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💡 The Short Version: Tickets for Wat Pho (the Temple of the Reclining Buddha) cost 300 THB for foreign adults; children under 120 cm are free. The complex is open daily from 08:00 to 19:30. Inside is the 46-metre gold-leaf Reclining Buddha with mother-of-pearl feet, a row of 108 bronze alms bowls, and the Wat Pho Thai Traditional Medical School, where a Thai massage is 340 THB for 30 minutes or 520 THB for an hour. Dress politely: no shorts. Or book a tour: the five-hour guided tour of Wat Pho, the Grand Palace and Wat Arunad (from ฿750, 4.8 stars from 6,053 reviews) puts a guide with a group of up to ten and ends at Tha Tien pier, near Wat Pho.
Ticket prices and opening hours
Wat Pho is on Sanam Chai Road and Maharaj Road, next to the Grand Palace.
| Ticket category | Price |
|---|---|
| Foreign adult visitor | 300 THB |
| Children under 120 cm | Free |
- Operating hours: open daily from 08:00 to 19:30, as set out on the temple’s visit-plan page.
- Scam avoidance: similar to the Grand Palace, touts outside may say the temple is closed for a ceremony. It is open throughout the day; ignore them and go to the ticket gates.
Tiled chedis at Wat Pho. Photo: Philip Nalangan, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
Tours that include Wat Pho
The 300 THB ticket gets you in with or without a guide. A tour adds a guide and, usually, the Grand Palace and Wat Arun on the same morning. All of these are sold on GetYourGuide.
Small group, Wat Pho with the palace and Wat Arun
From ฿750 · 4.8 stars from 6,053 reviews · 5 hours · groups of up to 10
Bangkok: Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun Guided Tourad: an English-speaking guide, a group of no more than ten and a boat ride. It meets outside Golden Place at Tha Chang pier and finishes at Tha Tien pier, near Wat Pho. The listing says the entrance fees are bought at the official counters on the day and the guide gets the group past the queue.
Half-day guided walk
From ฿700 · 4.8 stars from 467 reviews · 4 hours · walking
Bangkok: Half-Day Guided Tour of the Grand Palace, Wat Pho & Wat Arunad: a licensed English-speaking guide, with Thai massage among the listed highlights, and with a bottle of water and the ferry across the river included. Entry fees are not: the listing puts them at 500 THB for the palace, 300 THB for Wat Pho and 200 THB for Wat Arun.
Private half-day, palace and Wat Pho
From ฿3,500 · 4.8 stars from 589 reviews · 4 hours · private · air-conditioned car
Bangkok: Grand Palace & Wat Pho Half-Day Private Tourad: a private guide and an air-conditioned car, with the entry fees listed as included. It covers the Emerald Buddha at the palace and the Reclining Buddha, and not Wat Arun.
Thai massage in your hotel room
From ฿1,000 · 4.6 stars from 77 reviews · 2 hours · therapist comes to you
Bangkok: Wat Pho Thai Massage in Your Hotel Roomad: a two-hour Thai massage by a therapist the listing describes as trained at Wat Pho, who meets you in the hotel lobby and goes up to the room. The school’s own price for 120 minutes is 1,040 THB. The listing says it is not suitable for people with back or heart problems, diabetes, high blood pressure or recent surgery.
Official ticket or tour: the prices side by side
Official prices from Wat Pho and the Grand Palace; the GetYourGuide column is the “from” price in baht.
| What you want | Official | On GetYourGuide |
|---|---|---|
| Wat Pho on its own, no guide | 300 THB | |
| Wat Pho and the Grand Palace, no guide | 800 THB (300 and 500) | |
| A guide for Wat Pho, the palace and Wat Arun | 300 and 500 THB, plus Wat Arun | From ฿750 for the group tour, entry fees extra |
| Wat Pho and the palace with a private guide and car | 800 THB for the two tickets | From ฿3,500 with entry fees included |
| A two-hour Thai massage | 1,040 THB at the school | From ฿1,000 at your hotel |
For the temple alone, the gate ticket is the better buy. The massage is the one case where the booked product is close in price: the school is cheaper for the 30 and 60-minute sessions (340 and 520 THB), and you have to go to it.
The Reclining Buddha (Phra Phuttha Saiyat)
Housed in a dedicated viharn (assembly hall) on the northwest side of the compound, the Reclining Buddha is one of the largest Buddha statues in Thailand:
- Dimensions: The statue measures 46 metres long and 15 metres high, constructed from brick and plaster overlaid with gold leaf. It depicts Gautama Buddha in the posture of Mahaparinirvana, the entry into final Nirvana at the end of earthly existence.
