About
Wat Suan Dok is the temple to pick if you only add one outside the moat. King Kue Na founded it in the early 1370s for the Sukhothai monk Sumana, on what had been a royal flower garden, and its big bell-shaped golden chedi is said to hold a Buddha relic. The reason most people come, though, is the field of white reliquaries beside it, which hold the ashes of Chiang Mai's ruling family, gathered here in the early 1900s. It's also a working monastery with a Buddhist university, which is why it runs Monk Chat on weekday evenings. It sits on Suthep Road, about 1 km west of Suan Dok Gate.
Good for
Know before you go
- Free to enter; a small donation (around 20 baht) is customary if you light incense.
- Posted hours differ between sources (06:00–17:00, 06:00–18:00, 08:00–17:00), so go in daylight.
- Cover shoulders and knees, and take shoes off inside the halls.
Facts checked against 5 public sources: the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Visit Thailand Today, Wikipedia and 2 other public listings. Things change, so check before you go.
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