If you’re planning a trip to northern Thailand, The White Temple (Wat Rong Khun) is one attraction you shouldn’t miss. Unlike any traditional Thai temple, it’s a dazzling modern masterpiece covered in white plaster and mirrored glass. After visiting twice myself, here’s everything you need to know, including ticket prices, opening hours, dress code, photography tips and whether it’s actually worth visiting.
Let me answer some of the questions you may have about vising The White Temple of Chiang Rai, as well as adding some highlights from my two visits.
TABLE OF CONTENTS: VISITING THE WHITE TEMPLE OF CHIANG RAI
- Who Created The White Temple of Chiang Rai?
- What are the Opening Times of The White Temple?
- What Time Should I Visit the White Temple?
- Is the White Temple Suitable for Children?
- What Should I Wear to Visit The White Temple?
- Where Should I Park at The White Temple?
- How Much Does it Cost to Visit The White Temple?
- How Long Should I Spend at The White Temple?
- Can I Fly a Drone at The White Temple?
- Should I also visit The Cave of Art at The White Temple?
- What is the Ganesha Worship Hall at The White Temple?
- Can I Visit The White Temple of a Day Tour from Chiang Mai?
- What is it like to visit The White Temple?
- Do I Need to Remove My Shoes at The White Temple?
- Can I Take Photos Inside The White Temple?
- What Else Can I Do at The White Temple?
- Should I Visit Both The White Temple and The Blue Temple in Chiang Rai?
- How Do I Find The White Temple?
- Concluding Thoughts
| 📌 QUICK FACTS FOR YOUR VISIT TO WAT RONG KHUN | |
|---|---|
| 📍 Location: Beautiful Chiang Rai, Thailand | 👕 Dress Code: Respect Thai culture by dressing modestly |
| 🕒 Opening Hours: Every day, 8AM to 5PM | 🚗 Parking: FREE parking is available with plenty of spaces close to the entrance |
| 🎟️ Entrance Fee: 100 baht for foreign visitors | ⏱️ Visit Time: Allow around three hours to fully explore the White Temple complex |
| 🚌 Visit from Chiang Mai? YES, it is possible to visit the White Temple on a day tour from Chiang Mai | ⭐ Worth Visiting? Absolutely – one of the most spectacular and unique temples in Thailand |
Who Created The White Temple of Chiang Rai?
The White Temple was created by architect Chalermchai Kositpipat, the Thai artist who designed, constructed and opened Wat Rong Khun to visitors in 1997. Following an earthquake on 5 May 2014, the temple was damaged but not so much that it could not be repaired and work continued. Work is ongoing and is expected to be completed by 2070.
Following your visit to The White Temple, make sure to visit his museum at the entrance to Wat Rong Khun where you can see examples of the wonderful talent of this artist. There is no entry fee to visit the museum named in his honor.
What are the Opening Times of The White Temple?
Wat Rong Khun is open every day from 8AM to 5PM.
What Time Should I Visit The White Temple?
Wat Rong Khun is open every day from 8AM to 5PM. Ideally you want to arrive early in the morning to avoid the hoard of tourist buses. However, what I found as well is that if you come later in the day, around 11AM, most of the tourist buses have moved on to different sites across Chiang Rai, perhaps The Blue Temple or elsewhere.
Personal Experience: Arriving early in the morning, but not that early that I managed to miss the early tourists, I parked in the expansive parking area towards the back of the temple. The area surrounding the main temple is free to visit so I was able to wander into the grounds and immediately understood the appeal of the beautiful temple and its magnificent gardens. As such, there was a long line of tourists when I arrived so it did take longer than expected to visit the temple.
Is the White Temple Suitable for Children?
While older children should find the site fascinating, younger children may not feel the same way. Younger children may feel restless and irritated, especially in the hot weather that is so common in Chiang Rai.
What Should I Wear to Visit The White Temple?
As with all religious sites in Thailand, it is important to dress respectfully when visiting Wat Rong Khun. For men and women, shoulders should be covered. For men, shorts just above the knees should be fine. For ladies, you should wear a long dress, ideally extending down to your ankles. A few ladies arrived with their shoulders exposed and they were forced to borrow a shawl to wrap around themselves.
Also, do not try and be clever and remove the shawl inside the temple grounds for your Instagram photos. You will be shouted at by the guards who keep an eye out for travelers who are behaving inappropriately.
If you dress modestly when visiting The White Temple you will be absolutely fine.
Where Should I Park at The White Temple?
There is an extensive parking area towards the back of The White Temple. If you bring your own car you will not have difficulty finding a parking spot. From there you can wander through the back entrance gate for free, perhaps first visiting The Cave of Art, before paying to enter The White Temple.
How Much Does it Cost to Visit The White Temple?
It costs 100 baht to visit The White Temple and go inside the small white fence. You can walk around the outside of the grounds of the temple for free but then you will not have the chance to fully explore the intricate beauty of Wat Rong Khun. The nominal entrance fee of just 100 baht is well worth the price of admission and you will not be disappointed.
How Long Should I Spend at The White Temple?
If you are only visiting The White Temple, rather than the other attractions on site, you could easily cover the temple in under an hour. However, I suggest allowing at least three hours so that you can fully appreciate Wat Rong Khun, visit the Cave of Art, visit the Ganesha Worship Hall and visit the museum built to honor the founder of The White Temple, Chalermchai Kositpipat. Allow some time also to enjoy an ice-cream and visit the souvenir stores just outside of the entrance to The White Temple.
