# Wat Sri Suphan — the Silver Temple, Chiang Mai > Wat Sri Suphan, the 'Silver Temple', dates from around 1500 and stands on Wualai Road, the silversmiths' street just south of Chiang Mai's Old City wall. Its ordination hall is entirely covered in embossed silver, nickel and aluminium. By tradition, women don't enter the hall — it can be admired from outside. Entry for foreigners is about 50 baht (unofficial). Web page: https://yesgo.io/thailand/chiang-mai/wat-sri-suphan - City: [Chiang Mai](https://yesgo.io/thailand/chiang-mai), Thailand - YesGo score: 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 30 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry for foreigners: About 50 baht; one source says 100 - Hours: Daily, roughly 6:00–18:00; late on Saturdays - Ordination hall: By tradition women don't go inside — it's viewed from outside - Dress code: Shoulders and knees covered - Saturday market: The Wualai Road walking market — Saturday evenings - Where: Wualai Road, south of Chiang Mai Gate — 10 minutes on foot - Coordinates: 18.77864, 98.98340 - Facts checked: 08.11.2026 ## Key facts - **≈ 1500** — the temple was founded under King Mueang Kaeo of the Mangrai dynasty (source: English Wikipedia) - **Silver** — the ubosot is clad in embossed panels of silver, nickel and aluminium (source: English Wikipedia) - **Hai Ya** — the traditional silversmiths' district — workshops still operate (source: English Wikipedia) - **Women** — by tradition don't enter the ordination hall (source: English Wikipedia) - **Teak** — only teak pillars survive from the original buildings, in the new viharn (source: English Wikipedia) - **10 years** — to build the first hall, ubosot and stupa (source: English Wikipedia) - **Saturday** — evening walking market on Wualai Road (source: travel guides) - **≈ 950 m** — to Wat Chedi Luang (source: OSM) ## Entry, hours and rules According to guides, entry for foreigners costs **about 50 baht** (one source says 100). The temple is open **daily from about 6:00 to 18:00**, and later on Saturdays when the market runs next door. There's no official website — check on site. The ubosot is a working hall, and by tradition **women don't go inside**; it can be admired from outside, and the rest of the grounds are open to all. **Cover shoulders and knees** and take your shoes off at the hall doors. ## What is the Silver Temple? **Wat Sri Suphan** stands on **Wualai Road** in the **Hai Ya** district, south of the Old City wall. It was founded around **1500** under King Mueang Kaeo, and within ten years a hall, ubosot and stupa were built. Little survives of the old buildings except some teak pillars. Hai Ya is the traditional **silversmiths' district**, where workshops still operate. Their craft made the temple famous: the new **ubosot** (ordination hall) is entirely clad in **silver, nickel and aluminium** panels with fine embossing — from roof to walls. Hence the name **Silver Temple**. > **Come on a Saturday evening** On Saturdays a big walking market fills Wualai Road: food, souvenirs and silversmiths' work. The temple is lit up then, and the silver glitters beautifully. By day the metal glares in the sun, so for photos choose morning or evening. ## What to see - **The silver ubosot** — embossing on walls, pillars and roof. - **The silver Ganesha shrine** in front of the hall. - **The viharn** with teak pillars from the original buildings. - **Silversmiths' workshops** on Wualai Road nearby. - **The evening lights** on the temple. - **The Saturday walking market** on Wualai Road. ## How to get to the Silver Temple 1. **From Chiang Mai Gate** (the Old City's south wall) — about 10 minutes south on foot along Wualai Road. 2. **From Wat Chedi Luang** — about 1 km, 15 minutes on foot. 3. **By red songthaew, Grab or tuk-tuk** — to Wualai Road. 4. **From Chiang Mai airport** — about 10 minutes by taxi. 5. Enter from a lane off Wualai Road, following signs for Wat Sri Suphan. ## How long do you need? Allow **30–40 minutes**. If you can, come **on a Saturday towards evening**: the temple first, then a stroll round the Wualai Road market. On other days, pair it with Wat Chedi Luang, 15 minutes away on foot. Drop into the silversmiths' workshops around the temple — you can see how the embossing is done and buy their work. ## Is the Silver Temple worth visiting? Yes: there's nothing else like it in Chiang Mai — covered in silver embossing, very photogenic, especially in the evening. The YesGo take: it's small, and women can't enter the main hall, which some find disappointing. There's a fee, though most of the city's temples are free. The best option is a Saturday evening with the market. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Shoulders and knees covered - [ ] About 50 baht in cash - [ ] Aware that women don't enter the ubosot - [ ] Going on Saturday evening — for the market - [ ] A visit to the silversmiths ## Chiang Mai temples: compare and choose Chiang Mai temples rated by YesGo. - [Wat Chiang Man](https://yesgo.io/thailand/chiang-mai/wat-chiang-man) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · free - [Wat Umong](https://yesgo.io/thailand/chiang-mai/wat-umong) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · free - [Wat Sri Suphan (Silver Temple)](https://yesgo.io/thailand/chiang-mai/wat-sri-suphan) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · ≈ 50 baht - [Wat Chedi Luang](https://yesgo.io/thailand/chiang-mai/wat-chedi-luang) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ≈ 40–50 baht - [Wat Phra Singh](https://yesgo.io/thailand/chiang-mai/wat-phra-singh) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · grounds free; Lai Kham ≈ 20 baht - [Wat Phra That Doi Suthep](https://yesgo.io/thailand/chiang-mai/doi-suthep) — YesGo score 31/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ 30 baht, funicular ≈ 20 ## A Saturday evening in Chiang Mai Wat Chedi Luang by day, the Silver Temple and Wualai Road market towards evening, then the Night Bazaar. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and transfers. 1. [Wat Chedi Luang](https://yesgo.io/thailand/chiang-mai/wat-chedi-luang) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ≈ 40–50 baht 2. [Wat Sri Suphan (Silver Temple)](https://yesgo.io/thailand/chiang-mai/wat-sri-suphan) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · ≈ 50 baht 3. [Chiang Mai Night Bazaar](https://yesgo.io/thailand/chiang-mai/chiang-mai-night-bazaar) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · free ## Good to know The Silver Temple, Wat Sri Suphan, is in Chiang Mai. The White Temple (Wat Rong Khun) and the Blue Temple (Wat Rong Suea Ten) are in Chiang Rai — different places. ## Tips - The best photos are in the morning or evening; at midday the silver glares. - On Saturday evenings the temple is lit up. - Silverwork is sold in the workshops around the temple. - Women can view the ubosot from outside on every side. - Nearby: [Wat Chedi Luang](https://yesgo.io/thailand/chiang-mai/wat-chedi-luang), 15 minutes on foot. ## Questions ### How much is entry to the Silver Temple? About 50 baht for foreigners (according to guides). ### Can women visit the Silver Temple? The grounds, yes; by tradition women don't enter the ordination hall. ### What are the opening hours? Roughly 6:00 to 18:00; later on Saturdays. ### What is the Silver Temple made of? The hall is clad in embossed panels of silver, nickel and aluminium. ### Where is the temple? On Wualai Road, south of the Old City's Chiang Mai Gate. ### When is the Saturday market? Saturday evenings on Wualai Road. ### How long do you need? 30–40 minutes. ### What is the dress code? Shoulders and knees covered. ## How we checked There's no official website. History, cladding materials and the rule on women entering the ubosot are from English Wikipedia; we describe the rule neutrally, as a Lanna tradition. Fee: most guides say 50 baht, one citing TAT says 100; hours vary (6:00–18:00, 7:00–17:30, late on Saturdays) — marked unconfirmed. We don't mention the 2022 collapse of the old stupa. The distance to Wat Chedi Luang is from OSM coordinates. ## Sources - English Wikipedia — Wat Sri Suphan: founding around 1500, silversmiths' district, ubosot cladding, entry tradition - 2026 travel guides (Pickyourtrail, Nomads Travel Guide and others) — fee, hours, Saturday market (unofficial) - OSM — temple coordinates - YesGo general facts for Thailand — payment, transport --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. 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