Wat Nivet Thamaprawat

Wat Nivet Thamaprawat may well be one of the most unusual Buddhist temples in Thailand, with its design which sets out to look more like a country English Gothic church rather than a Thai temple. It was built by King Chulalongkorn in the late nineteenth century at the same time he was reviving Bang Pa In palace.

The temple sits on an island in the Chaphraya River. The only way to get there, generally, is by a cable car that runs back and forth over the water. The ride is free, but can be a little hard to find. From the summer palace, walk directly away from the exit gates to the parking lot. Walk through the lot along the front of the administration building, and just beyond it you'll see a gate that leads into another lot. The cable car station is just on the other side of the lot.