Wat Sam Phran — Attraction in Nakhon Pathom Province

📍Save this FOR SURE if you are in Bangkok. A 40 to 50 minute ride from Bangkok will lead you to this amazing Dragon Temple. This is definitely a hidden gem that very few know about. When I first saw this temple on Instagram, I thought it was a 3D model, but it actually exists in reality and looks just like a forest. It's a whole building that is a temple, and the dragon wraps around it. As you walk, you can actually venture inside the dragon all the way up to the top.

It's almost like your birthday. You can wish for certain things when you touch certain dragon parts at the bottom and at the top. The temple might ask you for a small donation before you go up, so make sure you have some cash with you. If you are claustrophobic, maybe it's not a good idea to walk inside the dragon because it is about a seven-minute walk and there are no windows there. So make sure you are aware of that. And it might be slightly moldy in there, so be prepared.

You will have to walk barefoot inside the temple, and of course, wear proper attire. As with any temple in Thailand, your shoulders and your knees have to be covered, so ensure you wear trousers that are past your knees and have your shoulders covered. It's hot in there, so wear something light.

I personally recommend going there in the morning when the temple just opens, as there are very few people. Some monks might approach you and explain what the temple is about, sharing a little bit about its history, which is very nice. There is also a fountain, the dragon fountain, where you can drop little coins to each part of the dragon. Depending on where you were able to throw your coin, you can wish for different things, which is very cool.

🌟Place: Wat Sam Phran 📍Location: 92 8, Sam Phran, Sam Phran District, Nakhon...

It’s a place where you can spend 2-3 hours. You take off your shoes and then enter. It was fun to walk up inside the dragon body, there’s a concrete floor, I recommend to wear socks if your feet are too sensitive because floor is not smooth, it has rough texture , and roof floor is so hot it’s burning feet. It’s not difficult to up , families go up with small kids, it’s not steep, it’s really easy. On the first floor they try to scare you that it’s difficult to go up so they can charge you 10 baht per person to use an elevator. The lady working there was quite rude, she spoke very loud to us “you ten baht! And YOU ten baht! You both pay me 20 baht!” , even though it’s cheap I don’t like such attitude.

We were surprised how lively is that area: there are many tents that sell drinks, flowers, etc. There were some locals visiting this place. There are many things to see on this territory: huge animal statues, a temple, a huge Buddha, beautiful green park, dragon gates. Explore the area and you’ll find nice beautiful elements.

Nice views from the windows and rooftop.

We took a taxi from Bangkok for 349 baht. It was a 45 min ride. There are many taxis around so there is no problem to come back to Bangkok.

No fee entrance, but we were asked where we are from and then they walked us to the donation box and asked us to donate while standing and looking at us, that felt pushy. We were asked to donate often: donate near entrance, donate on the top floor, then donate on the roof...

Wat Samphran is a small temple located 40 km from Bangkok, in Nakhon Pathom province, whose main attraction is a massive dragon statue that looks like Shen Long from Dragon Ball, and is tangled like a vine around a 17-story tower. This temple is hardly visited by tourists, since you will not find it in any travel guide. Once we arrived, a small group of friendly older women welcomed us. In Thai Buddhism nuns always dress in white and shave their heads. In this case, they wore white but kept their hair, so they weren’t really nuns, probably local Buddhist women who volunteer at the temple on weekends to help out.

Nestled within Nakhon Pathom Province's Amphoe Sam Phran is the captivating Wat Samphran. Dubbed the "Dragon temple" Wat Sam Phran is a stunning 17 storey cylindrical pink temple with an enormous green dragon wrapped around the whole tower. This Buddhist temple is not on many guidebooks, doesn’t really see a lot of tourists and yet its incredible façade beckons closer inspection. So is it worth a visit?

As we were approaching by car we saw the dragon in the sky from a distance. Rising 80 metres and 17 storeys, it is a mesmerising sight. The dragon that coils around the structure spanning from its base to its pinnacle represents the transformative path of humans from sorrow to joy and from earthly struggles to spiritual transcendence. The extraordinary design came to the founder, a member of the Bhavana Buddha sect during a 7-day fasting meditation. It took 5...