Wat Saket (Golden Mount)

The Golden Mount is Bangkok's original skyscraper — a 77-metre artificial hill crowned with a gold chedi that was the tallest point in the city for over a century. The 344-step climb winds through a shaded spiral path lined with bells, small shrines, and the occasional cat who has clearly made this their territory.

The hill has a grim origin story. King Rama III tried to build a massive chedi here in the 1800s, but the soft Bangkok clay couldn't support the weight and the whole thing collapsed into a muddy heap. It sat as a ruin for decades, becoming overgrown and earning the nickname 'the hill.' During the cholera epidemics of the 19th century, the mound became a cremation site where vultures circled — a detail the temple's current peaceful vibe thoroughly obscures.

It was Rama V who finally stabilised the structure with concrete and added the golden chedi at the top, along with a relic of the Buddha reportedly given to Thailand by the British government (who had acquired it from India, because colonialism). The 360-degree view from the top is one of the best in old Bangkok — you can see the Grand Palace, Wat Arun, the river, and the newer skyline beyond. Come at sunset for the light, or during the Loy Krathong festival in November when the mount is wrapped in red cloth and lit with candles.