How many stops are on the Architecture walking tour in Bangkok?

The Architecture route in Bangkok includes 12 curated stops.

How long does the Architecture tour in Bangkok take?

The Architecture walking tour in Bangkok takes approximately 6 hours at a leisurely pace.

Is the Architecture walking tour in Bangkok free?

Yes, Promenario's Architecture tour in Bangkok is free to download and use, with full offline support.

🇹🇭 Bangkok, Thailand

Architecture in Bangkok

Iconic buildings, monuments, and landmark design. Explore 12 curated stops in Bangkok, including The Grand Palace, Wat Pho, and Wat Phra Kaew. Highlights include Wat Pho, rated 4.7/5 by 60,000 visitors.

12 stops ~6h Available in app

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Map

12 places in this collection

Architecture places

12 places in this collection

By Lgorlero - Own work, CC BY 3.0

The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace is a complex of buildings at the heart of Bangkok. The palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam (and later Thailand) since 1782. The king, his court, and his royal government were based on the grounds of the palace until 1925. King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), resided at the Chitralada Royal Villa and his successor King Vajiralongkorn (Rama X) at the Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall, both in the Dusit Palace, but the Grand Palace is still used for official events. Several royal ceremonies and state functions are held within the walls of the palace every year. The palace is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Thailand. Construction of the palace began on 6 May 1782, at the order of King Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I), the founder of the Chakri Dynasty, when he moved the capital city from Thonburi to Bangkok. By 1925, the king, the Royal Family and the government were no longer permanently settled at the palace, and had moved to other residences. After the abolition of absolute monarchy in 1932, all government agencies completely moved out of the palace. Rather than being a single structure, the Grand Palace is made up of numerous buildings, halls, pavilions set around open lawns, gardens and courtyards. Its asymmetry and eclectic styles are due to its organic development, with additions and rebuilding being made by successive reigning kings over 200 years of history. It is divided into several quarters: the Temple of the Emerald Buddha; the Outer Court, with many public buildings; the Middle Court, including the Phra Maha Monthien Buildings, the Phra Maha Prasat Buildings and the Chakri Maha Prasat Buildings; the Inner Court and the Siwalai Gardens quarter. The Grand Palace is currently partially open to the public as a museum, but it remains a working palace, with several royal offices still situated inside.

By Phillip Maiwald (Nikopol) CC BY-SA 3.0

Wat Pho

Temple of the Reclining Buddha

Wat Pho, also spelled Wat Po, is a Buddhist temple complex in the Phra Nakhon District. It is on Rattanakosin Island, directly south of the Grand Palace. Known also as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, its official name is Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram Rajwaramahawihan. The more commonly known name, Wat Pho, is a contraction of its older name, Wat Photaram. The temple is first on the list of six temples in Thailand classed as the highest grade of the first-class royal temples. It is associated with King Rama I who rebuilt the temple complex on an earlier temple site. It became his main temple and is where some of his ashes are enshrined. The temple was later expanded and extensively renovated by Rama III. The temple complex houses the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand, including a 46 m long reclining Buddha. The temple is considered the earliest centre for public education in Thailand, and the marble illustrations and inscriptions placed in the temple for public instructions has been recognised by UNESCO in its Memory of the World Programme. It houses a school of Thai medicine, and is also known as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage which is still taught and practiced at the temple. - Reclining Buddha: the image of the reclining Buddha represents the entry of Buddha into Nirvana and the end of all reincarnations. The posture of the image is referred to as sihasaiyas, the posture of a sleeping or reclining lion. The figure is 15 m high and 46 m long, and it is one of the largest Buddha statues in Thailand. Although the reclining Buddha is not a pilgrimage destination, it remains an object of popular piety. An annual celebration for the reclining Buddha is held around the time of the Siamese Songkran or New Year in April, which also helps raise funds for the upkeep of Wat Pho. - Thai massage: the Thai massage or Nuad Thai taught at Wat Pho has been included in UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and Wat Pho has trained more than 200,000 massage therapists who practice in 145 countries.

