Thailand is a beautiful country filled with loads of temples, night markets, beaches, and exploration. Most of the time, people tend to stick around Bangkok, Chang Mai, and islands such as Phuket and Kao Tao. But If you take a scenic drive two hours north from Chang Mai to Chang Rai, you will be happy you did! Chang Rai is one of the most northern cities in Thailand located up toward the border to Laos. The journey between the two cities isn’t a hard one and you can get there several ways, by bus, private car, or motorbike ( although i would suggest skipping the motorbike for this round.)

Any Thailand itinerary is undoubtedly packed full of visiting temples throughout the country; here is one well known and two lesser-known temples- that are not only just a day trip from Chang Mai but that you won’t want to miss!

The famous white temple, known formally as Wat rong Khun, is well known amongst Instagram users and considered to be one of the prettiest temples in all of Thailand. What’s talked about less is where the temple came from. Chalermchai Kositpipat’s, an artist well known across Thailand actually built, and donated, the temple to the Thai people. While the temple itself is breathtaking with the all-white color scheme and the intricate sculptures leading into it all filled with small elaborate details, that’s not all this temple has to offer- across the grounds, you’ll find little touches and art that show this really was designed by an artist.

As with any famous artist, you will see some unique pieces such as marvel comics heads hanging from trees amongst more disturbing characters such as Hellraiser. One of the more beautiful things you’ll find, however, are silver leaves hanging from the ceilings of the walkways and used to create beautifully stacked bells spread out across the temple grounds. For a small fee, you can buy one of these and write your name, or anything else of meaning you would like, and turn it over to be hung amongst the others.

One of the last things you’ll want to explore is the museum located off to the side of the property. It is filled solely with the artist’s work, which is a mix of modern and traditional Buddhist artwork.

Note: The White Temple is always free of charge to the local people, currently it is 50 Baht for foreigners to enter.

The blue temple has been around for less time than both the others, about fifteen years or so, but that doesn’t make it any less spectacular. In fact, even though I was so excited to see the white temple, the blue temple was my favorite by the end of the day. The bright shades of blue and golds stand out throughout the temple, but until you walk inside, you really don’t understand how stunning this temple is. Inside you will find intricately painted murals across the ceilings and walls leading up to a giant statue of Buddha lit up in… you guessed it! Blue. Unlike the white temple, you are allowed to take photos inside of the temple, but please be aware of the rules and courtesies.

Admission at the time of writing is free to all.

This unique temple is more considered a museum since it contains artwork and relics from all over the world including those by artist and creator Thawan Duchanee. Even though this lessor known museum was built over twenty years ago, the temples creator passed away only a few years back, and now the art you find inside is available for sale. While this temple may not seem as magical as the previous two, it is still unique in its own way. Inside you will find statues of deities mixed in amongst artwork made of bones and wood. But what makes this place truly special is the random building scattered all over the property.

There is an 80 Baht entrance fee.

As with any temple you go to in Thailand, please make sure that you respect the culture and abide by their rules. These rules are simple:

Cover your shoulders and knees ( This goes for men and women)

Do not show affection while inside the temple

Always remove your shoes before entering a temple

Do not point your feet or finger at Buddha

Do not touch Buddha

Ask permission before taking any photos ( There are typically signs posted)

I cannot express how upsetting it was to see all the tourists showing so much disrespect. I can only imagine how the Thai people felt.

Have you visited any of these temples? I’d love to hear which ones you found the most interesting by leaving a message below!

Until then- Happy Wandering!