★★Worth it·Landmark
Giant Swing
เสาชิงช้า
The red teak arch at the old city's ceremonial heart.
The great red frame, about twenty-one meters tall, where teams of young men once swung for the rice harvest while Brahmin priests officiated — the ritual was banned in 1935 after too many deaths, but the swing still anchors the old town's finest square. Wat Suthat's roofline behind it makes the shot.
KOSIN SUKHUM CC BY-SA 4.0 · Preecha.MJ CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized · tap to enlarge
Visiting
- Open
- daily
- Entry
- Free
- Allow
- 15–30 min
No official opening hours published — check on the day.
Checked 10 Oct 2026 against openstreetmap.org, wikidata.org, matichon.co.th. Things change: closures for royal ceremonies and holidays are common.
Before you go
- City landmarks draw crowds from mid-morning; first hour after opening is the calm one.
- Several sit inside active religious or royal compounds — the temple dress rule applies there too.
Check opening hours, ticket prices and any closure for ceremonies when you arrive — we have no verified official site for this one.
Getting there
- Sam Yot·MRT Blue Line~9 min walk
- Phanfa Leelard·Khlong Saen Saep Boat~12 min walk
- Sanam Chai·MRT Blue Line~18 min walk
- Tha Tien·Cross-river ferries~22 min walk
Typical times, not a timetable · rail, boat and BRT routing runs right in the atlas.
While you're here
- Wat Suthat·Royal temple~1 min walk
- Devasathan·Brahmin shrine~2 min walk
- Trok Mor Morning Market·Morning market~5 min walk
- San Chao Pho Suea·Tiger shrine~6 min walk
The neighbourhood
Giant Swing sits in Old Town · Rattanakosin — Where Bangkok began.