Wat Ratchanatdaram (Loha Prasat)
The world's only surviving metal-spired temple — 37 black iron pinnacles rising over the old city.
The 37 black metal spires of Loha Prasat at Wat Ratchanatdaram
What to expect at Wat Ratchanatdaram (Loha Prasat)
Wat Ratchanatdaram is the site of Loha Prasat, or Metal Castle — a five-tiered pyramid crowned by 37 iron spires arranged in five concentric squares. Only two others have ever been built anywhere: one in India in the 6th century BC and one in Sri Lanka in the 2nd, neither of which survives. That makes the Bangkok example, commissioned by Rama III in 1846, effectively unique in the world. The 37 spires symbolise the 37 virtues that lead to enlightenment, and each one caps a small meditation cell built into the tiered structure.
You climb from ground level up an internal spiral staircase, passing through the cells on each of the seven floors — some contain small altars, some are used by monks for practice. The top floor holds a relic of the Buddha and gives you a 360-degree view: the golden Mount of Wat Saket almost due east, the roofs of the Grand Palace to the south-west, and the modern towers of Ratchadamnoen to the north. The tower itself is small; it is the concept and the panorama that make it memorable rather than any single object inside.
The rest of the temple is a working royal wat with a peaceful ordination hall and a small souvenir market outside the western gate selling brass Buddhas — one of the last such markets in Bangkok. The temple sits right on Ratchadamnoen Klang, the ceremonial avenue that leads from the Democracy Monument to the Golden Mount, so you can string together a walking tour of the Loha Prasat, Wat Saket and the Democracy Monument in a couple of hours.
Questions about Wat Ratchanatdaram (Loha Prasat)
$2 (50 THB) to climb the Loha Prasat. Temple grounds free.
The grounds are always free; the tower has no free days for foreign visitors.
About an hour, including the climb up the tower.
Open daily 8:00-17:00; last entry to the tower at 16:30.
No, walk up.
MRT Sam Yot on the Blue Line, ten minutes on foot along Maha Chai Road.
Hotels near Wat Ratchanatdaram (Loha Prasat)
More things to do
All things to do
From the journal
All posts
Comparisons & rankings
Hotels with rooftop pools in Bangkok, ranked
A rooftop pool in Bangkok is not a nice-to-have — it is the reason you booked, and around 30 hotels do it well enough to matter.
Comparisons & rankings
Best family-friendly hotels in Bangkok
The right family hotel in Bangkok saves you around 90 minutes of daily transit and, roughly, the sanity of two parents.
Comparisons & rankings
Hotels with airport shuttle in Bangkok
Bangkok has two airports 50 km apart and traffic that can turn a 40-minute drive into 2 hours, which is why the shuttle question matters more here than most cities.