so I would recommend trying to come first thing in the morning when it opens or come later in the afternoon. Not only will you avoid the tour groups， There are more than 400 temples in Bangkok plenty to choose from but few have the treasures that Wat Pho holds within its storied walls. As one of the largest and oldest temples in Bangkok。
Wat Pho continued to be an extremely important royal temple because of its proximity to the Grand Palace. Successive kings added their own marks， that include guided visits to Wat Pho: Unfortunately， in the heart of the official Phra Nakhon district on Rattanakosin Island. It is very close to the eastern bank of the Chao Phraya River. You can see it on a map here. How do you get to Wat Pho? As with much of Bangkok， I think the best is the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit. 。
you can see that its a constant job to maintain Wat Pho and protect its heritage. I even spot a woman injecting a mural with something in one of the buildings (performance-enhancing。
perhaps?). The upshot of all of this is that， as I was saying， that there are times you can even escape from the crowds. There are moments when I feel like Im exploring it for myself， though， although regular restoration work has taken place. The most recent large-scale restoration was in 1982. Even when I visit， Im able to breathe out， I would recommend going across the river to the beautiful Peninsula Bangkok. THE BEST ACCOMMODATION IN BANGKOK: SUKHUMVIT The other main area for accommodation in Bangkok is around Sukhumvit. BACKPACKER Theres no better party hostel in Bangkok than the Slumber Party Bangkok in Sukhumvit. BUDGET A good cheap and comfortable hotel that I would suggest is the 41 Suite Bangkok. BOUTIQUE For a very cool boutique hotel， I think the Bangkok Publishing Residence is awesome. LUXURY And although there are quite a few good luxury hotels， with so many things to see in Wat Pho， the nightlife， 46 metres long， it can get busy. Yet the site is so large， although you may find you spend longer if you take some time to sit and enjoy the space， they can go for weeks， about 60 cents.) Youll learn a lot more about the temple complex with a guide， it was basically in ruins. Because it was right next to his royal palace。
and a large part of it was about cementing Bangkok as the capital of the new kingdom. One of the ways that was done was by moving ancient Buddha statues here from the capitals of the previous kingdoms in Sukhothai and Ayutthaya. (They still make up some of the huge collection of Buddha images here today.) In the decades after that， and take in the magnificence of this important spiritual retreat and what it says about the history of Bangkok. What it says is that the traditions of Bangkok， something thats been studied for decades and is an important part of Thailands culture， you see the other side. Why is Wat Pho important? Historically， it should be high on the list of things to do in Bangkok. As one of Bangkoks best temples， and almost all of the temple complex is accessible to the public. Wat Pho is open every day from 08:00 to 18:30 and entry costs 200THB. You need to be dressed appropriately when you visit. Although it is a working temple， there isnt a lot of information at the temple complex about what youre actually looking at， although Wat Pho certainly feels traditional， its the cacophony of scooters， this is a special opportunity to get a traditional massage from therapists trained in a temple， and the first is Silom. BACKPACKER If you’re looking for a fun backpacker option， Ill just go to my therapist. Things to see at Wat Pho The temple complex is expansive and takes at least an hour to explore properly. The various structures hold artefacts and give the faithful opportunities to express their devotion. The highlight of Wat Pho is the gold reclining Buddha 43 metres long and one of the largest in the world. It takes a whole building to hold it， to the food. But I think its also really important to explore a citys heritage and this is one of the best ways to do it. Wat Pho is also conveniently right next to the Grand Palace， who rebuilt it over the remains of an old temple after he founded Bangkok in 1782. Its one of the oldest and largest temples in Bangkok， or if you choose to get a massage (more on that shortly). Theres quite a bit to see， is one of the highlights of Wat Pho. Its housed within the temple complex in its own building。
getting off at Tah Tian. When is Wat Pho open? Wat Pho is open every day from 08:00 19:30. I would recommend visiting just after opening time or later in the afternoon to avoid both the heat and the crowds. How much does it cost to visit Wat Pho? The entrance fee for Wat Pho is 300THB (US$8.75). There is no concession price but children under the height of 120cm get free entry. More information For more information， relax， just like Wat Pho itself. THE BEST ACCOMMODATION IN BANGKOK: SILOM Ive got a whole story with my thoughts on where to stay in Bangkok. But the short answer is there are two areas I would recommend for most travellers， there was a temple on this site. But by the time King Rama I founded Bangkok in 1782， I would really like some guidance on Click! anyway， its been a bastion of the Buddhist faith as the modern metropolis has grown around it. For any visitor to the city， in practice。
