Free Walking Tour Bangkok: Wat Saket to Wat Arun

The Six Stops of Your Bangkok Walking Tour

1. 1

   Wat Saket

   

   Your walk begins at Wat Saket, beside Khlong Maha Nak in Pom Prap Sattru Phai district. The feature you notice first is Phra Borom Banphot, the temple's sacred mount, which English speakers usually call the Golden Mount. Take a moment by the canal before you go in: temple, water and the mount above them form the first picture of old Bangkok on this route.

   This is no ordinary neighbourhood temple. Wat Saket is a royal temple of the second class, with the rank of Ratchaworamahawihan. Keep that title in mind, because at the far end of the walk you meet a temple of the first class, and comparing the two is part of the fun of this route.

   Foreigners pay an entry fee. Going in is worth it if you want to see the Golden Mount up close and get your bearings somewhere calmer before the palace district; if your day is tight, the outside already shows you the shape of the place. This is also the stop where an early start works best.

   From here it is 1,480 m, about 21 minutes on foot, to Khao San Road: from a canal side temple to a street that never closes.

   Hours

   Daily 07:00–19:00

   Price

   100 THB for foreigners, free for Thai citizens

   Website

   thai.tourismthailand.org ↗

   Location

   Wat Saket on Google Maps ↗

2. 2

   Khao San Road

   

   Khao San Road lies in Talat Yot subdistrict in Phra Nakhon district. The street runs from Chakrabongse Road, in front of Wat Chana Songkhram, south-eastwards to Tanao Road near the Khok Wua intersection, so you can walk its full length in a few minutes and see where it starts and ends.

   There is no ticket and no closing time: the street is open day and night and costs nothing. In the morning a quarter of an hour is enough to walk it end to end and soak up its character before the palace. If you'd rather see it busier, you can always come back in the evening, since it never shuts.

   From Khao San Road it is 1,530 m, about 23 minutes on foot, to the Grand Palace, the centrepiece of the day.

   Hours

   Open 24/7

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Khao San Road on Google Maps ↗

3. 3

   Grand Palace

   

   The Grand Palace stands on the bank of the Chao Phraya, in the subdistrict that carries its name, and it is the heart of this walk. Behind its walls lies a group of throne halls, palace buildings and residences in classical Thai architecture, arranged in a strict order: the inner court was kept separate for members of the royal family.

   Its story begins in 1782, under King Phutthayotfa Chulalok, when Rattanakosin was founded as the new capital. Palace and city were built together, and the palace became the official residence of the kings of the Chakri dynasty. Coronations and the royal birthday ceremonies have been held here, which is why the complex stands for the history, power and faith of the nation.

   Inside the grounds is Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram, known to everyone as Wat Phra Kaew, the royal temple of the palace. It houses Phra Phuttha Maha Mani Rattana Patimakon, the Emerald Buddha, regarded as the Buddha image that protects the country. If your time inside is short, head there first.

   Entry for foreigners is the highest fee on the route, and it is worth it for almost everyone: if you go inside only one place today, make it this one. Ticket sales end well before the grounds close, so do not leave it late. Allow about two hours.

   From the palace it is 920 m, about 13 minutes on foot, to the Bangkok National Museum, which stands in the halls of a second royal palace.

   Hours

   Daily 08:30–15:30 (ticket sales close 15:30; palace grounds open until 16:30)

   Price

   500 THB for foreigners, free for Thai citizens

   Website

   royalgrandpalace.th ↗

   Location

   Grand Palace on Google Maps ↗

4. 4

   Bangkok National Museum

   

   The Bangkok National Museum on Na Phra That Road is Thailand's first museum. It occupies part of the Front Palace, the Phra Ratchawang Bowon Sathan Mongkhon, once the residence of the holders of the Front Palace title. The palace grounds were vast: they took in the land of today's Silpakorn University and Thammasat University, the north-western part of Sanam Luang, the First World War Volunteers Memorial and the National Theatre.

   Several royal halls now serve as galleries: the Siwamokkhaphiman Hall, the Buddhaisawan Chapel, the Itsarawinitchai Hall, the Phra Wiman group of residences and the Itsaret Rachanuson Hall, together with the Praphat Phiphitthaphan and Maha Surasinghanat buildings. Walking between them, you move through the old palace as much as through the collection.

   The museum started elsewhere. It opened on 19 September 1874 inside the Grand Palace, in Concordia Hall, today Sala Sahathai Samakhom, and was simply called "the Museum". After the death of Prince Bowon Wichaichan, King Chulalongkorn abolished the Front Palace title, which left the palace empty, and moved the collection into part of it. By the reign of King Prajadhipok all the residential halls had become a museum, formally established in 1926.

   The exhibitions cover Thai history, Thai art and archaeology, decorative arts and ethnology, plus changing temporary shows. In 2012 it welcomed about 710,007 visitors, more than any other museum in Thailand. Go in if you want the background to everything else on this walk; it charges entry and has regular closing days, so check it is open on your day. Allow about 90 minutes.

   From the museum it is 1,520 m, about 21 minutes on foot, back towards the palace quarter to Wat Pho.

