Wat Ton Kwen (Wat Intharawat)
Wat Ton Kwen (Wat Intharawat)
4.5
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Plan your visit
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
155 within 3 miles
Attractions
117 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
47 reviews
Excellent
28
Very good
18
Average
1
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Wingfield73
Chiang Mai, Thailand1,012 contributions
Nov 2020
What a relief to miss the often overpowering bling of so many other monasteries. No gold leaf, no mirror mosaics, no ostentacious gateway. Not just for the peaceful atmosphere but also its role as the local temple for for the surrounding area - in farang terms: a parish church. As other reviewers say the wood construction is special too - a three tiered roof and lots of good carving and all situated in spacious, well kept gardens..
Written 1 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Patty Kanyaporn
390 contributions
Dec 2023 • Solo
A hidden gem south of Chiang Mai's city center. This wooden temple, constructed around 1218 AD, is one of the very few remaining examples of Lanna-style architecture in its original state, surrounded by the intricate carvings and traditional design elements that defined the Lanna kingdom.
The temple complex itself is a masterpiece. Explore the viharn (main sanctuary), with its tiered roof that gracefully slopes upwards. Admire the open pavilion, perfect for quiet contemplation, and the large mondop (square building) that houses religious artifacts.
Under the care of the Thai Fine Arts Department, the temple has undergone renovations that aim to retain its original structures as much as possible. This ensures that future generations can appreciate this architectural gem.
The temple complex itself is a masterpiece. Explore the viharn (main sanctuary), with its tiered roof that gracefully slopes upwards. Admire the open pavilion, perfect for quiet contemplation, and the large mondop (square building) that houses religious artifacts.
Under the care of the Thai Fine Arts Department, the temple has undergone renovations that aim to retain its original structures as much as possible. This ensures that future generations can appreciate this architectural gem.
Written 29 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Happy P@N
Bangkok, Thailand455 contributions
Aug 2019 • Solo
This place is truly tranquil. You can fell differently from other temples in Chiang Mai and in Thailand. During my visit, there was a small booth renting Lanna clothes, in a period of popular TV drama program broadcasts. You can dress up in Lanna style and take a picture with historic site.
This place is unambiguous, but fascinate. There is less decorations. I like its plain in peaceful surrounding. Ton Kwen is a name of a shrub. It is a name in Northern language. There is only one Ton Kwen grows in temple area, on right hand side after entering into temple area.
I like decorated engraved limestone in Lanna style at staircase to Buddhist sanctuary and roof (please see pictures enclosed).
The temple had built in 1869. It is 150 years site in well maintenance. I strongly recommend you to visit this place. It is close to the city with 20-30 min trip by car.
DON’T MISS!!!
This place is unambiguous, but fascinate. There is less decorations. I like its plain in peaceful surrounding. Ton Kwen is a name of a shrub. It is a name in Northern language. There is only one Ton Kwen grows in temple area, on right hand side after entering into temple area.
I like decorated engraved limestone in Lanna style at staircase to Buddhist sanctuary and roof (please see pictures enclosed).
The temple had built in 1869. It is 150 years site in well maintenance. I strongly recommend you to visit this place. It is close to the city with 20-30 min trip by car.
DON’T MISS!!!
Written 3 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aomelie
Bangkok, Thailand101 contributions
Oct 2017 • Friends
The architecture is unique and well preserved. It’s not touristy, so quiet and peaceful. Good for meditation. Also not commercialized. Highly recommended.
Written 29 July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Saharat S
44 contributions
Mar 2017 • Solo
This temple is one of the few remaining long-historical wooden temples with Thai Northern style in Chiang Mai. It is located near Royal Park Rajapruek, one of top ten tourism attractions in Chiang Mai. Not to far from here you can get to this place. You will see the beautiful and amazing temple with real classic Lanna style architecture in Northern Thailand.
