Wat Phrathat is a beautiful place to visit. The temple, with its 309 steps, is already an interesting thing to see, but what makes it really special is the view it offers of Chiang Mai from 700 meters (2300 feet) up. You get get there by car/songthaew/taxi or motorcycle from Chiang Mai in about 45 minutes. If you're feeling brave you can also go up there by bike, as I saw some people do. Once you arrive at the temple you can choose to walk up the 309 steps, or go by cable car if the former isn't a viable option. To enter, foreigners need to pay a small fee. I didn't mind this considering most foreigners see the temple as an attraction rather than a religious site. Also it might comfort you to know that the money is used for, among other things, maintenance, charity work and providing and improving education. It is advised to wear appropriate clothing. This mostly applies to women. If you wear sleeveless shirts or short skirts or pants, you'll have to rent a sarong (a strip of cloth) to cover the "inappropriate" parts. At the bottom of the stairs there are some food stands. Next to the temple there is also a cafe of sorts. If you are in Chiang Mai, I highly recommend you visit Wat Phrathat. It should be noted that it is mostly very crowded with tourists, so you might want to go early if you wish to avoid the business. It is one of the most important temples in Thailand and the view over the city and its airport is absolutely fantastic.

tai postmaJan 17, 2018

Honestly, this place is nothing special. It takes an hour to get there from the city. Doesn't feel sacred at all, everyone is just telling you to move so they can take a selfie. Sure it looks nice, but just a tiny bit better than the temples in the centre. Way too crowded! Be sure to dress appropriately. Entrance 30 baht. The trip is shorter than it says on google maps. The road up is really good!

Katarina Solita PuškašJan 6, 2018

This is a really amazing place go visit and I think you're trip to Chiang Mai would be truly incomplete without visiting this temple. Situated high on the mountains, the temple gives an amazing panoramic view of the city down below. The temple itself is stunning with countless gold Buddha. The stairs leading up are quite daunting, I will say. No shame in stopping a few times to catch your breath. Definitely visit this temple, you won't regret it!

Sam ZalmanovichJan 15, 2018

Quite impressive complex, i loved the green glass elements. Be aware, very crowded, especially while Buddhist holidays. Don't forget to dress appropriately since this is one of the most important complex where pilgrims come. Impressive view over the city of Chiang Mai. Road leading to the complex is really good. very charming place. You can also have a chat with monks on the side.

Klementyna KowalczykJan 10, 2018

Take a taxi or local bus there. Get to elevators and explore the Wat. Remember to take off your shoes at the designated area only as I noticed a lot of tourists getting barefoot already at the entrance of the grounds. It is not a beach. Dress appropriately, women should not wear mini skirts, bare shoulders should be covered. Guys - leave your wifebeaters at hotel. And do not forget your sunglasses as gold reflects the sun viciously hard!

Romāns ZatermanisFeb 12, 2018

A historical temple. Had been through few phase of changed. To day the temple more or less had become commercial tourist attraction. Can be reach by car, local public transport, bike, bicycle if you really strong enough to climb the very steep road. Arrival at bottom of temple. On can choose the hard way to walk 370 plus steep stair or use the cable car. I recommended the stair. Enjoy the satisfaction of exhausted climb.

Adam SiwApr 5, 2018

Overall I was not impressed by this place. There are so many better temples in town and the surrounding area. There are tons of tourists here as well. However, if you drive up on your own, it is very beautiful with lots of other attractions along the way. We stopped at 4 places and this was our last favorite. It is a very important site for Buddhists, but if you aren't Buddhist, I don't think it's worth it.

Ryan RhodesMar 25, 2018

Extremely beautiful temple covered in the traditional gold Thai style, but being that it is so far outside of the city I would not have been disappointed to miss it. We took mopeds up the mountain to get here and the ride up made the whole experience much more enjoyable. Also, there's a huge hike up a solid set of stairs to get to the top, so plan ahead for that. I'd recommend bringing pants to slip on instead of wearing them up for the trek.

Erin YApr 11, 2018

This is a beautiful place of reverance and prayer for many who come. Visitors are required to remove their shoes, and also to dress appropriately. If a visitor had on a tank top (shoulders to be covered), or shorts that were above the knee (men OR women), they were offered a robe to cover up with in the sacred areas. Otherwise it was fine to walk around the rest of the temple area as is. Absolutely stunning!

Alisa OswaltMay 21, 2018

This temple has many staircase, you will need to go up to the temple by staircase. The design is very nice and fine. Definitely a good place to take photo here. However, please remember you must wear proper wear that cover your leg, no big collar hole, etc. Inside the temple, you must take off your shoes to pay respect to the temple. You can get flower and candle here, by donate a amount of money to the box (any amount you feel fine). Go into the temple, there is a cardboard with Scripture (english available) for you to pray around the center temple. Also, it has a very good landscape view from high viewpoint. Overall, just bare in mind the clothes before enter the temple.

Lim Chong HanJun 8, 2018

I am here now and it is quite lovely including the drive up but inside the sacred temple there are Chinese tourists SCREAMING and taking non-stop photos. This is a sacred place with signs clearly saying be quiet. I can't believe the disrespect some tourists have.

Erin McGeoyJun 20, 2018

Most famous temple of Chiang Mai. There is an entrance fee for foreigner. The stairs with dragons are nice. There are many shops where it is possible to buy food or souvenir near the parking. Next to the temple, there is a beautiful view of Chiang Mai.

Benjamin CurratJun 15, 2018

The temple is gorgeous but it was so full of tourists that I couldn’t really enjoy the experience fully. Maybe I should’ve come here earlier. It was also very cloudy up here and I couldn’t really see anything from above. The complex itself is huge but again it was just too full!

