Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha)
#1of 9 places to visit in BangkokBangkok, Central Thailand, Thailand
Also known as Wat Phra Chetuphon · Temple of the Reclining Buddha · วัดโพธิ์
Quick answer
Opening hours: 08:00–19:30. Entry is free. Allow 1.5 hrs. Best time: 08:00 – 09:30.
Updated · Compiled by Traveliac, AI-assisted · 4 min read
- Opening hours
- 08:00–19:30
- Entry fee
- Free
- Time needed
- 1.5 hrs
- Best time of day
- 08:00 – 09:30
- Best months
- Nov – Feb
- Address
- 2 Sanam Chai Road, Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200
About Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha)
Wat Pho houses a reclining Buddha statue 46 metres long and 15 metres high, its core built from brick and plaster and finished in gold leaf, with mother-of-pearl inlay decorating the soles of both feet in 108 auspicious symbols drawn from Buddhist cosmology. The statue depicts the Buddha entering final nirvana and is large enough that the viewing hall was built around it rather than the reverse — visitors circulate along a single narrow corridor beside the figure rather than viewing it from a central vantage point. Beyond the reclining Buddha hall, Wat Pho's grounds hold four large chedis commemorating the first four Chakri-dynasty kings, faced in coloured ceramic tile, and is widely credited as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage, a discipline the temple still teaches and practises on site today.
Best time of day: 08:00 – 09:30. Immediately after opening, before tour coaches arriving from the Grand Palace circuit fill the reclining Buddha hall.
Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha) timings
Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha) opens at 08:00 and closes at 19:30. Those hours hold on Saturday and Sunday too.
- Opening hours
- 08:00–19:30
Mon–Sun 08:00–19:30 - Closed on
- Open every day
Opening hours compiled from watpho.com and public records, last updated . They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides
Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha) ticket price
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Standard ticket | Free |
| Concession (student / senior) | Free |
| Children | Free |
300 THB for foreign visitors, as of 2026, including a complimentary bottle of water. Thai nationals enter free. Tickets can be bought at the gate or in advance at watphobooking.com, the temple's own booking platform.
Prices compiled from watpho.com and public records, last updated . They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides
Best time to visit Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha)
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Very busy
08:00 – 09:30
Morning OpeningBest time to go
Gates open at 08:00; the reclining Buddha corridor is walkable without queuing for the first ninety minutes.
Quiet09:30 – 13:00
Grand Palace Overflow
Visitors arriving from the Grand Palace circuit converge; the single-direction corridor around the statue can slow to a shuffle.
Very busy13:00 – 16:00
Midday
Crowd thins as groups move on to Wat Arun or lunch; the massage school queue is shortest in this window.
Moderate16:00 – 19:30
Late Afternoon and Evening
Day-tour groups have largely left; the temple stays open until 19:30, giving a quiet late visit option with softer light in the courtyards.
Quiet
History of Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha)
Wat Pho's origins predate Bangkok's founding as capital, having existed as a temple on the site since the Ayutthaya period, but its major expansion came under Rama I in the 1780s as part of the new capital's temple-building programme surrounding the Grand Palace. Rama III (r. 1824–1851) commissioned the 46-metre reclining Buddha in 1832 and turned the temple grounds into what amounted to Thailand's first public university, inscribing medical texts, massage diagrams, and astrological and literary knowledge onto stone tablets and murals set into the temple walls for public study — a body of inscriptions later recognised by UNESCO's Memory of the World programme.
The temple's massage school, Wat Pho Thai Traditional Medical and Massage School, formalised in the 20th century, continues a therapeutic tradition the temple has documented and taught for close to two centuries.
Rules & etiquette at Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha)
Modest dress is required throughout Wat Pho — shoulders and knees covered — with stricter enforcement than at some other Bangkok temples; visitors are turned away or made to rent a sarong at the gate if not compliant. Shoes are removed before entering the reclining Buddha hall and any other interior shrine building, with shoe storage available near each entrance.
The corridor around the reclining Buddha moves in one direction only and can bottleneck badly when tour groups converge, particularly around the row of 108 bronze alms bowls where visitors drop coins for merit — buying a small dish of coins near the entrance (20 THB) for this purpose is customary rather than obligatory.
On-site massage services (from roughly 480 THB for a 30-minute foot massage, prices set by the temple's own school) are legitimate and considerably cheaper than most commercial parlours nearby; touts outside the temple gates offering 'skip the line' massage packages are not affiliated with the temple.
Tips for visiting Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha)
- 1
Wat Pho is a 10-minute walk south of the Grand Palace and forms the natural second stop on the standard Rattanakosin old-town circuit; visiting Wat Pho first, before the Grand Palace's queues build after 10:00, is a workable alternative sequence.
- 2
The massage school inside the temple grounds is worth booking ahead on weekends, since walk-in slots fill by midday; a traditional Thai massage here runs roughly two to three hours shorter in typical waiting time than the well-known parlours on Silom Road.
- 3
Wat Pho's four royal chedis and quieter side courtyards, away from the reclining Buddha hall, are usually near-empty even at midday and reward a slower fifteen-minute walk after the main hall.
How to reach Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha)
2 Sanam Chai Road, Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200Directions in Google Maps
From Sanam Chai MRT Station
0.5 km · 6–8 min walk
17–42 THB MRT fare depending on origin station
From Tha Tien Pier
0.2 km · 3 min walk
16–33 THB express boat fare
From Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK)
32 km · 45–70 min
350–500 THB metered taxi plus toll
Nearest airport
From Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK)
32 km, approximately 45–70 minutes by road.
Nearest station
From Sanam Chai MRT (Blue Line)
500m, a 6–8 minute walk.
Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha) FAQs
How big is the reclining Buddha at Wat Pho?
46 metres long and 15 metres high, built from a brick and plaster core finished in gold leaf. The soles of its feet carry 108 auspicious symbols inlaid in mother-of-pearl.
Is Wat Pho the birthplace of Thai massage?
Yes, by widely accepted tradition. Rama III had medical and massage knowledge inscribed on stone tablets and murals within the temple in the 1830s, and Wat Pho's massage school continues to teach and practise traditional Thai massage on site today.
How much does Wat Pho cost to enter?
300 THB for foreign visitors, as of 2026, which includes a bottle of drinking water. Thai nationals enter free, and tickets can be bought at the gate or in advance through the temple's own site, watphobooking.com.
Should I visit Wat Pho or the Grand Palace first?
Either order works, since the two sites are a 10-minute walk apart, but visiting Wat Pho first can mean shorter queues, since Grand Palace crowds typically build after 10:00 as coach groups arrive. Wat Pho stays open later, until 19:30, giving more flexibility for timing.
Compiled with AI assistance from official sources and public records, and published only after the checks in How we write these guides. Nobody from Traveliac has visited this place. Last updated . How we rank and check places
