
Dali, China
The Three Pagodas stand inside a ticketed park that also takes in the rebuilt Chongsheng Temple climbing the hillside…
2 tickets & tours
Tofuku-ji
Kyoto, Japan
Tofuku-ji is a large Zen monastery in south-east Kyoto, one stop from Fushimi Inari, and visiting it needs no booking.
2 tickets & tours
Vinh Trang Pagoda
My Tho, Vietnam
Vinh Trang is a working Buddhist pagoda on the edge of My Tho, the gateway town of the Mekong Delta, and there is no…
2 tickets & tours
Wat Bang Phra
Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
Wat Bang Phra is a rural monastery in Nakhon Pathom province, about 50 km west of Bangkok, and it is famous for one…
2 tickets & tours
Wat Muang
Ang Thong, Thailand
Wat Muang is a large modern temple in the countryside of Ang Thong province, north of Ayutthaya, best known for its…
2 tickets & tours
Wat Traimit (Temple of the Golden Buddha)
Bangkok, Thailand
Wat Traimit stands at the eastern gateway of Bangkok's Chinatown, close to Hua Lamphong station, and its single…
2 tickets & tours
Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum
Singapore
Entry to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple is free, including the museum floor and the rooftop garden, and no ticket is…
1 ticket or tour
Buduruwagala
Ella, Sri Lanka
Buduruwagala has no online ticket. Foreign visitors pay a modest fee at a small hut by the entrance to the site, and…
1 ticket or tour
But Thap Pagoda
Bac Ninh, Vietnam
But Thap Pagoda stands in the countryside of Bac Ninh Province, beside the dyke of the Duong river, about 30 km east of…
1 ticket or tour
Dule Temple
Tianjin, China
Tickets for Dule Temple are sold at the gate on arrival for a modest fee, and there is no need to book in advance.
1 ticket or tour
Enryaku-ji
Otsu, Japan
Entry to Enryaku-ji is by a common ticket, bought at booths in the Todo area, that covers all three precincts of the…
1 ticket or tour
Haeinsa Temple
Hapcheon, South Korea
Haeinsa does not sell tickets online, and since 2023 there has been no admission charge at Korea's major heritage…
1 ticket or tour
Hase-dera Temple
Nara, Japan
There is no online ticket for Hase-dera alone. You pay the entrance fee at the gate at the foot of the long staircase,…
1 ticket or tour