Wat Pho doubles entry fees for foreign visitors
Foreign tourists visiting the Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho) want to visit will have to pay a lot more for it from next year.
As of January 1, 2015, the entrance fee will be increased from 100 baht to 200 baht. Children under 120 cm are admitted free, regardless of nationality. Thai citizens do not have to pay an entrance fee to one of Thailand's most famous temples.
The Wat Pho is a Buddhist temple in the Phra Nakhon district of Bangkok and is adjacent to the Grand Palace. The temple is also called the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, but its official name is Wat Phra Chettuphon Wimon Mangkhlaram Ratchaworamahawihan.
The temple is also known for the massage school that is located on the premises. Wat Pho is one of the largest and oldest temples in Bangkok (covering an area of 50 rai, 80.000 square meters) and is home to over a thousand Buddha statues, as well as one of the largest Buddha statues: the 160-meter long Reclining Buddha or : Phra Buddhasaiyas. The reclining Buddha was designed during the reign of King Rama III. The background of the gilded statue, which is 46 meters long and 15 meters wide, is decorated with beautiful murals.
The feet of the Buddha statue measure three by five meters and are inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The image symbolizes the universe surrounded by 108 symbols of prosperity and happiness. The pattern is a harmonious blend of Thai, Indian and Chinese religious symbols. On the temple grounds of Wat Pho you will find a row of stone pagodas built in traditional Chinese style called 'tah'.
For more information visit www.watpho.com
They are scammers at Wat Pho.
Went there last year and then our 8 and 10 year old half blood kids had to pay that rate too.
My children showed their Thai passports but they still had to pay the tourist fee.
They gave the reason that they should not show their passport but their ID card.
You only get an ID card at the age of 15 or 16 …..
A Thai ID card is issued from the age of 7 and must be applied for again at the age of 15.
Dear Jos, My son turned 2014 in October 7 and we picked up his Thai ID card last week.
Regards Dontejo.
I sometimes start to wonder when the turning point will be reached when tourists will no longer put up with being discriminated against against their own compatriots. Are you only welcome in Thailand when they treat you like a cash cow? Every tourist country sees the tourist as a cash cow, but the impudent way in which that sometimes happens in Thailand could soon work like a boomerang, especially now that many mishaps are happening that are very harmful to Thailand. Social media will certainly be able to play a role in this, as will the emerging markets in Asia.
Hello.
@ Joep.
I can only agree with you. When I visited the temple with the golden Buddha in Chinatown Bkk at the beginning of this year with a Thai friend, he was allowed in for free and I had to pay 180 baht… to my question why, his answer was, to keep temple clean… my next question: so falang have to pay for the upkeep of the temple, and you don't? Answer: yes.
When I suggested that if he comes to Belgium, and we go to the zoo or a museum together, he will pay the same entrance fee as I do, his answer without distinction was: so what?
Ditto when I go to floating market here in Pattaya with my girlfriend, pay her more than double, and she gets a card so she can enter for free next time..
I can get very annoyed about that…
In a hospital I pay 10 times more for myself than for her… now I only send her in so they don't see me… three weeks ago daughter bike accident, had leg wrapped every day for three days, 230 bath per day, me for two weeks inflamed varicose vein before, 2600 bath.
And I could go on and on…when we're at the market, I'll let my girlfriend pick things out, and then have a beer, she'll have everything at half price, and if they see me, double that.
I went looking for a more spacious room two weeks ago, and found one, 12000 bath… I sent my girlfriend, 6500 bath… and that's a lot of money difference on an annual basis!.
And the argument of some bloggers here, you shouldn't complain about a few 100 baths, doesn't make sense, it's the principle that counts, not those few 100 baths, and if you live here it will soon be a few 1000 baths…
I notice more annoyance among the expats and falang here, and if you make a comment about this to a Thai, you invariably get the standard answer: i don't care, up to you.
I think that when the borders open, Thailand will not be doing so well, and they will sing a completely different song ... already see several expats leave for Malaysia, among others ...
Kind regards from the still beautiful, but increasingly expensive Pattaya Thailand.
Rudy.
Yes Yes,
Reclining Buddha and then get rich Sleeping.
This exploitation is not outsourced to me.
This image can be viewed for free on the internet,
and don't get your shoes stolen.
Stealing your shoes is no longer possible, you now get a bag to put the shoes in.
We paid 100 baht and got another bottle of water.
And 100 baht is doable. Better than the long necks wanting to stop hearing to buy something else we bought before. Now they wanted 2000 baht per person entrance no way and yes we understood it correctly and also wrote it down on paper. Then quickly moved on. Mimosa Pattaya the same.
But even the Thai are excluded because the Russians can go for free.
And let's hope that no more tourists come.
Don't we call this "Discrimination"
Dear readers,
It also happened to me with my wife at the Tropical Garden Nong Nooch Pattaya.
