Rating: 3.8/5 (5 votes)

Open Days: Daily

Opening Hours: 08.00 – 18.00

 

Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchaworamahawihan is one of Bangkok’s defining images—effortlessly standing tall on the Thonburi bank of the Chao Phraya River. The temple sits directly opposite Wat Pho and the Tha Tien area, close enough that crossing over by ferry from the Phra Nakhon side has become a familiar ritual for travelers in almost every era. What makes this place special is not only the beauty of its architecture, but the fact that it is a living temple: a gathering point of faith, a breath of calm for city people, and a space where many chapters of Thai history have quite literally “walked through.”

 

In terms of its roots, Wat Arun is often described as a temple that has existed since the Ayutthaya period. When Thonburi became the capital, the temple’s role grew markedly as a major religious site of the city. Part of why its former name—“Wat Chaeng”—has remained memorable is the imagery of dawn by the riverside, and the relationship between this riverbank and the royal precinct during the Thonburi era, when the palace grounds expanded until the temple lay along a key line of the nation’s core space. In that period, the temple came to be regarded as a “paired temple of home and city” in the sense of state-level devotion and ceremony, before later restorations gradually shaped Wat Arun into an architectural symbol recognized worldwide.

 

Entering the Rattanakosin period, Wat Arun underwent a major restoration during the reign of King Rama II, and it is often regarded as a temple closely associated with that reign in terms of serious royal patronage. Later, during King Rama III, construction began on the great prang—the temple’s primary highlight—and it was completed in the reign of King Rama IV. This continuity across multiple reigns means Wat Arun is not simply one beautiful structure, but rather a “work accumulated by time,” where we can see transitions in taste, craftsmanship, and the state’s intention to ensure the enduring dignity of an important royal temple.

 

If you want to visit Wat Arun in a way that offers both calm and meaningful detail, start by taking in the overall composition—the layout naturally pulls your gaze toward the great prang. Then move closer, and you will find that the most rewarding elements reveal themselves at short range: patterns, decorative work, and the rhythm of proportions in surrounding components. The towering height feels balanced rather than overbearing, inviting you to look up with willingness. A slow, unhurried walk makes it clear that Wat Arun’s beauty is not only that it is “photogenic,” but that it becomes even more powerful when you truly “look and understand” why Thai craftsmanship carries such presence in real space.

 

Another reason Wat Arun remains a community center despite being a major attraction is that it continues to function as an everyday merit-making place for locals and city residents alike. Many people do not come only to tour; they stop to pay respects, make wishes, make merit, and then step back out into the old riverside neighborhoods to continue their day. This keeps the temple’s “temple-ness” intact—it is not merely a beautiful backdrop. If you visit in the morning or toward evening when the light is softer and crowds are less dense, it becomes much easier to feel the calm tempo the temple tries to preserve amid Bangkok’s constant energy.

 

Getting There If you are coming from the Phra Nakhon side, the most classic route is to go to Tha Tien and take the ferry to the Wat Arun pier, then walk straight into the temple. If you use the MRT, you can get off at Sanam Chai Station and walk to the Tha Tien pier area to cross the river. For buses on the Thonburi side, routes 19, 57, and 83 can be options (please check current routes and stops before traveling), or you can take a taxi/public ride and pin the temple name on your map to reach the riverside area in a way that matches traffic conditions at that time.

 

In the end, Wat Arun is the kind of temple where one visit is rarely enough. Each return tends to reveal a different set of details. One day you may go for the great prang, another day to catch the riverside breeze in the evening, or simply to make quiet merit in a place where living faith is still present right in front of you. That is precisely why Wat Arun can remain, at once, a temple of the community and a temple of the nation—in a way that feels genuinely worthy of respect.

 

 

A: It is generally open daily, following the temple’s operating schedule.

 

A: Generally 08.00 – 18.00 (for special ceremonies, it’s best to check the temple’s announcements beforehand).

 

A: Yes. Many visitors cross from the Tha Tien area and walk straight into Wat Arun.

 

A: Yes. Get off at MRT Sanam Chai Station, then connect to the Tha Tien pier area to cross the river.

 

A: The current abbot is Phra Phrom Wacharamethi, and the temple phone number is 02-891-2185.