Wat Arun entrance fee: how much is the ticket, when is it open and how do you cross the river?

The Wat Arun entrance fee is 200 baht

Wikipedia's article on Wat Arun says the temple charges foreigners an entrance fee of 200 baht, as of March 2024. The ticket price on our own tour is the same: the information we hold puts the Wat Arun ticket at 200 baht at the gate. GoAsia's guide of 26 October 2026 says the Tourism Authority of Thailand lists 200 baht for a foreign adult, and that an older government guide still shows 100 baht, so bring the higher amount. We could not open the temple's own page or the Tourism Authority's listing ourselves.

The price has changed more than once. A Tourism Authority of Thailand release of 3 January 2020 announced that the fee would rise from 50 to 100 baht per person from 1 June 2020. The Thai government's visitor page for the 2026 IMF and World Bank meetings, dated 15 August 2025, still lists 100 baht for foreigners and free entry for Thai nationals, and Wikivoyage's undated Thonburi guide also says 100, which is why older guides disagree. Our Wat Pho entrance fee guide gives the 300 baht figure for the temple across the river.

What the ticket gets you

The ticket gets you inside the temple compound. Wikivoyage's Thonburi guide says that entering is worth it, because from outside you do not see the small porcelain pieces, and that looking at the temple from a distance is free. Wikipedia says the central prang, the tower that gives Wat Arun its shape, is encrusted with colourful porcelain and decorated with shells, and that sources give its height anywhere between 66.8 and 86 metres. The Tourism Authority of Thailand uses 66.8 metres.

Wikipedia adds that the most extensive restoration of the prang ran from 2013 to 2017, when many broken tiles were replaced and lime plaster was used on the surfaces, and that the results drew some criticism for looking whitewashed. The Tourism Authority of Thailand's 2020 release says a three-year renovation of the base was completed in 2017. In July 2025 the prang was added to UNESCO's Tentative List for World Heritage status, the Thaiger reported.

Opening hours: 08:00 to 18:00, so arrive early

The government visitor page dated 15 August 2025 lists Wat Arun as open daily from 08:00 to 18:00, and GoAsia's October 2026 guide gives the same hours from the Tourism Authority of Thailand. The Chao Phraya Tourist Boat company's own pier guide, which is undated, lists 08:00 to 17:30 every day, and Wikivoyage's older Thonburi guide says 07:30 to 17:30. We found no official last-entry time, so treat 17:30 as the realistic limit.

So plan the visit for the morning and leave a margin. Wat Arun is on the Thonburi side of the river, so reaching it takes a ferry, and the tour we run is timed to finish it by about 12:30 pm. Hours can also change for ceremonies, as Wikivoyage notes for Bangkok's temples in general, so ask at the ticket window on the day rather than on a stranger's word. The government page also warns of people who say the temple is closed and send you elsewhere.

How the ferry across the river works

The usual way in is a short cross-river ferry. Wikipedia says Wat Arun can be reached through the Chao Phraya River, and Wikivoyage's Rattanakosin guide describes a ferry shuttle from Tha Tien, the pier beside Wat Pho, that runs about every 10 minutes. Its fare is a few baht: that guide says 3 baht, other Wikivoyage pages say between 4 and 5 baht, and none is dated, so carry coins and ask at the pier kiosk.

Wat Pho's own trip page also tells visitors to get off the Chao Phraya Express Boat at Tha Chang or Wat Arun pier, so some express boats stop right at the temple. The Tourism Authority of Thailand's 2020 release names three entry points to the temple: Mae Phueak Pier, Wat Arun Ferry Pier and Wang Doem Road. For the flags, piers and fares of the long-distance boats, see our Chao Phraya express boat guide.

Dress, photographers and what to do if someone pushes you

Dress as you would for the other big temples. Wikivoyage's Rattanakosin guide says all temples expect appropriate clothing, with no shorts, no flip-flops and no sleeveless shirts, or you risk being denied entry. Our Grand Palace dress code guide has the stricter list for the palace. Covering your shoulders and knees, as you would for the palace, keeps you clear of any refusal.

Photography has been a flashpoint. The Thaiger reported on 8 January 2026 that Wat Arun had apologised after complaints that some photographers, working with visitors in rented Thai costumes, cleared crowds and shouted at tourists to move, and that the temple would require photographers to be trained and have official permission. On 5 May 2026 the Thaiger reported a fresh complaint. If someone pushes you out of a public area, the Tourist Police hotline is 1155, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

6 November 2026: the Royal Barge Procession

If your trip includes 6 November 2026, plan around it. The Tourism Authority of Thailand says the Royal Barge Procession ends that day at Wat Arun, for the Royal Kathin Ceremony: 52 royal barges and 2,200 Royal Thai Navy personnel will travel down the Chao Phraya from Wasukri Pier, past the Grand Palace, to Wat Arun. Its guide says the procession is expected to start in the afternoon, with viewing areas opening from around 3 pm.

The same guide says that the river is cleared of ferries and longtails when the barges pass, and that access to the Wat Arun riverbank is likely to be restricted on the day. It does not say whether the temple closes. Morning visits before the ceremony may still work, but ask us or the ticket window first, and keep the afternoon free if you want to watch the barges from the Tha Tien and Wat Pho side.

Wat Arun on our tour, and when to skip the ticket

Our Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun tour costs from $75 per person and includes the Wat Arun ticket, the ferry crossing to the temple and back, an English-speaking guide and a bottle of water. Wat Arun is the last stop, after the Grand Palace and Wat Pho, and the tour ends at about 12:30 pm. Read what the three tickets cost together before you decide.

You can skip the ticket and still see Wat Arun. Our night tuk-tuk food tour, from $40 per person, stops to see the Temple of Dawn lit up from across the river, but it does not go inside any temple. It does not suit you if you want to walk the compound and see the porcelain up close; take the day tour for that. For the full list of options, see our best temples in Bangkok guide.

Practical checklist

• Expect 200 baht per foreign adult at the gate, though an older government page says 100; check that the ticket is included if you are on a tour.
• Carry coins for the cross-river ferry from Tha Tien, and ask at the pier kiosk for the fare.
• Cover your shoulders and knees; shorts, flip-flops and sleeveless tops risk being refused.
• If you visit on 6 November 2026, check the Royal Barge Procession restrictions first.
• If a photographer tells you to move from a public area, call the Tourist Police on 1155.

Questions and answers

Read next

• Wat Pho entrance fee: 300 baht, hours and massage prices
• Chao Phraya express boat: flags, piers and fares explained
• Best temples in Bangkok: which to visit and which to skip
• Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun: times, packing and seasons