Wat Phra That Lampang Luang

This is the temple people mean when they say northern Thai architecture survives somewhere intact. It stands on a low mound outside Lampang behind thick laterite walls, reached by a naga staircase, and the compound inside has changed little in centuries. Wihan Luang is the centrepiece: an open-sided hall of dark teak with a triple-tiered roof, no walls to speak of, a coffered ceiling and a gilded pavilion sheltering the principal Buddha. A gilded chedi stands behind it. In the small Wihan Phra Phut a hole in the shutter throws an inverted image of that chedi onto a cloth, a camera obscura that has been demonstrated to visitors for generations.

What you actually see

• Wihan Luang - the open teak hall with its tiered roof and gilded interior pavilion.
• The camera obscura - the chedi projected upside down inside a darkened wihan.
• The gilded chedi - the main stupa behind the assembly hall.
• The laterite walls - the fortified enclosure and naga staircase up the mound.

When to go

November to February for the cool dry weather. Early morning gives the best light through the open sides of the wihan and the quietest compound; by late morning school groups and tour vans arrive. Nothing needs booking. The camera obscura works best on bright days, so overcast weather takes away one of the main reasons to come.

Honest expectations

It is a working temple, so parts close without warning and monks may be using the halls. Getting there without a car is awkward and songthaews from Lampang run on their own logic. Women are not permitted inside the small chedi enclosure, which some visitors find jarring. Lampang town itself is quiet to the point of dull.

Nearby

Lampang's teak houses and horse carts, and the ceramic workshops on the road back.