Can I Fly a Drone at The White Temple?
Unfortunately you are not permitted to fly a drone at The White Temple without specific pre-approval. There are signs around Wat Rong Khun specifically stating that drones are not permitted so it’s best to leave your drone at home.
Should I also visit The Cave of Art at The White Temple?
For an entry fee of just 50 baht, a quick visit to the Cave of Art is well worth it if time allows.
Personal Experience: I first visited the Cave of Art, located towards the back of the temple complex. For an entry fee of 50 baht you will be able to explore the passage from hell to heaven. Scary devil-like statues greet you as you enter the artificial cave, with hands seeming to reach out for you from all walls. Devil-like faces made of concrete tempt you to keep walking as you make your way through the cave.
Soon you will reach a sanctuary with a beautiful Buddha statue set in the back, ideal for a few moments of reflection and many photos. Stepping out of that sanctuary you will find another Buddha statue within the stalactites and stalagmites of the artificial cave. Soon you will have reached the final point of the cave, exiting through the Heaven chamber and the very small gift shop on the inside of the cave. For just 5o baht, a visit to the Cave of Art is certainly worth adding to your visit to The White Temple. Read the Two Passports Packed blog post from the Cave of Art.
What is the Ganesha Worship Hall at The White Temple?
The Ganesha Worship Hall at Wat Rong Khun is an ornate golden temple set within the grounds of The White Temple, across a small golden bridge. There is no separate entry fee to visit Ganesha Hall.
Personal Experience: To be quite honest, the Ganesha Worship Hall is not particularly impressive, and I only wandered around the temple hall for a few minutes before heading back over the bridge and back into the gardens of Wat Rong Khun.
Can I Visit The White Temple of a Day Tour from Chiang Mai?
The drive from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai is approximately three hours so it is definitely possible to visit Wat Rong Khun on a day tour from Chiang Mai. You will have to leave fairly early in the morning to arrive to The White Temple mid-morning. Although it will be a long day, if you only have a few days in northern Thailand then you could definitely take a day tour to The White Temple.
What is it Like to Visit The White Temple?
A visit to the White Temple of Chiang Rai is one of the core memories you will take from your visit to Chiang Rai. It is the Number One tourist attraction in Chiang Rai for a very good reason. You should absolutely include Wat Rong Khun on your travel plans for Chiang Rai.
Personal Experience: Having walked from the short way from The Ganesha Worship Hall, I made my way to the entrance to The White Temple. I paid my 100 baht and joined the line of people making their way over the bridge towards the temple. Everyone was stopping for the traditional photo as you head over the small bridge to Wat Rong Khun so the line did move quite slowly. I managed to take a few photos off to the side, across the water, looking back towards the temple.
Following the one-way flow of tourists, I made my way to the entrance to the temple. Firstly, however, I wandered around the side of the temple, stopping when I could to take photos. You are not permitted to take photos in the main temple, the one with the large Buddha statue, but there are many other photo opportunities.
Do I Need to Remove My Shoes at The White Temple?
You will only be required to remove your shoes at the entrance to the White Temple, i.e. after you have made your way across the white bridge and are close to the small building in white the large Buddha statue is housed. Staff will give you a plastic bag to carry your shoes and you can then put them back on at the other side once you have been through the temple.
Can I Take Photos Inside The White Temple?
You can take photos everywhere in the grounds of the White Temple, except in the small building that houses the Buddha statue. Staff are on hand to make sure that visitors do not take photos inside that smaller building.
However, around the temple and in the grounds, you are free to take as many photos as you like. You can even use your tripod with a remote control like I did since I travel extensively by myself.
What Else Can I Do at The White Temple?
After visiting the temple with the Buddha statue, you can then wander around the impressive building, seeing the attention to detail with which the temple has been constructed. The only other building that I have visited that comes close to this level of detail is the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, close to where I used to live. You will not be disappointed with the magnificence of Wat Rong Khun.
On the days that I visited I was blessed with beautiful sunny weather. It was hot but not unbearable. I wandered around the outside of the temple for nearly an hour on each visit, taking photos and admiring the intricate design of the temple, before heading to the sanctuary of the small restaurant just outside the entrance to the temple.
Should I Visit Both The White Temple and The Blue Temple in Chiang Rai?
You may be wondering, ‘Should I visit the White Temple or the Blue Temple?‘. The answer is — you should visit both. You can easily visit both temples on the same day as they are not too far apart. The White Temple and the Blue Temple are absolutely worth visiting on your trip to Chiang Rai. I have visited many temples around Thailand, and the White Temple is still one of the few that genuinely made me stop and appreciate the full experience of my visits.
Read about the beautiful Blue Temple of Chiang Rai.
How Do I Find The White Temple?
Find the White Temple in Chiang Rai on Google Maps.
Concluding Thoughts
What I would do differently when I visit again is head to Wat Rong Khun later in the day. Tourists tend to arrive earlier in the day and spend a great deal of time around the temple. Going later in the day will mean that most of the tourists have moved on to other temples around Chiang Rai and you can explore the temple complex at greater leisure.
During my first visit to Chiang Rai I stayed at Le Méridien Chiang Rai. During my second visit to Chiang Rai I stayed at Riva Vista Riverfront Resort & Spa.
Otherwise start planning your accommodation in Chiang Rai by clicking in the box below.
Consider reading other posts on Thailand by Two Passports Packed.
(Visited in June 2024)