Temples & Museums of Chiang Rai
17/10/2018
There is no shortage of beautiful temples in Thailand, but the colourful temples of Chiang Rai stand out as some of the best. They are unique, stunning, and not to be missed!
How to get around:
Option 1: Bike rental
This is the option we usually go for, as it’s the cheapest, quickest and easiest way to get around.
There are plenty of bike shops all around Chiang Rai, and your hotel will likely do bike rentals as well. We got ours for 200baht per day, or about 6USD.
Option 2: Hire a driver
Hiring a driver for a day will be cheaper than getting individual taxis or tuk tuks, and they will be waiting for you when you are finished at each temple. If you don’t want to drive a bike yourself, this is the next best option.
You can hire a driver for the day for around 800-1200baht. Most hotels will be able to organize this for you, or there are plenty of tour agencies you can shop around at.
Accidents happen, make sure you are covered for all your adventures!
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Here is our 1 day itinerary to visit the beautiful temples in Chiang Rai, including one you probably haven’t heard of before!
Remember to respect Thai culture and follow the guidelines for visiting temples:
- Dress properly (knees and shoulders should be covered)
- Take off your shoes when entering the buildings
- Don’t point your feet to Buddha’s image
- Don’t smoke
Wat Rong Seur Ten, The Blue Temple:
I recommend the blue temple first, because it is open the earliest. Although the Google says The White Temple opens at 6:30am, it really opens at 8:00am, which we learned the hard way.
Thankfully, we rented a bike to do our exploring. The blue temple is about a 20 minute drive away, so we decided to head there and check it out until the white temple opened.
About The Blue Temple:
Construction of the Blue Temple first began in 2005 and was finally completed in 2016, although construction is ongoing and there are still new structures being built.
Wat Rong Suea Ten was named and constructed based on the history of the land it is built on. At the present temple location, there was a ruin of an temple abandoned 80 to 100 years ago. In 1996, The villagers decided to rebuild the temple here.
The name translates as House of the Dancing Tiger. Rong is the Thai word for house, Suea for tiger and Ten for dancing. This area was once abundant with wildlife, including Tigers who ‘danced’ (leapt) over the Mae Kok River.
To symbolize dharma, the Buddha’s code of morals, the temple is predominantly painted blue, which is associated with wisdom, the infinite, purity and healing. Blue is also the least “material” of all hues and speaks to the limitless heights of ascension.
Costs, Facilities & Hours:
6:00am-8:00pm
Cost: Free!
Scooter parking: available & free
There are food vendors nearby, I did not see a bathroom.
I recommend getting there between 6:00am-7:00am (as early as you can wake yourself up!). There will be few other people around, and you may see the monks doing their morning prayers.
We visited this temple the day before in the afternoon, and it was swarming with people, and this was in September which is considered the low season. There was so many people inside the small temple, it was impossible to get a picture. We stayed about 5 minutes before deciding to come back again early the next morning.
The morning was a totally different experience. It was calm and peaceful, and we could really admire the temple properly.
Wat Rong Khun, The White Temple:
The white temple is a lot bigger, and will take a lot more time to explore. If you get there right at 8am and go straight to the temple, you should be able to get pictures without anyone else in them.
You can see the white temple and get some pictures without it being open, however you cannot enter until 8:00am. I recommend to be there right when it opens, as there will be the least amount of people, and because by 9:00am it already gets very hot.
About The White Temple:
Wat Rong Khun isn’t a working temple, but more of an artistic expression and unique experience. Thai Buddhist artist Ajarn Chalermchai Kositpipat began this work of art in 1997, and it continues to change and grow. The artist is always making changes, additions and alternations, and the work will continue by others even after his death. You’ll notice lots of pictures and cardboard cut outs of him all around the temple.
