King Taksin the Great Monument

This temple is close to the banks of the Chao Phraya River. The first thing you see is its large white chedi in Ayutthayan style; it is the only chedi of this style in Bangkok. King Rama II tried to create a similar chedi at the Golden Mount, but the ground could not support it and it collapsed. If you want a nice nightly picture of the chedi, walk on the Memorial Bridge at dusk when it is beautifully illuminated. However, most visitors come for the Khao Mor Cemetery, a large mound at the entrance of the temple. The mound is covered with many different shrines, chedis, spirit houses and even a doll house. There's a lot to take in, but it's certainly a fun walk. The shallow pool has some turtles swimming around, which you can feed with food bought from the stalls outside. Another attraction is the small two-room museum with Khon masks, papier-mache pigs and other cultural objects.

This beautiful park is built near the Wat Anongkharam community where Somdej Phra Srinagarindra Boromarajajonani, HRH the Princess Mother (the mother of King Rama IX) had resided during her childhood. The park comprises a full scale model of the Princess Mother's house. The old buildings were renovated as exhibition halls, displaying the life story of HRH the Princess Mother and the history of the Wat Anongkharam community that lives here.

The Santa Cruz Church is an interesting Catholic church right at the banks of the Chao Phraya River. After the fall of Ayutthaya by a Burmese invasion, King Taksin commanded that the peoples who escaped had to settle down in Thonburi, the new capital of Siam. The King dictated that the Chinese group had to settle down around the area of Wat Kalayanamit, while the Portuguese people would have their houses built along the bank of the Chao Phraya River. The Portuguese had given military support to King Taksin to help him drive out the Burmese from Siam. In recognition of their support, King Taksin granted the Portuguese a plot of land for the building of a church. The first Santa Cruz Church was a wooden church built in 1770. When that church got into a state of decay, a new Chinese-style church was built here, as it was nearby the Chinese community that stayed at Wat Kalayanamit. That church was called "Kudichin church" (Chinese church), and the Portuguese who settled here were called "Farang Kudichin", which means "Westerners at the Chinese shrine". In 1916, the third and current Santa Cruz Church was built during the reign of King Rama IV. The church has a magnificent Italian-style architecture. The community around it still feels authentic, and is the birthplace of a famous kind of cupcake, the "Khanom Farang Kudichin".

Situated on the mouth of Bangkok Yai canal at the west bank of the Chao Phraya, this massive temple is popular among the Thai-Chinese community. It was founded in 1825 by a Chinese nobleman who donated his own residence and bought a piece of land to build a temple. This was during the reign of King Rama III, when trade with China was flourishing. The viharn is in a typical Thai style, but the two flanking buildings look Chinese. Inside the viharn is a large Buddha image named Phraputtatrirattananayok, which is 15.44 metres tall and 11.75 metres wide. It is so large that it almost entirely filled the interior of the hall. The image is called Sampokong by worshippers of Thai-Chinese descent. The inner courtyard is decorated with statues and gates imported from China. Every day during the Chinese New Year festival, this temple is crowded with thousands of Thai-Chinese visitors.

Chao Phraya River cruise . They offer Private/shared cruises, two staterooms with private en-suite bathrooms. Departs on Mondays and Thursdays.

This temple was built during the Ayutthaya Period, later it was reconstructed and upgraded as a royal temple by King Taksin. The temple was named the "Temple of the Bells" due to the discovery of a huge bell at this temple in the reign of King Rama I. This significant temple was the residence of many supreme patriarchs of the Rattankosin Period, including Somdej Toah, a highly respected monk in the reign of King Rama V. Things of note are the beautiful mural paintings in the ordination hall, the image hall and the bell tower. Outside is a row of bells lined up. It is believed that ringing all of them in a row will bring good luck. The front of the building is right at the banks of the Chao Phraya River, and it is beautifully lit at nighttime.