My wife is of Indian origin and quite dark and is often mistaken for Thai.
They had to look closely and we had to pay the tourist price.
Given the amounts, I am talking about whether it is wise?
Still a pleasant stay in Thailand.
They have to make the entrance price 100x higher, then the tourists will probably stay away, and then see what happens, probably free entrance for everyone like before.
Visit the Pattaya Tower on a Sunday, for example. I ,the tourist entrance 600 bath. The Thai 400 bath. This includes a great meal.
Visit the Mini Siam. Me as a tourist 400 bath. My girlfriend for free.
Visit the Floating market, outside Pattaya; i the tourist 200 bath. The Thai for free.
When you say the word discrimination, people supposedly don't understand it. Just chat. That smile can really steal me sometimes. Have had 3 wonderful weeks.
You can worry about it, but it won't help. In the Netherlands people are concerned about the story Zwarte Piet. What are we talking about.
Sawasdee
I don't even understand that people want to pay to see the reclining Buddha in Wat Pho because it has a very high Kitsch content. There are much nicer and authentic reclining Buddhas in and around the capital to admire and for free too and one sees not a single Western tourist.
Can imagine that an average Thai family is not financially able to pay a high entrance fee, that a tourist pays a bit more is not so bad in itself, but the price difference should not become too great and an increase of 100% seems absurd . The massage school at Wat Pho enjoys a good reputation. Had a massage there once but will leave it at that. The Thai massage was good in itself but it was too massive. Because of the crowds I was given a tracking number. There was hardly any changing room and there was no question of privacy. In one room, dozens of mats lay on the floor, very close together. In addition, the massage was not cheap either, I paid about double the amount of what I was used to paying for a Thai massage.
It doesn't matter if I have to pay more. If you have lived in Thailand for a long time, you have already seen everything.
As a tourist you shouldn't complain and just pay. Otherwise just stay away. Then just go to Spain or Turkeye or Greece for a holiday. Flight is much shorter, so cheaper and a beer is also much cheaper.
Thailand is no longer cheap to go on holiday. You are in another world
there's just a price tag attached to it. It remains certain that the food outside the door is cheap and the hotel prices are also very attractive. Weigh one against the other. Then it's all good. You just have to buy those few 100 Bht extra for access.
J. Jordan.
You can't get them to understand that. They don't even know where Europe is, let alone the Netherlands. That's not how they are brought up. It's just you the tourist with money. Period. Very simple.
They'll care whether you go in or not.
You better go to the market. They cannot cheat with the fixed prices, are indicated. If they ask more just leave. Unmarked goods, see what the Thai gives to pay. I also give that amount. Easy. Not good to the next stall. Therefore, bargain anyway. T shirts galore.
Have a nice day.
Sawasdee. Khan Jan
You can also consider it as a form of tourist tax?
You're not serious, are you?
Why try to justify something that can clearly be classified as discrimination?
Why this hassle, which is ultimately bad for Thailand and to condone the ordinary Thai?
If I, as a resident of Thailand who have contributed more than a decent bit to the economy of this pretty nice country, have to pay more than a Thai, then I won't participate.
I'm moving on and not visiting.
And that is what every tourist should do.
Then the message will eventually get across.
Tourist tax?
To quote Wim Sonneveld: yes to me hula!
Moderator: Your comment is off topic.
What a hassle to have a few baths on vacation
It is getting worse for the foreigner. Just look at visas and all the other things we have to pay extra for. What does Thailand have to offer? Only temples and a few waterfalls.
Prices skyrocket and every day you risk your life in traffic. And if you've seen 1 temple you've seen them all. They price themselves out of the market. People are becoming extremely unfriendly to the foreigner. All companies are taken over for 100%, if one can. Foreigners are almost not allowed to exercise a profession.and so on. Most of the tax comes from the visa trade. Many foreigners are planning to return to their country of birth.
Yes, and to think that those rich Chinese don't pay anything either.
These Chinese fall under the Asian countries.
I've been to places where the Thai had to pay 30 baht and the farang 400 baht.
That's 1200% more.
They should do it in the Netherlands. At Madurodam ask € 25, - entrance and ask € 300, - for people without a nose! ! !
Then within 1 hour the police will be on the doorstep.
Yes, of course, it's a pity that my beloved Thailand is always so negative in the news. Wouldn't those Thais really realize that they are slowly committing "tourist suicide". Countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and later perhaps Myanmar will reap the benefits of this. Too bad, dear Thai people, but beware of the consequences
Tourists always have to pay more than Thai because they have a big wallet. That's just how it is. Deal with it, you don't have to go in. I also think it's a weird rule but don't worry about it anymore.
I also don't particularly like it when, as a foreigner, I have to pay more entrance fees than a Thai compatriot. If I came as a tourist I could still understand. You should be able to have some kind of pass, with which you can prove that you are a “resident”. And by that I don't mean the yellow booklet or a visa stamp in your passport, but a kind of pass the size of your Thai driver's license.
