Chiang Rai: White Temple, Blue Temple, Black House

A trip north to Chiang Rai and its three extraordinary modern landmarks: a dazzling white temple, a sapphire-blue hall and a dark village of art.

Area

Further North

Start from

Chiang Mai

Distance

about 190 km north-east

Time needed

1 long day, better 2 days

Best season

November – February; avoid the smoky months of March and April

Difficulty

Easy

Transport

Bus from Chiang Mai Arcade terminal, private car or tour

Tickets & rules

Entry fee for foreigners at the White Temple; small fees at Baan Dam; temple dress code

Why go

Chiang Rai is a calmer, smaller city than Chiang Mai, and it has become famous for something unexpected: modern temples and art spaces created by local artists in the last few decades. You can see the three main ones in a single day, though staying a night makes it much more relaxed.

Wat Rong Khun, the White Temple, is the star. Covered in white plaster and mirrored glass, it sparkles like frost in the sun. You approach over a bridge above a pit of reaching hands, symbolising desire and suffering, then enter a hall whose murals mix Buddhist imagery with superheroes, film characters and modern disasters. It is strange, playful and deeply serious at once.

Across town, Wat Rong Suea Ten, the Blue Temple, glows in deep blue and gold, with a serene white Buddha inside. North of the city, Baan Dam, the Black House, is a compound of dark wooden halls filled with horns, skins and bones, the strange and haunting vision of one of Thailand's best-known painters.

The story

The White Temple is the life's work of the artist Chalermchai Kositpipat, a Chiang Rai native who began rebuilding the old temple in 1997, funding it largely himself. He has said he wanted to create something that would last for centuries, and work continues today, with new buildings and details still being added. White symbolises the purity of the Buddha, and the mirrors his wisdom shining across the universe.

Baan Dam was created over decades by Thawan Duchanee, a painter famous for dark, powerful images drawing on Buddhist themes. The forty or so buildings are his attempt to explore the darker side of human nature and death. Thawan died in 2014, and the site remains as he left it, a strange counterpoint to the White Temple.

The Blue Temple stands on the site of an abandoned temple in the Rong Suea Ten area, whose name means dancing tiger, from a legend about tigers that once leapt across the river here. It was built by a student of Chalermchai and completed in the 2010s. Chiang Rai itself was founded by King Mangrai in 1262, decades before Chiang Mai, and served as his first capital.

Getting there

Green buses run regularly from Chiang Mai's Arcade bus terminal to Chiang Rai, taking about three to four hours. A private car with driver is faster and allows you to stop at the White Temple on the way.

In Chiang Rai, songthaews, tuk-tuks and Grab connect the sights. The White Temple is about 13 km south of the city centre, Baan Dam about 12 km north.

A suggested plan

1. 7:00Leave Chiang Mai early, ideally by car.
2. 10:00White Temple, before the busiest hours.
3. 12:30Lunch in Chiang Rai town.
4. 14:00Blue Temple.
5. 15:30Baan Dam, the Black House.
6. EveningNight bazaar in Chiang Rai and the golden clock tower light show.

Where to stay

Spending a night in Chiang Rai lets you see the clock tower light show and explore the night bazaar. Guesthouses in the town centre are cheap and convenient.

Good to know

• Arrive at the White Temple early for better light and fewer people.
• Stay overnight to avoid a rushed 8-hour round trip.
• Combine with a visit to the Golden Triangle if you have an extra day.