Wat Pho entrance fee: how much is the ticket, when is it open and what does the massage cost?

The Wat Pho entrance fee is 300 baht

Wat Pho's official visit plan gives the admission fee as 300 baht, with free entry for children under the height of 120 cm. A Thai government visitor page dated 15 August 2025 agrees: it says foreign visitors pay, and that the fee rose from 200 to 300 baht from 1 January 2024. The temple's page does not say whether Thai residents pay a different price, so we only quote what it gives. The Grand Palace next door charges 500 baht, according to its own page.

The part of the temple open to visitors is the large northern compound, with the hall of the Reclining Buddha, the ordination hall and the four big chedis. Wikipedia explains that the southern compound holds the monks' living quarters and a school. Pay at the gate. If anyone outside the entrance tells you a different price, or tells you the temple is closed, check at the ticket window before you follow them.

Opening hours: 08:00 to 19:30 every day

The visit plan gives the operating hours as 08:00 to 19:30, with no closing day listed. That is far later than the Grand Palace, which is open from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm with tickets sold only until 3:30 pm, according to its own page. If you reach the old town after lunch, Wat Pho is the temple you can still see in full.

The page does not name a last-entry time, so do not arrive in the final minutes. The same government visitor page gives the hours as 08:00 to 18:30, an hour earlier than the temple's own page, so if you are cutting it fine, trust the earlier time. Wikivoyage notes that opening hours can occasionally change because of ceremonies or official events, and advises checking at the entrance. Allow at least an hour for the Reclining Buddha and the courtyards.

What you see for the 300 baht

The main reason people pay is the Reclining Buddha, 46 metres long and 15 metres high according to Wikipedia, with soles inlaid with mother-of-pearl and divided into 108 panels. Wikipedia adds that visitors drop coins into 108 bronze bowls along the corridor, which helps the monks maintain the temple. Beyond the hall are four large chedis, each 42 metres high and dedicated to the first four Chakri kings, and 91 smaller ones.

Wat Pho is also an old centre of learning. Wikipedia says its marble illustrations and inscriptions were registered in UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme on 21 February 2008, and that the temple holds more than a thousand Buddha images. Wikivoyage suggests entering by the main gate on Chetuphon Road, not the north gate at Thai Wang Road used by tour buses, to see the courtyards before the crowds. On our tour the guide spends about an hour here.

Dress code and rules inside the temple

The visit plan asks tourists to dress politely: no shorts, although trousers are permitted. Its tips for visitors add that traditional or polite dress is required, that shorts above the knees are prohibited for women, and that shoes must come off and go on the shelf before religious buildings. Wear shoes that slip off easily, and carry a light scarf for your shoulders. Our own Grand Palace guide covers the stricter palace list in the Grand Palace dress code.

The same page asks visitors to be calm and polite, because the temple is a sacred place. Photos can be taken, but never step on a Buddha image. Women are not allowed in the areas set aside for monks to perform their rites, and they should not touch monks or novices. These are the rules the temple itself publishes.

Thai massage at Wat Pho: the listed prices

Wat Pho is known as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage, and its visit plan lists a Thai massage service run by the temple's Thai traditional medical school. It keeps the same hours, 08:00 to 19:30. The listed prices are 340 baht for 30 minutes, 520 baht for 60 minutes and 1,040 baht for 120 minutes, for both Thai massage and foot massage. Thai massage with balm costs 680 baht for 60 minutes and 1,360 for 120.

Thai massage with plai oil is listed at 620 baht for 60 minutes and 1,240 for 120. The page has no date, and an older, undated Wikivoyage figure of 400 baht an hour shows how prices move, so confirm the rate before you sit down. The page does not say whether the 300 baht entrance ticket is needed for the massage; ask at the gate. Wikipedia says the school's Nuad Thai is on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage, and courses run from a few weeks to a year.

How to get to Wat Pho

Wat Pho's address is 2 Sanam Chai Road, next to the Grand Palace. Its own visit page lists the MRT Blue Line, exit 1, and several bus routes, and it says parking on Chetuphon Road costs 20 baht per hour. Wikivoyage calls the station Sanam Chai and says it is near both Wat Pho and the Grand Palace. From the Grand Palace you can walk to Wat Pho, as our tour does, and the two temples share one morning easily.

By river, the two official pages differ. Wat Pho's page says to get off the Chao Phraya Express Boat at Tha Chang or Wat Arun pier and take a cross-river ferry to Tha Tien, while the Grand Palace's page tells you to take an express boat to Tha Tien, pier N8. Wikivoyage notes that piers have closed for works, so check the stop on the day. Our Chao Phraya express boat guide covers the flags and fares.

Wat Pho with the Grand Palace and Wat Arun

If you add up the three big old-town tickets, the Grand Palace is 500 baht and Wat Pho is 300, according to their own pages. Wikipedia gives 200 baht for Wat Arun, as of March 2024, which makes 1,000 baht in total. Our guide to the Wat Arun entrance fee explains why that third figure is the one to check at the gate. The three sights are close together and make a natural morning.

Our Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun tour costs from $75 per person and includes the entrance ticket for all three, the ferry across the river, an English-speaking guide and a bottle of water. It is about 4 hours, starting at about 8:30 am near the Grand Palace. It does not suit you if you want a long, slow visit at Wat Pho or a massage on the same ticket; do those in the afternoon, since the temple stays open until 19:30. See the full route.

Practical checklist

• Bring 300 baht per adult for the Wat Pho ticket, or check that the ticket is included in your tour.
• Wear trousers or a long skirt and shoes that slip off easily; shorts are not allowed.
• Plan Wat Pho for the afternoon if the Grand Palace has already closed; it is open until 19:30.
• Ask at the gate whether the massage needs the entrance ticket, and confirm the price before you start.
• Look at the notice board at the gate for ceremony days, and ignore strangers who say the temple is closed.

Questions and answers

Read next

• Wat Arun entrance fee: what you pay, the hours and the ferry across the river
• Grand Palace dress code and opening hours: what to wear, when it closes, and how Wat Pho and Wat Arun compare
• Best temples in Bangkok: which to visit and which to skip
• Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun: why book this tour