Then I would also visit more parks and temples where you have to pay an entrance fee.
However (sorry if I say this), if this reduces the tourist flow, I wouldn't even mind… the less foreigners, the better it is for me. Especially a certain kind of foreigner I would like to see them stay away from. However, these are probably just those people who have not seen a Wat inside anyway….
I miss the time 35 years ago, when you only sporadically met foreigners and I really wonder how the Thais let Jan and Alleman come here. So if the price increases reduce the number of foreigners… so much the better. Then the people who are really interested in culture and who also have the money come and the “culture barbarians” stay away… The level of the tourists is perhaps raised a bit. (don't think this is the intention of the price increase, but a nice side effect).
It is sometimes great that a foreigner has to pay so much more than a Thai. But if you think it's too crazy then you just stay away, it couldn't be easier. By the way, if you live in Thailand, it is usually sufficient to have your Thai driver's license. and you pay a Thai price.
Yes, and that Sjaak S forgot to close the door behind his ass when he came to Thailand, it is now his own fault that so damn many of those nasty foreigners are wandering around here.
I don't know what a nice side effect is, but this is of course sheer nonsense.
Maybe look on google if there is an uninhabited island for sale somewhere where you can stay on your own.
Time cannot be turned back because 35 years ago the Netherlands looked very different than it does now.
Well Theo and if I got sick of the Thai scammers then I would have returned to the beautiful Netherlands long ago, after all you better live in a country that is concerned about black pete.
Moderator: please don't verbally attack each other. Comment on the article.
Hello.
@ Jack S.
I would like to respond briefly.
It will be a Thai sausage whether or not tourists come… they have a hard time thinking about today, let alone two days away, there are always exceptions, but rarely.
How did the Thai let it come to this? Because they only think in terms of money, and since most of them have little or no money, preferably someone else's money.
And if, for example, Pattaya only has to live off culture-interested people, and not on all the other culture barbarians, then half of the bear bars here in Pattaya will lie on monkeys within a year, and it will become a ghost town here, and no rooster (Thai ) who crows at it, until it comes, and it's coming!!!
I think you forget that the average tourist here spends almost a year's wages of a Thai in a month…have yet to see the first Thai here to do that, or the first Thai to tip on every pint…every pint I order is followed by the question: where's my tip, have never heard them ask a Thai before.
What they also forget is that a large part of the women here work in the beer bars, and even in the supermarkets… take away all those tourists, and they can start stamping imaginary, so nothing…
Thailand is destroying itself… and they are forgetting one thing, if I find it “about it” here tomorrow, I will just move to another country, but they are left with the chaos they created themselves, and they don't realize it at sometime…
Kind regards from Pattaya, despite everything still the city of my dreams.
Rudy.
Well, what a discussion… because the price of Wat Po increases the price from 100 to 200 baht, Pattaya is closing… I would be laughing very hard here if it weren't so early.
I've been hearing all those stories and comments that Thailand is destroying itself since I first came to Asia 36 years ago.
You have to go there and there quickly, because soon it will all be depraved, broken and no longer fun.. now 36 years later, people are still going there.
The best thing would be that all those who get sick of the Thai scammers, the unfair entrance fees and the Thai ladies who ask for a tip, just stay away…
Maybe the street scene will be a bit different then….
Moderator: please don't chat.
I'm sick of those Thai scammers. When I came here this temple was free to visit and look at this. But it has become that way almost everywhere and with everything here in Thailand. The only place where I pay the same as a Thai is in the supermarket, still! Even the private hospitals are participating, at different prices. I can't even go anywhere with my son and daughter and wife because I have to pay a Farang price of 400 to 800% more. Now my wife doesn't want to because I have a big fight about it and scold them for everything that is beautiful and ugly.
I live here, and always pay the Thai price, on presentation of my Tabian job. Many parks and museums do not have dual pricing. In many places, foreigners even get a 50% senior discount, including at Doi Thung,
But very strangely you don't see Western tourists in those places, they prefer to go to the tourist traps
“Just avoid or boycott these kinds of parks and attractions” well, then you better stay at home. Every national park in Thailand is the same Thai/foreigner ratio 10x e.g. 40THB for the Thai and 400THB for the foreigner. As a resident, I have long since given up hope, and catagorically refuse to visit these kinds of places, because I also have to think about my heart and blood pressure. Namely, sometimes I get so terribly angry about that ideotry. And, last but not least, when things go less well in Thailand: they will never blame themselves, has been my experience for years. So nothing changes at all.
You can pay me the pot with tourist tax. They should be happy that tourists come. Otherwise bankrupt gang. It's just the truth and I'm telling it. Only one thing applies and that is that wallet for the Thai and the rest Up to you. I will indeed take that into consideration. Up to You, ie find out. Not to mention the good ones.