- Mother-of-pearl feet: The soles of the feet measure 3 metres high and 4.5 metres long. They are decorated with mother-of-pearl inlay showing 108 auspicious laksanas (sacred characteristics) of the Buddha, arranged around a central wheel of the law (dharmachakra).
- The 108 bronze bowls ritual: Arranged in a continuous line along the wall behind the statue are 108 bronze alms bowls. Visitors buy a bowl of coins and drop one into each bowl as they walk the line, a traditional way of making merit (tham bun).
- Footwear rules: shoes come off and go on the shelves before any religious building. Photos of Buddha images are allowed, but never step on or climb an image (watpho.com).
The Reclining Buddha’s mother-of-pearl feet, Wat Pho. Photo: Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The rest of the compound
The main chapel (the ubosot, or ordination hall) holds the principal Buddha image, Phra Phuttha Thewa Patimakon, with murals on the walls behind it. Between the halls the courtyards are lined with stone guardian figures, bronze lions and chedis, so allow time to walk them rather than leaving after the viharn.
Phra Phuttha Thewa Patimakon, the ubosot at Wat Pho. Photo: Ian Gratton, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
A courtyard at Wat Pho. Photo: Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Wat Pho Thai Traditional Massage School
Wat Pho is Thailand’s first public university and the historic centre of traditional medicine and massage (nuat thai), an art form on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The Wat Pho Thai Traditional Medical School gives massage at these rates, 08:00 to 19:30 daily:
| Treatment | 30 minutes | 60 minutes | 120 minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thai massage | 340 THB | 520 THB | 1,040 THB |
| Foot massage | 340 THB | 520 THB | 1,040 THB |
| Thai massage with balm | 680 THB | 1,360 THB | |
| Thai massage with plai oil | 620 THB | 1,240 THB |
The school takes enquiries on +66 (0)2 662 3533 and at watpomassage.com.
Dress code
Wat Pho is an active place of worship. The temple asks visitors to dress politely: no shorts, though trousers are fine. Shoes come off before religious buildings. Women are not allowed in the areas set aside for monks to perform their rites, and women should not touch monks or novices.
How to reach Wat Pho
Wat Pho sits in the south of Rattanakosin Island, bounded by Sanam Chai Road and Maharaj Road.
By MRT subway (fastest)
Take the MRT Blue Line to Sanam Chai station and leave via Exit 1 (Museum Siam).
- Walk north along Sanam Chai Road to the temple entrance.
By Chao Phraya river boat
- Take the Chao Phraya Express Boat (orange flag, 19 THB flat fare) or the Blue Flag Tourist Boat to Tha Tien Pier (N8).
- Walk past the food stalls to the road junction; the Grand Palace is ahead and Wat Pho is about 10 minutes’ walk to the right.
For connecting routes from other parts of the city, see our guide to Bangkok public transport. To explore the ceramic riverside prang directly across the river, read our guide to Wat Arun tickets. For royal heritage tours and dress code rules at the adjacent royal residence, see Grand Palace tickets. To link the three on foot with the temples east of them, follow the Rattanakosin old city walk. Accommodation options nearby are detailed in where to stay in Bangkok. For the full city itinerary, check the Bangkok travel guide.
The rules for women and monks, shoes and Buddha images are in Bangkok etiquette, and Nusara, a Michelin-starred restaurant that faces Wat Pho, is in where to eat in Bangkok.
Common questions
How much does a Wat Pho ticket cost?
300 THB for foreign visitors. Children under 120 cm (4 feet) enter free.
What are the opening hours for Wat Pho?
Daily from 08:00 to 19:30. The massage school is open the same hours.
What is the dress code at Wat Pho?
Dress politely: no shorts, though trousers are fine. Shoes come off before any religious building. Women may not enter the areas set aside for monks.
Can I get a traditional massage at Wat Pho?
Yes. The Wat Pho Thai Traditional Medical School gives Thai massage for 340 THB for 30 minutes, 520 THB for 60 minutes and 1,040 THB for 120 minutes.
How do I get to Wat Pho?
Take the MRT Blue Line to Sanam Chai station (exit 1), a short walk from the temple, or the Chao Phraya Express Boat to Tha Tien pier (N8).
Should I book a Wat Pho tour or buy the ticket at the gate?
The ticket is 300 THB at the gate and a tour does not change what you can enter. A tour adds a guide, usually together with the Grand Palace and Wat Arun, from 750 THB on GetYourGuide with entry fees paid separately.
