The Temple Of Dawn - Bangkok

Temple Of Dawn - Bangkok

Wat Arun is better known as The Temple Of Dawn and stands on the banks of Bangkok's main river - The Chao Praya (River Of Kings). Wat arun is short for the full name: Wat Arunratchataram and the name Arun comes from the Hindu god of dawn Aruna.

The Temple Of Dawn is made up of 5 "prangs" or spires; the 80 metre high central prang and then 4 small prangs located in each corner of a "square" surrounding the central prang.

It is possible to climb the central prang to a viewing platform but the steps are steep so only try this if fit and healthy. If you do manage to make the climb, you'll be rewarded with superb views of the river and surrounding areas.

General Information

Other Name:	Wat Arunratchataram
Opens:	9.00 - 17.30 daily
Price:	50 Baht
Nearest Hotel:	Millenium Hilton
Boat Stop:	Tha Arun
Free Tours:	Guides roam around looking for business
Tel:	+ 66 (0)2 465 5640

More Information

The most visually impressive time to see Wat Arun is to go at dusk, when the sun is setting; and then also when it has got darker and the spot lights come on and bring the temple to life.

When the sun shines, there is a constant twinkle as the sun rays bounce off the hundreds of thousands of small porcelain pieces that have been used to adorn the prangs. Apprently, the porcelain came from Chinese trade boats that used them as balast.

Getting To The Temple Of Dawn

The best and probably most scenic way of getting to Wat Arun would be to get to Thaksin Bridge (Saphan Thaksin) which you can do by taxi or skytrain, and then take the river ferry up to Tha Arun which is right next to The Temple Of Dawn.

You can always grab a txi to take you all the way there but it's likely to be a boring ride and you could get stuck in traffic.

Guided Tours

You can join guided tours which will encompass a number of the temples in the local area. A typical tour would take in Wat Arun, Wat Po (Reclining Buddha), Wat Pra Kaew (Emerald Buddha) and The Grand Palace. Prices for tours such as this range from about 3,600 Baht for a single person, to 1,130 Baht per person for groups of 30 people or more.

Going It Alone

Guided tours get you to where you want to go and back again with very little fuss but it's quite easy to do this tour yourself and save a tidy sum.

Entrance to Wat Arun, 50 Baht
Entrance to Wat Po, 50 Baht
Entrance to Grand Palace 350 Baht

This is 450 Baht meaning 3,150 Baht is spent on transportation whereas if you were to grab the skytrain it'd cost you no more than 70B (depending on where you were coming from) and then the ferry to Wat Arun is roughly 12 baht. Catch the ferry across the river to The Grand Palace for another 5 - 10 Baht and you can walk the rest.

If you do it yourself, you could do this trip for less than 600 Baht

Best Time To Visit

Wat Arun - the Temple of Dawn in Bangkok - at night

Wat Arun is surrounded by many other places of interest and so we suggest you plan to see The Temple Of Dawn on your way to The Grand Palace before going to Wat Po..

If you get to Wat Arun for when it opens, spend 45 minutes looking around before moving onto the Grand Palace, we think yo will be able to view a minimum of 4 interesting places in a single morning.

Scams

Unfortunately, there are a few scams that go on around Wat Arun, Wat Pho and the Grand Palace - so be careful about who you talk to and what you accept

The main scams revolve around telling you the temple is closed and that you should go on another tour which they can offer.

Please ignore these people and DO NOT accept their offer.

Map To The Temple Of Dawn in Bangkok

View The Temple Of Dawn - Bangkok in a larger map

Video Of The Temple Of Dawn

What's Close By That's Of Interest?

The Grand Palace - Wat Pra Gaew - 5 minute ferry ride
across the Chao Praya River

The Reclining Buddha - Wat Po - 5 minute ferry ride
Directly opposite Wat Arun

National Museum- 5 minute walk
(Largest museum in the area with many displays to help you learn about Thai life and culture)

Golden Mount Temple - 20 - 25 minute walk
(A golden topped temple set on a small hill a short walk from Kao Sarn Road.... a decent view across Bangkok awaits.)

Wat Chana Songkhram Rachawora Mahawiharn - 20 minute walk
(Ancient temple built in the Ayutthaya period- good introduction to Thai temples)

Giant Swing - 15 minute walk
(Huge red swing about 80 feet high once used by young men swinging to catch a bag of silver coins in their teeth.)

Wat Suthat - 15 minute walk
(large temple next to the Giant Swing)

Wat Ratchanatdaram Worawihan- 20 minute walk
(a short walk past democracy monument, this temple is architectually impressive)

Wat Thepthidaram Worawihan- 15 minute walk

Hotels Near The Temple Of Dawn

Kao Sarn Park Resort		Rating out of 10
	Located in the middle of Kao Sarn road, this hotel has 47 clean rooms with decent facilities.	Score: 7.6 AVG Price: $28	Book Here
Prince Palace Hotel
	Part of the BoBae market building, this is an up=market hotel for the Khao Sarn area. Plenty of things to do and see in the area and quick ferry to shopping areas. Good facilities too.	Score: 7.5 AVG Price: $46	Book Here
Navalai River Resort
	A little further away from Khao San road but still close enough to enjoy it without being part of it. Good facilities and close to the river to help keep you cool..	Score: 8.5 AVG. Price: $65	Book Here
Villa Cha Cha
	Close to Kao Sarn road and yet far enough away so as not to be disturbed by it. Cosy accommodation is a Thai style. Good accommodation for travelers	Score: 7.5 AVG. Price: $44	Book Here
Viengtai Hotel
	209 rooms and set just around the corner from Kao Sarn Road in a quite road but it's just a minute or two's walk and close by The Grand Palace.	Score: 7.6 AVG. Price: $43	Book Here
Holiday Inn
	Situated opposite The Grand Hyatt Erawan, the Erawan shrine and Gaysorn shopping Centre, The Holiday Inn Bangkok offers reasonable rates, good facilities	Score: 8.8 AVG. Price: $89	Book Here
The Arnoma
	Situated opposite Central World, the Arnoma Hotel provides good accommodation in an excellent location. Close to Skytrains, excellent shopping, restaurants and entertainment. Few hotels at this price offer such a good location.	Score: 7.8 AVG. Price: $61	Book Here