Visiting temples is one of the most popular things to do in Thailand. Thailand has over 40,000 temples. If visiting a temple or multiple temples is on your to-do list for your trip to Thailand; there are a few things you should know.

Don’t be loud

You can speak in the temples but stick to your inside voice. There’s a high chance that when you enter a temple there will be other people inside the temple praying and meditating. It’s a peaceful place and usually pretty quiet. So being loud will cause a distraction for the other people in the temple.

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Don’t point your feet at the Buddha

The Buddha is very respected in Thailand and pointing your feet at the Buddha is a sign of disrespect. The feet are seen as the dirtiest part of the body.

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Don’t wear shoes

When visiting a temple shoes are not allowed inside. Most temples either have a station to put your shoes on or you can leave your shoes on the stairs of the temple. You can either go into the temples bare feet or wear socks. I would recommend carrying socks with you if you plan on visiting multiple temples.

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Don’t touch, climb, sit, and lean on the Buddha

If the temple is fine with photos being taken inside, you can take photos of the Buddha and photos with the Buddha. But it’s disrespectful to touch, climb, sit, and lean on it.

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Don’t use your index finger to point

In Thailand, it’s very rude to use your index finger to point at people. If you need to point at something or someone, you can lift your chin in that direction.

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Dress appropriately

Before entering the temples, you will see signs outside of the temples of what you cannot wear inside. Here’s what a majority of the signs have: no crop tops, tank tops, shorts, short skirts/dresses, shoulders covered and no cleavage showing. You may also come across some that don’t allow hats and sunglasses, the only one I came across was the Wat Rong Suea Ten (Blue Temple), which is located in Chiang Rai. I love my hats and sunglasses but when I needed to remove them, I did. Below is one of the signs outside of the temple Wat Chedi Luang in Chiang Mai.

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No public display of affection

Showing public display of affection is considered impolite in Thailand. Couples cannot kiss, hug, touch on eachother or hold hands. So showing any public display of affection in a temple, is definitely a no-no.

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Check out my blog about the Lopburi Monkey Temple (Phra Prang Sam Yot):

https://sotravelishcom.wordpress.com/2023/02/10/lopburi-monkey-temple-phra-prang-sam-yot/