★Local·Royal monastery
Wat Bowonniwet
วัดบวรนิเวศ
The monastery where kings were ordained as monks — golden chedi, quiet courtyards, a minute from Khao San's chaos and a world away.
The royal monastery of Banglamphu — kings including Rama IX were ordained here; the gold chedi anchors Phra Sumen Road. Serene, scholarly, and steps from Khao San's noise.
Supanut Arunoprayote CC BY 4.0 · Kriengsak Jirasirirojanakorn CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized · tap to enlarge
Visiting
- Open
- daily
- Dress
- Shoulders and knees covered
- Allow
- 45 min–1 h
No official opening hours published — check on the day.
Checked 10 Oct 2026 against openstreetmap.org, commons.wikimedia.org. Things change: closures for royal ceremonies and holidays are common.
Visiting a temple
- Shoulders and knees covered, for everyone. Sarongs are usually available at the gate, sometimes for a small deposit.
- Shoes come off before you step into an ordination hall — watch what everyone else is doing at the threshold.
- Most compounds open early, around 08:00, and close by 17:00–18:00; the major ones charge foreign visitors a small entry fee.
- Early morning is cooler, quieter and far better light than midday.
Check current entry fee and today's closing time when you arrive — we have no verified official site for this one.
Getting there
- Phra Arthit·Chao Phraya Tourist Boat~11 min walk
- Phra Arthit·Chao Phraya Express Boat~11 min walk
- Phra Arthit·Cross-river ferries~11 min walk
- Phanfa Leelard·Khlong Saen Saep Boat~15 min walk
Typical times, not a timetable · rail, boat and BRT routing runs right in the atlas.
While you're here
- Khao San Road·Backpacker strip~4 min walk
- Bangkok City Library·Public library~4 min walk
- Wat Chana Songkhram·Monastery~7 min walk
- Phra Athit Pier·River pier~9 min walk
The neighbourhood
Wat Bowonniwet sits in Old Town · Rattanakosin — Where Bangkok began.