The Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho. Photo above: Niclas Toussaint via Google
Wat Pho is open daily from 08:00 to 19:30 and charges 300 baht for adults, with free entry for children under 120 cm, according to the temple's own visit-plan page. It is the home of the Reclining Buddha and sits just south of the Grand Palace. Dress modestly and take your shoes off before entering the halls. We read the official site on October 4, 2026.
Book tours and tickets
- Wat Pho and Wat Arun guided half-day walking tour on Klook: a guided walk that covers Wat Pho and crosses the river to Wat Arun, for readers who want context at each temple.
- Bangkok Wat Pho and Wat Arun guided walking tour on Klook: a second guided option covering the same two temples, so you can compare itineraries.
BangkokVacay earns a commission from Klook if you book through the links in this article, at no extra cost to you.
You do not need a tour to visit. Tickets are sold at the temple, and the temple's online ticket page currently shows that online service is not yet open.
What are Wat Pho's opening hours and ticket price?
| Detail | What the official site says |
|---|---|
| Opening hours | 08:00 to 19:30 on the visit-plan page |
| Admission | 300 baht; children under 120 cm (4 feet) enter free |
| Massage service | 08:00 to 19:30 at the Wat Pho Thai Traditional Medical School |
| Car parking | Chetuphon Road, 20 baht per hour |
| Address | 2 Sanam Chai Road, Bangkok 10200 |
The temple's own pages do not agree with each other. An older text on its history page says the monastery is open 08:00 to 18:00 for 200 baht, while the visit-plan page, which is the current tourist information, lists 08:00 to 19:30 and 300 baht. We use the visit-plan figures, but confirm at the ticket window, and note that we did not find a published list of closure days.
What is the Reclining Buddha, and how big is it?
The Reclining Buddha is a gilded brick-and-plaster figure that fills the Phra Vihara of the Reclining Buddha, an assembly hall on the north-west side of the temple grounds. Wikipedia gives the statue as 46 metres long and 15 metres high, with feet 4.5 metres long inlaid with mother-of-pearl in 108 panels. The temple's own architecture page gives the hall's size instead, 60.75 by 22.60 metres, and says the hall was extended during the great restoration under King Rama III. Wikipedia also notes 108 bronze bowls along the corridor.
What else is there to see at Wat Pho?
Wat Pho is a large complex of about 20 acres, so allow time beyond the Reclining Buddha. The temple's history page says King Rama I restored the older Wat Phodharam from 1788, and that some of his ashes lie under the pedestal of the principal Buddha image in the main chapel, Phra Buddha Deva Patimakorn. Beyond that hall, the highlights are:
- Phra Ubosot: the ordination hall, built in the Ayutthaya style under Rama I and rebuilt and enlarged under Rama III. The temple says mother-of-pearl door panels show scenes from the Ramakien.
- The large pagodas: the architecture page says each is 42 metres high and covered in coloured mosaics.
- Marble illustrations and inscriptions: Wikipedia says these teaching materials were added to UNESCO's Memory of the World register on February 21, 2008.
What should you wear to Wat Pho?
The temple asks for traditional or polite dress. Its visit plan says no shorts, although trousers are permitted, and its tips page says shorts above the knee are prohibited for women. You remove your shoes and leave them on the shelf before entering religious buildings. Photos are allowed in temples, but never step on a Buddha image, and women may not touch monks or novices. Our guide to what to wear in Bangkok has more on temple clothing.
Can you get a Thai massage at Wat Pho?
Yes. The Wat Pho Thai Traditional Medical and Massage School opened in 1955 inside the temple, and the temple says it was the first Thai medical school approved by the Ministry of Education. The visit-plan page lists these massage rates, checked October 4, 2026:
| Service | Time and price |
|---|---|
| Thai massage | 30 / 60 / 120 minutes: 340 / 520 / 1,040 baht |
| Foot massage | 30 / 60 / 120 minutes: 340 / 520 / 1,040 baht |
| Thai massage with balm | 60 / 120 minutes: 680 / 1,360 baht |
| Thai massage with plai oil | 60 / 120 minutes: 620 / 1,240 baht |
For how the walk-in system works and what to expect from a session, see our guides to where to get a Thai massage in Bangkok and how much a massage costs. The school's own site is watpomassage.com.
How do you get to Wat Pho?
The temple's trip page lists these ways in:
- MRT: Blue Line, exit 1, which the page calls Wat Pho Station.
- Chao Phraya Express Boat: get off at Tha Chang Pier or Wat Arun Pier, then take the cross-river ferry to Tha Tien Pier.
- Bus: public routes 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 25, 32, 44, 47, 48, 53 and 82, and air-conditioned routes A1, A4, A12, A44, A48, 507 and 508.
- Car: parking is on Chetuphon Road at 20 baht an hour.
Our canal and longtail boat guide covers the river boats in more detail.
What is near Wat Pho?
The temple's visit plan places it next to the Grand Palace, and the ferry from Tha Tien Pier is the way across to Wat Arun. For hours and tickets at the palace, see our Grand Palace guide. Our things to do near the Grand Palace and Old Town Bangkok guides cover the museums, food and streets around it, and how many temples Bangkok has puts Wat Pho in context. You can also see our Wat Pho listing.
Nearby, see our Wat Arun guide and Khao San Road guide. For the river festival, see our Loy Krathong 2026 guide.
Sources: Wat Pho visit plan, Wat Pho trip page, Wat Pho history, Wat Pho architecture, Wat Pho massage school, Wat Pho booking, Wikipedia, Wat Pho (statue size, bowls, UNESCO). Checked October 4, 2026.
The temple's visit-plan page lists 08:00 to 19:30 daily, checked on October 4, 2026. An older text on its history page says 08:00 to 18:00, so confirm at the gate.
The visit-plan page lists 300 baht for adults, with free entry for children under 120 cm. An older page on the same site says 200 baht, so the 300 baht figure is the current one.
The temple asks for polite dress and says no shorts, although trousers are permitted. You take your shoes off before entering religious buildings.
Wikipedia gives the statue as 46 metres long and 15 metres high. The temple's own architecture page gives the hall's size, 60.75 by 22.60 metres.
The temple lists Thai massage and foot massage at 340 baht for 30 minutes, 520 baht for 60 minutes and 1,040 baht for 120 minutes. Checked October 4, 2026.
The temple lists the MRT Blue Line, exit 1, which it calls Wat Pho Station, and a cross-river ferry to Tha Tien Pier from Tha Chang or Wat Arun Pier. It also lists bus routes including 1, 3, 6 and 25.
The temple's online ticket page currently shows the service as not yet open, so tickets are bought at the temple. Guided tours that include the visit are sold by tour operators.
