There are many temples in Thailand called Wat Phra Kaew. What they all have in common is that they once housed the Emerald Buddha, the most revered statue in Thailand, which is now located at Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok. The statuette was discovered at Wat Phra Kaew in Chiang Rai in 1434 when lightning struck an old chedi, causing it to collapse and revealing the famous Buddha statue of Phra Kaew Mokarot. The jade statue (yes, it's not actually made of emerald) was located in various places before its arrival in Bangkok, including Wat Phra Kaew Don Tao in Lampang and Wat Phra Kaew in Vientiane, Laos. The main temple building is built in the Chiang Saen style. It houses Phra Chao Lan Thong, a beautiful, 700-year-old bronze seated Buddha statue in the Palawa style. To the left is a small, two-story museum with numerous statues and objects, and behind the ordination hall stands a small golden chedi. At the very back of Wat Phra Kaew temple is the Ubosatha Hall, a wooden building housing the Phra Yok Chiang Rai, a slightly modified copy of the original Emerald Buddha, whose murals tell the story of the Emerald Buddha.

Free admission. Open from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Museum open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Contact: Tel. +41 53 715 047. Website: www.watphrakaew-chiangrai.com

If you are staying in Chiang Rai, you can easily and quickly reach Wat Phra Kaew temple on foot. Alternatively, you can take a tuk-tuk or a VTC (Virtual Taxi). The temple is also included in the city tram tour.

Wat Phra Kaew is a temple, and when visiting a temple in Thailand there are some rules to follow: appropriate clothing (knees and shoulders should be covered), take off your shoes when entering the building, be quiet, do not hug or kiss, do not point your feet at the Buddha statue, do not smoke.

How to get there

How do you get to Wat Phra Kaew? If you're staying in Chiang Rai, you can easily and quickly reach Wat Phra Kaew on foot. Alternatively, you can take a tuk-tuk or a VTC (Virtual Transportation Center). The temple is also included in the city tram tour.