The Giant Swing
A red frame over twenty metres high.
KOSIN SUKHUM — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Suntawut80 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · BerryJ — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Marcin Konsek — CC BY-SA 4.0
One of Bangkok's first-class royal temples, begun by King Rama I in 1807, with King Rama II personally helping to carve its wooden doors, and completed under Rama III around 1848. Directly in front stands the district's best-known symbol: the Giant Swing, a towering red wooden frame more than twenty metres high. The swing was once used in a Brahmin ceremony in which men swung high trying to catch a bag of coins in their teeth, until the ceremony was stopped in the 1930s after fatal accidents. Inside the temple is a vast hall with huge colourful murals, and galleries lined with dozens of gilded statues. Foreigners pay about a hundred baht to enter the temple, while the swing in the square is free to see. It opens daily from morning to evening, and modest dress is required. The streets around it are among the loveliest in the old town, with antique shops and small restaurants. Combine it with the nearby Golden Mount; the swing photographs best in late-afternoon light.
A red frame over twenty metres high.
Carved by King Rama II himself.
A vast hall of colourful murals.
Bamrung Mueang Road, old town
Wat RatchabophitA royal temple in the old city steps from the Grand Palace, built by King Chulal6 minutes walk
Wat Ratchanatdaram and Loha PrasatA temple in the heart of the old city, on the same road that leads to the Golden7 minutes walk
Democracy MonumentA large monument in the middle of a roundabout on Ratchadamnoen Avenue, the broa8 minutes walk
Wat Saket and the Golden MountA steep artificial hill crowned by a gleaming golden stupa, known as the Golden 9 minutes walk
Bangkok City Pillar ShrineThe place where Bangkok was officially born: when King Rama I founded the new ca10 minutes walkNo, the swing stands in the square in front and is free to see at any time. The fee is only for the temple and its murals.