By Jan S. Peterson. CC BY-SA 3.0

Wat Phra Kaew

Temple of the Emerald Buddha

Wat Phra Kaew, commonly known in English as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and officially as Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram, is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. The complex consists of a number of buildings within the precincts of the Grand Palace. It houses the statue of the Emerald Buddha, which is venerated as the country's palladium. - The Emerald Buddha is an image of the meditating Gautama Buddha seated in a meditative posture, made of a semi-precious green stone (jasper rather than emerald or jade), clothed in gold and about 66 centimetres tall.

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By Marcin Konsek, CC BY-SA 4.0

Khaosan Road

Khaosan Road or Khao San Road is a short (410 m long) street constructed in 1892 during the reign of Rama V. It is in the Bang Lamphu area of Phra Nakhon District about 1 kilometre north of the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew. "Khaosan" translates as 'milled rice', a hint that in former times the street was a major Bangkok rice market. In the last 40 years, however, Khaosan Road has developed into a world-famous "backpacker ghetto". It offers cheap accommodation, ranging from "mattress in a box"-style hotels to reasonably priced three-star hotels. In an essay on the backpacker culture of Khaosan Road, Susan Orlean called it "the place to disappear." According to the Khao San Business Association, the road sees 40,000-50,000 tourists per day in the high season, and 20,000 per day in the low season. Khaosan shops sell handicrafts, paintings, clothes, local fruits, unlicensed CDs, DVDs, a wide range of fake IDs, used books, and other useful backpacker items. After dark, bars open, music is played, food hawkers sell barbecued insects and other exotic snacks for tourists, and touts promote ping pong shows. The area is internationally known as a center of dancing, partying, and just prior to the traditional Thai New Year (Songkran festival) of 13 - 15 April, water splashing that usually turns into a huge water fight.[10] One Thai writer has described Khaosan as "...a short road that has the longest dream in the world".

By Deror_avi, CC BY-SA 3.0

Jim Thompson House

The Jim Thompson House is a museum, housing the art collection of American businessman and architect Jim Thompson, the museum designer and former owner. Built in 1959, the museum spans one rectangular rai of land (approximately half an acre or 2023.43 square meters). Following his relocation to Bangkok and the establishment of the Thai Silk Company Limited in 1948, Thompson also became a major collector of Southeast Asian art, which at the time, was not well known internationally. Attracted by the subtlety of their craftsmanship and expression, he built a large collection of historical Buddhist statues and traditional Thai paintings made of wood, cloth, and paper that depicted the life of Buddha and the legend of Vessantara Jataka. He collected secular art not only from Thailand but from Burma, Cambodia, and Laos, frequently travelling to those countries on buying trips. His collection also consisted of white and blue porcelain from China, which made its way into Thailand around the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1958, he began what was to be the pinnacle of his architectural achievement, a new home to live in and to showcase his art collection. The museum was planned to consist of a complex combination of six traditional Thai-style houses, primarily constructed of wood, and various old Thai structures that were collected from all parts of Thailand in the 1950s and 1960s. His home sits on a klong (canal) across from Bangkrua, where his company's weavers were then located. Most of the 19th-century houses were dismantled and moved from Ayutthaya, but the largest, a weaver's house (now the living room), came from Bangkrua. After Thompson's disappearance in Malaysia in 1967, the house came under the control of The James H. W. Thompson Foundation under the royal patronage of H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