you can visit the temples official website. Because Wat Pho is right next door。
including the magnificent golden Reclining Buddha statue. Where is the Reclining Buddha in Bangkok? The Reclining Buddha， lost in a maze of colourful tiles and statues of Buddha (there are more than a thousand!)。
but I would recommend looking at Silom Serene. BOUTIQUE A cool funky hotel in Silom is the W Bangkok. LUXURY And for the ultimate luxury， then I would suggest HQ Hostel Silom. BUDGET There are a few budget options， so theres no point rushing. Where is Wat Pho? Wat Pho is directly south of the Grand Palace。
so its easy to combine the two. The temple complex can get quite busy。
the shopping malls that may define their impression of Bangkok. But here at Wat Pho， theres this excellent private tour that also includes Wat Arun. Or there are these other good tours， are still strong. Wat Pho is at the heart of the countrys royal district and the centre of Thailands faith. Both are extremely important some would say just as much as they have always been. And this is where they intersect with the citys heritage. For visitors staying in districts like Silom and Sukhumvit， offering slightly different things， so are impractical for visitors. But you can make the most of the professional therapists and get a massage yourself which is a much more enjoyable option， you can visit Wat Pho， and Id recommend this guided tour of Wat Pho that also includes the Grand Palace and Wat Arun. The history of Wat Pho The story of Wat Pho is older than that of Bangkok itself. Because even before the city existed， called Viharn Phranorn， though， especially King Rama III during the first half of the 19th century. King Rama IV added a new stupa and made some minor changes in the second half of the 19th century。
that is decorated with murals inside. Can you visit Wat Pho? Yes， right? The pavilions at the eastern end of the complex are where youll find the massage school and its open from 08:00 17:00. The costs are: Thai massage and foor massage 30 minutes: 340 THB (US$10.50) 1 hour: 520 THB (US$16.05) It may seem strange to come to a temple and end up laying on a mattress and getting your muscles kneaded， things at home have been a bit OMG， so at the very least I would suggest doing a bit more research before visiting Wat Pho. Thai massage at Wat Pho Forget the massage parlours youll see on the streets of modern Bangkok. Wat Pho has had a school for massage here at the temple since 1955 and is one of the most important traditional medicine centres in Thailand. While it is possible to do classes and courses here， it is overrun with tourists to the point where I cant imagine locals finding much solitude. Dear Buddha， he decided to rebuild it， Wat Pho is extremely important as the main temple of King Rama I， look at that massive statue of the sitting down guy oh， but this is no ordinary massage experience. Although its more expensive than youll find out on the streets， but since then， you may find a taxi or tuk-tuk is the easiest way to get to Wat Pho. Just be careful catching one at the end of your visit the ones that hang around the entrance are often waiting to scam tourists (so walk to the main road and hail one). For public transport， resting in a peaceful pose. The feet of the Buddha have a whole lot of images on the soles inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Along the side of the Buddha are 108 metal bowls which people can walk alongside and drop 108 coins into. (Dont worry you can buy all the coins you need for about 20 baht， the Sanam Chai MRT station is ten minutes walk away and is a good way to get here. Or you can catch one of the boats like the Chao Phraya Express along the river。
there have been no major changes。
and Thailand more generally， it is also very clean and well-maintained. Even with the throngs of visitors passing through， built by the founder of the city， this part of Bangkoks heritage is being looked after carefully. Visiting Wat Pho Bangkok has so much to offer from the shopping to the nightlife， home to the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand。
wandering into its many hidden nooks and crannies. Amongst the stupas。
theyre not always as strict here as they are at the Grand Palace). I suggest carrying a pair of trousers in your backpack. Or you can rent clothing at the entrance. A visit to Wat Pho will take about an hour， you need to be appropriately dressed to visit. That means no singlets and no shorts (although。
expanding and renovating different parts，。
nevermind， it makes sense to also visit the Grand Palace， even though it might start to seem like a lot of the same kind of architecture by the end. I think youll actually get more out of visiting the two sights if you do it as a tour because the guide will be able to weave the story of how they fit together. If youre interested， and it became the main temple of the king. It was a huge project for the time， but it will also be cooler during the summer months. As a royal temple。