Wat Yansangwararam

What you see

Wat Yansangwararam is not one building but a wooded estate of halls, shrines and gardens, with a lake. It was built for and dedicated to Somdet Phra Yanasangwon, the 19th Supreme Patriarch of Thailand, and is a working monastery and meditation centre as well as a place visitors walk round. The temple's own guide to its architecture describes these, among others:

• The ordination hall, built as a tribute to King Taksin the Great and modelled on a building at Wat Bowonniwet in Bangkok. It faces the sea with its back to the hills, a site chosen for good fortune.
• Phra Boromthat Chedi Maha Chakripipat, a stupa 39 metres tall honouring the kings of the Chakri dynasty. Its lowest level holds temporary exhibitions, the second a replica of the Buddha's footprints, and the third, the Golden Room, relics of the Buddha and his disciples.
• Phra Maha Mondop Phuttabat, a hall 33 metres tall on Khao Kaew Hill, reached by a staircase of 200 steps between naga balustrades. Inside is a pair of the Buddha's footprints carved with the 108 auspicious signs; the gold mosaic outside once covered the Phra Si Rattana Chedi at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok.
• A replica of the Mahabodhi stupa at Bodh Gaya, seven storeys tall with a spiral stair, and an exhibition on what the Buddha discovered at his enlightenment.
• Phra Sri Ariya Metteyya Vihara, whose golden Buddha image of the future Buddha is made from 84,044 bronze alms-bowl lids.

Viharn Sien, a three-storey museum of Chinese and Thai art, stands on land granted from the same royal project and is a separate stop with its own ticket.

Opening hours and entry

Published hours differ. DASTA, Thailand's sustainable tourism agency, lists the temple as open from 07:00 to 22:00 every day; the Tourism Authority of Thailand's Tokyo office gives 08:00 to 17:00 and says it is closed on public holidays. Both were checked on 1 October 2026. Plan your visit within 08:00 to 17:00, and on a public holiday call ahead or expect ceremonies to take priority.

DASTA lists no admission fee, while Renown Travel, a travel guide, gives 50 baht for adults and children. Carry small notes for either, and for donations, which are your choice.

Dress and conduct

This is a royal temple and a working monastery, with monks, novices and lay people at prayer and meditation.

• Cover shoulders and knees, avoid see-through clothes, and carry a scarf or shirt if you come straight from the beach.
• Take off your shoes before entering a hall, and where signs ask.
• Speak quietly, give people at prayer space, and never touch, climb on or pose with your back to a Buddha image.
• Royal monuments and portraits are treated with the same respect as the shrines.

For greetings and other customs, see Thai etiquette.

Getting there

The temple is inland from the coast, south of Na Jomtien, and public transport does not serve the grounds well. The Tourism Authority of Thailand puts it about 15 kilometres south of central Pattaya along Sukhumvit Road, about 15 minutes by car; allow longer from Naklua or in traffic. A ride-hailing car or taxi works for the outward trip, but cars can be scarce for the return, so a car hired for the day, with waiting time agreed, is the simpler choice. See getting around Pattaya.

The grounds are large and the main buildings are spread out, so a car also helps between them; the hill shrine's 200 steps are the main climb.

Combine it with nearby sights

Viharn Sien is beside the temple, and the gold-outlined Buddha image on the cliff at Khao Chi Chan is a short drive away: together they make a morning of sacred art. Nong Nooch Tropical Garden is further south, towards Bang Saray, if you have the whole day. The second day of cultural Pattaya in two days follows this route.

Questions