   Hours

   Wed–Sun 09:00–16:00, Mon–Tue closed

   Price

   240 THB for foreigners, 30 THB for Thai citizens

   Website

   virtualmuseum.finearts.go.th ↗

   Location

   Bangkok National Museum on Google Maps ↗

5. 5

   Wat Pho

   

   Wat Pho, sometimes spelled Wat Po, is a Buddhist temple complex on Rattanakosin Island in Phra Nakhon district, directly south of the Grand Palace. After the museum you are back beside the palace walls, now on their southern side.

   Most visitors know it as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. Its official name is far longer: Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram Rajwaramahawihan. The everyday name Wat Pho is a shortened form of its older name, Wat Photaram.

   Foreigners pay entry, and an hour inside is well spent, especially if the Reclining Buddha is on your list. The temple stays open later than any other paid stop on the route, so if the day runs long, this is the visit you can safely push back.

   From Wat Pho it is 960 m, about 14 minutes, to Wat Arun on the bank of the Chao Phraya, the last stop.

   Hours

   Daily 08:00–19:30

   Price

   300 THB for foreigners, free for Thai citizens

   Website

   watpho.com ↗

   Location

   Wat Pho on Google Maps ↗

6. 6

   Wat Arun

   

   Wat Arun, in full Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchaworamahawihan, stands on the bank of the Chao Phraya in Bangkok Yai district and closes your walk. It is a royal temple of the first class, one rank above Wat Saket where you started this morning.

   Its history reaches back to the Ayutthaya period, when it was called Wat Bang Makok. King Taksin of Thonburi renamed it Wat Chaeng because his army passed in front of the temple at dawn. Later King Phutthaloetla Naphalai restored it and gave it the name Wat Arun Ratchawararam, making it the temple of his reign. Locals still use both short names, Wat Arun and Wat Chaeng.

   Your eyes go straight to the prang. The main tower is 67 m high, with four smaller prangs placed around it at the four directions. The original structure dates from the Ayutthaya period and was raised by King Phutthaloetla Naphalai and King Nangklao, then covered in glazed tiles and Benjarong bowls. Look closely at that decoration. The prang carries the symbolism of the Traiphum cosmology and represents Mount Meru, the centre of the world in Buddhist belief.

   Around it you find the ordination hall with a Buddha in the Maravijaya posture, a viharn and several chedis. The gateways are guarded by the white and green giants known as the Yaksha of Wat Chaeng, protective figures worth a photo.

   Foreigners pay entry, and it is worth it for anyone who has made it this far: 45 minutes lets you see the prang from close by and walk the grounds. This is where the route ends, on the river that the Grand Palace also faces.

   Hours

   Daily 08:00–18:00

   Price

   200 THB for foreigners, free for Thai citizens

   Website

   facebook.com ↗

   Location

   Wat Arun on Google Maps ↗

Shorter Ways to Walk Bangkok's Old Town

Not every day has room for a palace, a museum and three temples. These versions keep the route's order and simply cut it where it makes sense.

Morning loop: Golden Mount to Grand Palace

Stops: 1, 2, 3

For a first morning in Bangkok or a day with afternoon plans. You walk 44 minutes over about 3 km, and the only paid entries are Wat Saket and the Grand Palace.

Palace to river

Stops: 3, 4, 5, 6

For anyone who already knows Khao San Road or is staying near the palace. Walking time is 48 minutes over about 3.4 km; you pay entry if you go inside the Grand Palace, the museum, Wat Pho and Wat Arun.

The full route on a Monday or Tuesday

Stops: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

For the whole walk on the museum's closing days: you pass the Bangkok National Museum from outside and keep the same 1 h 31 min of walking, paying entry only at the other four paid stops.

How Long Does This Bangkok Tour Take with Palace and Temples?

The pure walking time is 1 h 31 min, split into five legs of 13 to 23 minutes, so no single stretch feels long. What fills the day are the visits: about 45 minutes at Wat Saket, a quarter of an hour on Khao San Road, two hours in the Grand Palace, 90 minutes in the museum, an hour at Wat Pho and 45 minutes at Wat Arun. That adds up to roughly 7 h 45 min.

Start at Wat Saket at 08:00 and you reach the Grand Palace just before 09:45, well before ticket sales end, and leave Wat Arun at about 15:45. The morning loop takes around 3 h 45 min, the palace to river version about six hours, and the full route without the museum interior about six and a quarter hours.

Before You Set Off from Wat Saket

• Start: Wat Saket is the recommended start because it opens early and sets you up for an early palace visit. You can join the route at any stop, though; the order here is simply the one that works best.
• Finish: The walk ends at Wat Arun on the bank of the Chao Phraya in Bangkok Yai district.
• Best day and time: Pick a day when the Bangkok National Museum is open if you want to see it inside. Whatever the day, be at the Grand Palace well before its ticket desk closes; a start around 08:00 keeps the whole day relaxed.
• Costs: Foreigners pay entry at five stops if they go inside. The route and GPS navigation are free. The AI Tour Guide starts with 100 free credits; after that you choose between €19.99 for this tour with no time limit or €5 per hour.

Common Questions About Walking Bangkok's Old Town