You are not allowed to take pictures inside the temple, (and there are staff there to make sure you don’t), make sure you pay attention to the back wall. First you will see the big Buddha, but once you look at the details on the wall, you’ll start to notice that inside the temple matches the strangeness of the outside. Burning twin towers, angry birds, spider-man, Harry Potter and even Elvis Presley make an appearance.
Outside the temple, you never know who will be hanging around…
Costs, Facilities & Hours:
8:00am-5:00pm
Cost: 50baht per person
Scooter parking: available & free
There is a market here where you can buy clothes, crafts, and of course food and drinks.
Bathrooms: Yes, and not just any old boring bathrooms. Check out these golden thrones!
Be aware that they have a strict dress code at this temple. Other temples throughout Thailand we saw people wearing whatever they wanted (including short shorts and tank tops), even though all temples in Thailand ask people to cover up. This temple has staff members and they will not let you enter if you don’t have your knees and shoulders covered.
When I searched on google, the first thing that popped up said this temple opened at 6:30am. By some miracle, Ben and I managed to arrive to this temple at 6:15am… only to find a tour bus of Thai’s already waiting, and that the temple only opens at 8:00am.
There is quite a lot to see here at this temple. At the back of the complex you’ll see a beautiful golden bridge leading to a big gold building. This one is not a bathroom but has artwork inside and a gift shop.
There is also a painting gallery that is free to visit. You are not allowed to take pictures or touch anything inside, and they have staff planted inside so no corner is unseen. There are some pretty interesting paintings inside, so it’s worth checking out. Look for hidden Easter eggs in the paintings.
One dark, mysterious and almost sadistic, the other white, ethereal and other-worldly, these two opposing buildings couldn’t be more different. While one created a vision of Heaven, the other created a version of Hell.
Seven kilometres south of the famous White Temple, you will find the mysterious Black House or ‘Baan Dam,’ built by Kositpipat’s former teacher Thawan Duchanee.
Baandam Museum (Black House)
About the Baan Dam Museum:
The Baan Dam Museum is often referred to as the ‘Black Temple’, In Thai, ‘baan’ means home or house and ‘dam’ means black. Baan Dam has been used as many things, but despite it’s temple like appearance, it is not a temple.
The Baan Dam Museum is a unique creation by Thai National artist Thawan Duchanee. Thawan Duchanee created what you see today over a period of 36 years. Now, just a museum, once it was also his home and art studio.
The Baan Dam Museum is a collection of around 40 buildings of varying shapes, sizes, and unique content.
Today, Thawan Duchanee is regarded as a national artist of Thailand, but at first his controversial work shocked conservative Thais, as you can imagine.
Supposedly, all the animals used in the museum died from natural causes. It’s said to have the largest collection of animal remains made into furniture in the world.
Costs, Facilities & Opening Hours:
9:00am to 5:00pm & closed for lunch from 12:00pm to 1:00pm
Cost: 80baht per person
Scooter parking: available & free
You will also find a souvenir shop, food stalls and a coffee shop
There are bathrooms, which are also interestingly designed.
Wat Sang Kaew Photiyan
The coolest temple you’ve never heard of. I hadn’t heard of it either unfortunately, and missed it while I was there! I only read about this crazy temple afterwards in a blog post from The Not So Innocents Aboard. Had I known about it, I definitely would have visited.
“we felt like Alice tumbling down the proverbial rabbit hole, encountering unexpected marvel after marvel the farther in we explored. “
Read their post and see more great pictures here.
About Wat Saeng Kaeo Phothiyan
It’s a relatively new temple complex, construction only began in 2010. It covers a large area and there is so much to see, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time to explore this one.
Sang Kaew Phothiyan is translated as, “A lotus that sprout and emerged from the water and emits light like a sparkling gem with brilliant light “. Quite a mouthful!
Costs, Facilities, and Opening Hours:
7:00am – 6:00pm
Entry: free!
Scooter parking: available & free
Bathrooms available
Food and drink stalls
Approximately a one hour drive from Chiang Rai city.
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Have you been to these temples? What did you think?