Wat Niwet Thammaprawat is a Gothic church-style temple in Ayutthaya
Ayutthaya is known to be a historic province of Thailand where plenty of old Thai temples are sited. And we’re pretty sure most of us are pretty adept at differentiating Thai temples from other religious sanctuaries. That said, this Gothic church-style temple has more than a few design surprises in store for travellers.
Located in Ayutthaya, Wat Niwet Thammaprawat is a pastel yellow Gothic church-style temple that might raise some questions as to whether the establishment is really a Thai temple. We’ll take you through what to expect if you pay a visit, so feel free to scroll down and join us on this virtual tour.
More guides to other tourist spots in Thailand:
- Wojia is Chinese-inspired village in Mae Hong Son
- Erawan Waterfall is a 7-level waterfall in Kanchanaburi
- 9 photogenic places in Thailand for shutterbugs
A Gothic church-style temple on a small island in Ayutthaya
Wat Niwet Thammaprawat is a Thai temple that’s located on a small island in Ayutthaya. Despite its Gothic church-style architecture, it is, in fact, a temple in the truest sense of the word.
As soon as you walk through the entrance, you will notice the main building’s striking pastel yellow and white façade. Since it’s hard to peep through the opaque windows to get a closer look at the unlit hall within, you might feel the urge to speed up the pace of your adventure to explore the inside.
If you thought the exterior was stunning, we’d remark that the inside of the building is truly magnificent. Looking around, we’re impressed that the interior’s design combines a traditional Thai temple’s style with the Gothic motifs perfectly. Shoutout to the the intricate altar and cabinet housing a Buddha statuette – both stand out in contrast to the RGB-stained glass window panels flanking both sides.
Before you exit the premises, we love that the temple is surrounded by trees and bushes, creating an almost sylvan ambience around the sanctuary.
Besides the temple, you may wanna check out other establishments close by with similar architectural influences, be it tall towers, a grave, a museum and more. Best to get your camera ready, however, as a photo-op is a necessity as you’ll stumble upon too many interesting spots to document on the ‘gram.
Thai-style cable cars across the river
While the temple is located on an island, visitors are expected to take a cable car to cross over the river to get to the temple. As you can see, the cable cars here are nothing like other cable cars you’re familiar with. We’d advise not rocking your ‘cable car’ as you’ll be suspended quite close to the water, thanks to the traditional Thai style platform and pulley system.
Although the cable cars don’t look modern or classy like the ones we usually see in the city, we consider the experience extremely novel as guests get to view an uninterrupted view of the river during the ride.
How to get to Wat Niwet Thammaprawat in Ayutthaya
This is definitely not your typical temple experience in Thailand, but we’re def here for it. With its Thai style features blended with Gothic church design influences, we suppose this temple is outstanding in its own way and worth-seeing for temple lovers.
FYI, the temple is sited in the south of the city and close to Pathum Thani, so driving from Bangkok to the location takes around one hour. And since it’s located outside the city, we’re afraid there’s no direct transportation to this destination. So, to ensure your convenience, we’d recommend renting and driving your own car.
Wat Niwet Thammaprawat
Address: Bang Pa-in, Ban lane, Bang Pa-in, Ayutthaya 13160
Opening Hours: 9AM – 5PM, Mon – Fri | 8AM – 6PM, Sat – Sun
Telephone: +66 3 526 2139
Google Maps
Cover images adapted from (Clockwise from Top Left): @tourismthailand, @jamsai_journey, @rumimadaily
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