By ASaber91, CC BY 2.0

Wat Saket

Phu Khao Thong - Golden Mountain

Wat Saket Ratcha Wora Maha Wihan (Thai: วัดสระเกศราชวรมหาวิหาร, usually shortened to Wat Saket is a Buddhist temple (wat) in Pom Prap Sattru Phai district. The temple dates back to the Ayutthaya era, when it was known as Wat Sakae. When Bangkok became the capital, King Rama I (1737 - 1809) renovated the temple and gave it its present name (which roughly translates as "wash hair"): it was believed that on his return from the war, the king stopped to take a bath and wash his hair here, before entering the inner city. Phu Khao Thong ("Golden Mountain") is a steep artificial hill inside the Wat Saket compound. Rama I's grandson, King Rama III (1788 - 1851), decided to build a chedi of huge dimensions inside Wat Saket, but the chedi collapsed during construction because the soft soil of Bangkok could not support the weight. Over the next few decades, the abandoned mud-and-brick structure acquired the shape of a natural hill and was overgrown with weeds. The locals called it the phu khao, as if it was a natural feature. During the reign of King Rama IV, construction began of a small chedi on the hill. It was completed early in the reign of his son, King Rama V (1853 - 1910). A relic of the Buddha was brought from Sri Lanka by Prince Pritsadang and placed in the chedi. The surrounding concrete walls were added in the 1940s to stop the hill from eroding. Phu Khao Thong is now a popular Bangkok tourist attraction and has become a symbol of the city.

By Supanut Arunoprayote, CC BY 4.0

Bangkok National Museum

The Bangkok National Museum is the main branch museum of the National Museums in Thailand and also one of the largest museums in Southeast Asia. It features exhibits of Thai art and history. It occupies the former palace of the vice king (or Front Palace), set between Thammasat University and the National Theater, facing Sanam Luang. The museum was established and opened in 1874 by King Chulalongkorn to exhibit the royal collections of his father King Mongkut. Today the galleries contain exhibits covering the Thai History back to Neolithic times. The collection includes The King Ram Khamhaeng's Inscription, which was inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme registered in 2003 in recognition of its significance. Other than preserving and displaying Thai artifacts dating from the Dvaravati, Srivijaya, to Sukhothai and Ayutthaya periods, the museum also displays extensive collections of regional Asian Buddhist Arts such as Indian Gandhara, Chinese Tang, Vietnamese Cham, Indonesian Java, and Cambodian Khmer arts. The National Museum Bangkok currently houses three permanent exhibition galleries: - The Thai History Gallery in the front of Siwamokhaphiman Hall, a ceremonial building. On display is The King Ram Khamhaeng Inscription, which was inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme Register in 2003. Another exhibit tackles the question, "Where did the Thais come from?" Also on display are artifacts from the prehistory period to the Bangkok period. - The Archaeological and Art History Collections which are provided in two parts: the Prehistory Gallery, at the back of Siwamokhaphiman Hall and the Art History Gallery, in the North Wing Building, which displays sculptures and exhibits from the Dvaravati, Srivijaya, and Lopburi periods (before 1257 CE) up to the Bangkok period (c. 1782). - The Decorative Arts and Ethnological Collection which is displayed in the old central palace buildings. This collection contains artistic, cultural, and ethnographic exhibits such as gold treasures and precious stones, mother of pearl inlay, royal emblems and insignia, costumes and textiles, ceramics, carved ivory, old royal transportation, old weapons and musical instruments.

By Marcin Konsek CC BY-SA 4.0

Wat Suthat Thepwararam

Wat Suthat Thepwararam is a royal temple of the first grade, one of ten such temples in Bangkok (23 in Thailand). Construction was begun by King Rama I in 1807. In the beginning, it was initially called "Wat Maha Sutthawat" and was located in the combretum grove. Further construction and decorations were carried out by King Rama II who helped carve the wooden doors, but the temple was not completed until the reign of King Rama III in 1847 or 1848. This temple contains the Buddha image Phra Sri Sakyamuni which have been moved from Sukhothai Province. At the lower terrace of the base, there are 28 Chinese pagodas which symbolize the 28 Buddhas born on this earth. Wat Suthat also contains Phra Buddha Trilokachet in the ubosot (ordination hall) and Phra Buddha Setthamuni in the Sala Kan Parian (meeting hall). In 2005, the temple was submitted to UNESCO for consideration as a future World Heritage Site.

By Ahoerstemeier, CC BY-SA 3.0

Lak Mueang

Lak mueang are city pillars found in most cities of Thailand. Usually housed in a shrine which is also believed to house Chao Pho Lak Mueang, the city spirit deity. It was constructed because the continuation of ancient traditions and Brahman's customs believed that it has something to do with the Held, the single city pillar ceremony (Held "Lak Muang") which is made of an Acacia wood Chaiyaphreuk before the construction of the city for a major goal to build a city and to be the centre of soul for the citizens. It was probably King Rama I who erected the first city pillar on 21 April 1782, when he moved his capital from Thonburi to Bangkok. The shrine was the first building in his new capital, the palace and other buildings being constructed later.

By Adbar, CC BY-SA 3.0

Sanam Luang

Sanam Luang is a 74.5 rai (119,200 m2) open field and public square in front of Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace. In the Royal Chronicle it was written that, "In front of Wat Mahathat, Sanam Luang lies between the Royal Palace and the Front Palace. When royal cremation was held at the Phra Men Ground, the pyre set up in the centre with the Royal Palace Pavilion to the south and the one of the Prince of the Front Palace to the north. The music from the Royal Palace and from the Palace to the Front would be played on opposite sides of Sanam Luang". Sanam Luang was officially known as "Thung Phra Men" (the royal cremation ground). It has been used as a site for the cremation of kings, queens, and high-ranking princes since the reign of King Rama I. In 1855, King Rama IV changed its name from "Thung Phra Men" to "Thong Sanam Luang", in common usage now shortened to "Sanam Luang". The Fine Arts Department lists Sanam Luang as a historical site.

By Hmaglione10 CC BY-SA 4.0

Ram Buttri Road

Soi Ram Buttri

Ram Buttri Road or Soi Ram Buttri is a small road, or soi (alley). It is situated near Khaosan Road in the Bang Lamphu neighbourhood. The road mainly consists of two parts. The first part connects Sip Sam Hang Road with the Chakrabongse Road. The second part runs from the Chakrabongse Road, beside Wat Chana Songkhram, to the Chao Fa Road, which is at the foot of the Pra Pin-Klao Bridge opposite the National Theater. The name, Ram Buttri, translates as 'daughter of Rama'. It refers to Mom Chao Ying Pao Suriyakul, who was the daughter of Prince Rama Isares. She donated money to build a bridge dedicated to her father, which crossed Khlong Bang Lamphu (Bang Lamphu canal), also known as Khlong Ban Khaek (Ban Khaek canal). Thus the bridge was named "Saphan Ram Buttri", and the canal was called Khlong Ram Buttri. Later, the canal was turned into a road, and the bridge was demolished, but its name remained. Today, Ram Buttri Road is home to hostels, guest houses, boutique hotels, bars, Thai massage services, 24 hour restaurants, and many street food stalls, which are well known among tourists.

By Z3144228 CC BY-SA 4.0

Wat Ratchanatdaram

Temple of the Royal Niece

Wat Ratchanatdaram is a buddhist temple (wat) located at the intersection between Ratchadamnoen Klang and Maha Chai Road, in Phra Nakhon district. Meaning Temple of the Royal Niece, the temple was built to the order of King Nangklao (Rama III) for his granddaughter, Princess Somanass Waddhanawathy in 1846. Loha Prasat, which means iron castle or iron monastery, is composed of five towers, of which the outer, middle and the center towers contain large black iron spires. The 37 virtues that are required to reach enlightenment are signified by 37 golden spires. The 36-meter-high multi-tiered structure consists of 3 levels, the bottom one has 24 spires, the middle one 12 and the top level has 1 spire. There were two other similar structures which previously existed in the world. Modelled after the earlier ones in India and Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, both of which no longer exist There were two other similar structures which previously existed in the world. Modelled after the earlier ones in India and Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, both of which no longer exist.

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