---
node: spot_bangkok_wat_arun
type: spot
slug: wat_arun
destination: dest_bangkok
title: "Wat Arun"
lead: "Wat Arun's central prang rises 70 metres above the Chao Phraya and is faced entirely in broken Chinese porcelain, used as ballast in trading ships and set into the plaster by hand. It is named for Aruna, the god of dawn, and is best seen at dusk."
published: 2026-08-12
updated: 2026-08-12
image_file: spot_bangkok_wat_arun.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wat_Arun_from_Chao_Phraya_River.jpg"
image_author: "Diliff"
image_license: "CC BY 2.5"
---

## Overview

The tower was raised to its present height under Rama III in the 1840s on a smaller Ayutthaya-era stupa. The porcelain facing is the interesting part: shards of cups and plates from Chinese junks, arranged into flowers over the whole surface, which is why the tower changes colour with the light rather than staying gold. A restoration finished in 2017 stripped decades of grime and drew complaints that it looked too white, which it did until the weather returned it.

## Highlights

Cross on the three-baht ferry from Tha Tien pier by Wat Pho; the approach from the water is how the temple was meant to be seen. The steep stairs up the prang are open to a mid-level terrace and the risers are high — the climb is the memorable part. Come back at sunset and look at it from the Bangkok side, which is the view on the ten-baht coin.