Aggy FJul 27, 2018

Wat Phrathat is a beautiful place to visit. The temple, with its 309 steps, is already an interesting thing to see, but what makes it really special is the view it offers of Chiang Mai from 700 meters (2300 feet) up. You get get there by car/songthaew/taxi or motorcycle from Chiang Mai in about 45 minutes. If you're feeling brave you can also go up there by bike, as I saw some people do. Once you arrive at the temple you can choose to walk up the 309 steps, or go by cable car if the former isn't a viable option. To enter, foreigners need to pay a small fee. I didn't mind this considering most foreigners see the temple as an attraction rather than a religious site. Also it might comfort you to know that the money is used for, among other things, maintenance, charity work and providing and improving education. It is advised to wear appropriate clothing. This mostly applies to women. If you wear sleeveless shirts or short skirts or pants, you'll have to rent a sarong (a strip of cloth) to cover the "inappropriate" parts. At the bottom of the stairs there are some food stands. Next to the temple there is also a cafe of sorts. If you are in Chiang Mai, I highly recommend you visit Wat Phrathat. It should be noted that it is mostly very crowded with tourists, so you might want to go early if you wish to avoid the business. It is one of the most important temples in Thailand and the view over the city and its airport is absolutely fantastic.

tai postmaJan 17, 2018

Honestly, this place is nothing special. It takes an hour to get there from the city. Doesn't feel sacred at all, everyone is just telling you to move so they can take a selfie. Sure it looks nice, but just a tiny bit better than the temples in the centre. Way too crowded! Be sure to dress appropriately. Entrance 30 baht. The trip is shorter than it says on google maps. The road up is really good!

Katarina Solita PuškašJan 6, 2018

This is a really amazing place go visit and I think you're trip to Chiang Mai would be truly incomplete without visiting this temple. Situated high on the mountains, the temple gives an amazing panoramic view of the city down below. The temple itself is stunning with countless gold Buddha. The stairs leading up are quite daunting, I will say. No shame in stopping a few times to catch your breath. Definitely visit this temple, you won't regret it!

Sam ZalmanovichJan 15, 2018

Quite impressive complex, i loved the green glass elements. Be aware, very crowded, especially while Buddhist holidays. Don't forget to dress appropriately since this is one of the most important complex where pilgrims come. Impressive view over the city of Chiang Mai. Road leading to the complex is really good. very charming place. You can also have a chat with monks on the side.

Klementyna KowalczykJan 10, 2018

Take a taxi or local bus there. Get to elevators and explore the Wat. Remember to take off your shoes at the designated area only as I noticed a lot of tourists getting barefoot already at the entrance of the grounds. It is not a beach. Dress appropriately, women should not wear mini skirts, bare shoulders should be covered. Guys - leave your wifebeaters at hotel. And do not forget your sunglasses as gold reflects the sun viciously hard!

Romāns ZatermanisFeb 12, 2018

A historical temple. Had been through few phase of changed. To day the temple more or less had become commercial tourist attraction. Can be reach by car, local public transport, bike, bicycle if you really strong enough to climb the very steep road. Arrival at bottom of temple. On can choose the hard way to walk 370 plus steep stair or use the cable car. I recommended the stair. Enjoy the satisfaction of exhausted climb.

Adam SiwApr 5, 2018

Overall I was not impressed by this place. There are so many better temples in town and the surrounding area. There are tons of tourists here as well. However, if you drive up on your own, it is very beautiful with lots of other attractions along the way. We stopped at 4 places and this was our last favorite. It is a very important site for Buddhists, but if you aren't Buddhist, I don't think it's worth it.

Ryan RhodesMar 25, 2018

Extremely beautiful temple covered in the traditional gold Thai style, but being that it is so far outside of the city I would not have been disappointed to miss it. We took mopeds up the mountain to get here and the ride up made the whole experience much more enjoyable. Also, there's a huge hike up a solid set of stairs to get to the top, so plan ahead for that. I'd recommend bringing pants to slip on instead of wearing them up for the trek.

Erin YApr 11, 2018

This is a beautiful place of reverance and prayer for many who come. Visitors are required to remove their shoes, and also to dress appropriately. If a visitor had on a tank top (shoulders to be covered), or shorts that were above the knee (men OR women), they were offered a robe to cover up with in the sacred areas. Otherwise it was fine to walk around the rest of the temple area as is. Absolutely stunning!

Alisa OswaltMay 21, 2018

This temple has many staircase, you will need to go up to the temple by staircase. The design is very nice and fine. Definitely a good place to take photo here. However, please remember you must wear proper wear that cover your leg, no big collar hole, etc. Inside the temple, you must take off your shoes to pay respect to the temple. You can get flower and candle here, by donate a amount of money to the box (any amount you feel fine). Go into the temple, there is a cardboard with Scripture (english available) for you to pray around the center temple. Also, it has a very good landscape view from high viewpoint. Overall, just bare in mind the clothes before enter the temple.

Lim Chong HanJun 8, 2018

I am here now and it is quite lovely including the drive up but inside the sacred temple there are Chinese tourists SCREAMING and taking non-stop photos. This is a sacred place with signs clearly saying be quiet. I can't believe the disrespect some tourists have.

Erin McGeoyJun 20, 2018

Most famous temple of Chiang Mai. There is an entrance fee for foreigner. The stairs with dragons are nice. There are many shops where it is possible to buy food or souvenir near the parking. Next to the temple, there is a beautiful view of Chiang Mai.

Benjamin CurratJun 15, 2018

The temple is gorgeous but it was so full of tourists that I couldn’t really enjoy the experience fully. Maybe I should’ve come here earlier. It was also very cloudy up here and I couldn’t really see anything from above. The complex itself is huge but again it was just too full!

Aggy FJul 27, 2018