Written 26 March 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rinzilla
Bangkok, Thailand162 contributions
Dec 2015
This temple is very beautiful and peaceful with less tourist than other temple in Chiang Mai. Worth a visit.
Written 20 July 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Eszter N
27 contributions
Oct 2019 • Solo
Wat Ton Kwen (Wat Intharawat) is one of the few remaining old wooden temples of Chiang Mai with beautiful carvings. The temple is surrounded by a nice garden and a brick wall. It is very popular among Thai visitors but it is now much known among foreigners.
The temple can be reached by taxi from Chiang Mai. It takes about 20-25 minutes to get there from the Old Town. As the temple can be visited quickly, it is recommended that you keep your transportation for the duration of the visit.
The temple can be reached by taxi from Chiang Mai. It takes about 20-25 minutes to get there from the Old Town. As the temple can be visited quickly, it is recommended that you keep your transportation for the duration of the visit.
Written 22 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
blackeaglejim
Chiang Mai, Thailand289 contributions
Sept 2019
If Chiang Mai temple architecture has aroused your interest, Wat Ton Kwen, the best example of the classic Lanna style, is a must excursion. In a quiet rural environment ten km south of Chiang Mai, it was built in 1858 and is basically still the same set of wooden, tile-roofed buildings, carefully and tastefully renovated over the years. The viharn has a graceful, triple tiered roof and the woodwork around the entrance doors feature intricate carvings of birds, plants and mythical animals, some of them gilded or decorated with colored glass. Stucco sculptures of serpent nagas emerging from mouths of makaras, a kind of hybrid crocodile, flank the stairway. The interior features a large Buddha, but little else. Only a fragment remains visible of the original murals.
The other main compound building is the cruciform-shaped, open sided pavilion (mondop). Also made of teakwood with tiled roofs, it originally served as quarters for a stopover of a procession of a Buddha relic from Chomthong to Chiang Mai. The building is unique in Northern Thailand. Now Wat Ton Kwen is no longer an active temple; maintained and preserved, but not a residence for monks. Across the road from the compound entrance lies a pool with a wooden plank bridge across it and a few empty stilted houses. Between the pond and the temple are the towering sugar palms that gave the temple its name.
To reach Wat Ton Kwen, also called Wat Inthrawat, take the road going south alongside the canal west of the city. Around the 10 km mark is the Ton Kwen intersection. Turn right and a sign at the first lane on the left points the way to the temple, about two blocks further.
The other main compound building is the cruciform-shaped, open sided pavilion (mondop). Also made of teakwood with tiled roofs, it originally served as quarters for a stopover of a procession of a Buddha relic from Chomthong to Chiang Mai. The building is unique in Northern Thailand. Now Wat Ton Kwen is no longer an active temple; maintained and preserved, but not a residence for monks. Across the road from the compound entrance lies a pool with a wooden plank bridge across it and a few empty stilted houses. Between the pond and the temple are the towering sugar palms that gave the temple its name.
To reach Wat Ton Kwen, also called Wat Inthrawat, take the road going south alongside the canal west of the city. Around the 10 km mark is the Ton Kwen intersection. Turn right and a sign at the first lane on the left points the way to the temple, about two blocks further.
Written 2 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
timinphuket
Bangkok, Thailand270 contributions
Mar 2018 • Family
The old style - I think Lanna - Wat is set within the countryside on the outskirts of Chiang Mai.
It feels very special - but not your standard tourist attraction
It feels very special - but not your standard tourist attraction
Written 28 April 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Teresa H
Manchester, UK549 contributions
Feb 2018 • Couples
What a beautiful temple. A wooden structure but although has been renovated has stood the test of time.Not many tourists but used mostly by local people.
Really quite so it give you time to appriciate the building.There is a small wooden reclining Buddha in the back courtyard which i really enjoyed seeing
Really quite so it give you time to appriciate the building.There is a small wooden reclining Buddha in the back courtyard which i really enjoyed seeing
Written 6 April 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No questions have been asked about this experience
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing