Wat Benchamabophit

The marble temple was built from 1899 under King Chulalongkorn, on a site he cleared for his new royal district, and it is the clearest example of what Thai architects were doing when European materials arrived. The ordination hall is faced in white Carrara marble, with a steep tiered roof in orange and green tile, gilded gables, and stained glass in the windows, which is not a Thai tradition. Inside sits a copy of the revered Buddha image from Phitsanulok. Behind, a cloister holds more than fifty Buddha images collected or copied from across Asia, arranged so you can compare Gandharan, Javanese, Japanese and Thai styles in a single walk. A canal and bridge front the whole thing.

What you actually see

• The marble ordination hall - white Carrara stone under a tiered orange and green roof.
• The stained glass - European windows set into a Thai facade.
• The cloister of Buddhas - over fifty images in styles from across Asia.
• The canal frontage - the bridge and water in front of the entrance.

When to go

Come at first light. Monks stand outside the temple in the early morning to receive alms rather than walking a round, which is unusual and worth seeing, and the white marble is far better before the sun is high. November to February is cool and dry. Coach groups arrive from around nine and the courtyard turns brisk.

Honest expectations

It is one courtyard, and thirty to forty minutes is honest timing. Foreigners pay an entry fee that Thais do not. The Dusit setting is a car-heavy government district with little around it, so it works as a stop rather than a destination. Dress rules apply and the marble is dazzling and hot underfoot by mid-morning.

Nearby

The Dusit royal district, Ananta Samakhom's exterior and Bangkok's old city to the south.