Old city
Old city temple walk, from Wat Chiang Man to Wat Chedi Luang
- Four temples and the Three Kings Monument
- On foot, no minibus
- Best for
- Four temples on foot, in a morning
Half day, morning
Wat Pha Lat and Doi Suthep in a morning, back around midday
The forest temple first, then the gilded chedi on the mountain, with the afternoon left free. Of the two temple departures, this is the one closer to early morning, one of the two quieter times our Doi Suthep article names.
Duration
4.5 hours
Stops
2 on the route
Starts in
Doi Suthep
Price
At booking
The experience
- Best for
- Going up early and being back for lunch
- Not for you if
- You want to walk up through the forest. Look at the full-day tour with the Monk's Trail instead
This is the simplest guided way up the mountain: a pickup between about 8:00 and 8:30 am, two temples, and a return to town between about 12:00 and 12:30, four and a half hours in all. Everything moves by vehicle. There is no trail walking, so if the Monk's Trail is your reason for going, this is the wrong tour, and the full-day trip that starts on the trail is the one to look at.
The order makes sense. Wat Pha Lat comes first: a small temple built around a stream that runs over broad, sloping rock, with forest on every side, a short walk from the road. It is the quiet half of the mountain. Then Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, the temple the city looks up at: the naga staircase, the gilded chedi on the upper terrace and the view east over the plain. A guide mostly saves you the transport and adds someone to explain what you are looking at, and at Doi Suthep there is a lot to explain: a relic, a white elephant in the chronicles, a road built by volunteers.
Read the rest
The hour is what separates this departure from the evening one run by the same operator. Our Doi Suthep article names early morning as one of the two quieter times on the terrace, and of the two departures this is the one that comes closer to it. It also leaves the afternoon for something else. Entry tickets are listed as included. The inclined lift beside the staircase is not included: it costs a few tens of baht if you would rather ride than climb.
Two temples before lunch, and the afternoon still yours.
The route
-
Wat Pha Lat
Reached by vehicle and a short walk from the road. A small temple around a stream that runs over broad sloping rock, with mossy stonework and forest on all sides. Tradition makes it a resting place of the white elephant on its way up the mountain; that is local story, not documented history.
-
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
Up the naga staircase, or the inclined lift at your own cost. On the upper terrace, the gilded chedi believed to hold the relic, walked around barefoot and clockwise. The eastern terrace looks back over the plain, most clearly from November to February.
Why this one
01
Back around midday
Pickup between about 8:00 and 8:30 am, return between about 12:00 and 12:30. The afternoon stays yours.
02
Wat Pha Lat first
A forest temple on the way up, built around a stream over sloping rock. The mountain shows itself as water and trees before the gold of the main temple.
03
The chedi and its terrace
The gilded chedi, the barefoot clockwise circuit around it, and the eastern terrace looking back over the city.
04
The story behind it
The relic, the white elephant of the chronicles and the road built by volunteers are the story behind what you see. The tour comes with an English-speaking guide; our Doi Suthep article tells the story in full.
05
Entry tickets listed as included
The inclined lift is not included: a few tens of baht. The naga staircase costs nothing.
What is included
Included
- An English-speaking guide
- Transport by vehicle between the two temples
- Entry tickets, listed as included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off, if the option you book includes it
Not included
- The inclined lift at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. The staircase is the free alternative
- Hotel pickup and drop-off on options that do not include it: check the option before you pay
Practical detail
- Duration
- 4.5 hours
- Pickup
- Between about 8:00 and 8:30 am. Hotel pickup on options that include it
- Return
- Between about 12:00 and 12:30 pm
- Route
- Wat Pha Lat, then Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, by vehicle. No Monk's Trail
- Language
- English-speaking guide
- Walking
- A short walk at Wat Pha Lat, then the staircase at the main temple unless you pay for the lift. 306 steps is the number usually counted
- Dress
- Shoulders and knees covered, for everyone. Shoes off inside the buildings and on the inner terrace around the chedi
- Inclined lift
- Not included. A few tens of baht; sources disagree on the exact fare
- Season
- Clearest views from November to February. From about mid-February to April, smoke often hides the plain
Common questions
Does this tour walk the Monk's Trail?
No. Both temples are reached by vehicle, with a short walk at Wat Pha Lat. If the forest trail is the point, the full-day tour starts with a guided walk on the Monk's Trail to Wat Pha Lat, but it also adds an elephant visit and takes the whole day. You can also walk the trail on your own; our Doi Suthep article explains how, including the national park fee and dry-season closures.
What does "entry tickets included" cover?
The listing gives entry tickets as included. For reference, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep charges foreign visitors a small admission at the top of the stairs, 30 baht at the time of writing, and Wat Pha Lat is free, with donations welcome. The inclined lift is not included: it costs a few tens of baht, or you take the staircase.
Is hotel pickup included?
On the options that include it. The listing offers hotel pickup and drop-off when the relevant option is selected, so check which option you are booking before you pay.
Should I choose this or the evening departure?
Both visit the same two temples in the same order, with the same operator, over the same four and a half hours. Choose this one to go up closer to early morning, which our Doi Suthep article names as one of the two quieter times, and be back in town for lunch. Choose the evening one if you would rather see the mountain in the later light and come down after dark, and you do not mind giving up your evening.
Could I do this without a tour?
Yes, easily. Red songthaew trucks go up from the Chang Phueak Gate and the zoo area, and Grab or Bolt will take you up, though a ride back down is less reliable. The tour saves you arranging that and adds a guide. Our Doi Suthep article covers the independent version step by step.
Book it
Ready when you are
Dates, times and live prices come up at the next step. Booking takes two minutes, and the cancellation terms are shown before you pay.
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