Wat Pho & Wat Arun

Wat Pho (Wat Phra Chetuphon) is Bangkok's oldest and largest temple — and home to the 46-meter-long reclining Buddha, so large that it hardly fits into a photo. The gilded statue fills an entire hall and depicts the Buddha at the moment of entering Nirvana. Particularly fascinating are the soles of the feet: 5 meters long, inlaid with 108 auspicious symbols in mother-of-pearl — each with its own meaning in Buddhist cosmology.

But Wat Pho is much more than the reclining Buddha. The temple is considered Thailand's first public university: King Rama III had medical knowledge, literature, and astrology immortalized on stone tablets and reliefs throughout the temple grounds in the 19th century. In 1962, the famous Wat Pho Massage School was founded here — a Thai massage on the temple grounds (from 260 THB/~7€ for 30 minutes) is one of the greatest experiences in Bangkok. The 99 chedis (stupas) of the complex, adorned with Chinese ceramics, form a silent landscape of towers that is far less visited than the main hall.

Directly across on the west side of the Chao Phraya stands Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) — Bangkok's most iconic landmark. The 70-meter-high central prang (Khmer tower) is covered with millions of porcelain shards and colorful ceramics that shimmer in all colors at sunrise and sunset. You can climb the prang via steep, almost vertical stairs (not for the faint-hearted!) and are rewarded with a spectacular panorama over the river and skyline.

The ferry ride from Wat Pho to Wat Arun from the Tha Tien Pier costs only 4 THB (~0.10€) and takes three minutes — one of the shortest and most beautiful boat trips in the world. Combine both temples in one morning, start at Wat Pho (opens at 8 AM, before the crowds) and then cross over to Wat Arun.