Tha Phra Chan Amulet Market

Market

Lanes of stalls between Wat Mahathat and the river where Thais buy, trade and scrutinise protective Buddhist amulets.

Tha Phra Chan Amulet Market Chatuchak& Ari Chinatown Dusit Khao San Road Old Town Pratunam Ratchada Riverside Siam Silom &Sathorn Sukhumvit Thonburi Tourist areas, not official boundaries. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributorsWat ArunGrand PalaceJim Thompson HouseWat BenchamabophitLumphini ParkChatuchak Weekend MarketDemocracy MonumentWat TraimitAssumption CathedralVictory MonumentTha Phra Chan Amulet Market

Tha Phra Chan Amulet Market essentials

Country: Thailand
Driest months: Dec-Feb
Pay in: Baht (฿)
Language: Thai
Emergency: 191

Bangkok’s best-known amulet market fills the pavements and narrow alleys around Tha Phra Chan, between Wat Mahathat, Thammasat University and the river. Stalls and tiny shops sell phra khrueang, the small Buddha images and charms that Thais wear on neck chains for protection and luck, along with old coins, talismans, statues and religious paraphernalia. Fortune tellers and astrologers work the same streets.

Buying an amulet is serious business here. Collectors and dealers, monks among them, spend a long time over a single piece with a jeweller’s loupe, judging the image, the material, the temple and monk that made it, and its age, and the most prized pieces change hands for very large sums. For visitors it is a fascinating place to wander and watch, and there are plenty of inexpensive, newly made charms for anyone who wants a keepsake rather than an heirloom. Afternoons and weekends are busiest.

Things to Do
When to Go

Weather & Climate near Tha Phra Chan Amulet Market#

Climate

Tha Phra Chan Amulet Market's climate is classified as Tropical Savanna - Tropical Savanna climate with consistently warm temperatures year-round. Temperatures range from 21°C to 35°C. Abundant rainfall (1310 mm/year), wettest in September with a pronounced dry season.

Air Quality: AQI 83 Moderate
Best Time to Visit
JanuaryDecemberFebruary
Temperature & Rainfall
Temperature Range
43°
Warmest Month
10°
Coldest Month
Monthly Conditions
Month Comfort Temp Feels Rain Sky Humidity Wind UV Daylight
January Ideal 21° - 32° 27° 9 mm mostly sunny 64% 1.5 m/s 1.8 very high 11.3h
February Excellent 23° - 33° 30° 14 mm mostly sunny 60% 1.8 m/s 2.0 extreme 11.6h
March Excellent 25° - 34° 32° 33 mm some cloud 62% 1.8 m/s 2.2 extreme 11.9h
April Very Good 26° - 35° 35° 60 mm partly cloudy 66% 1.5 m/s 2.4 extreme 12.3h
May Acceptable 26° - 34° 36° 169 mm overcast 76% 1.5 m/s 2.3 extreme 12.6h
June Acceptable 26° - 33° 36° 129 mm overcast 80% 1.7 m/s 2.3 extreme 12.8h
July Acceptable 25° - 33° 35° 143 mm overcast 81% 1.7 m/s 2.3 extreme 12.7h
August Acceptable 25° - 33° 35° 177 mm overcast 82% 1.7 m/s 2.3 extreme 12.4h
September Acceptable 24° - 32° 34° 287 mm overcast 85% 1.4 m/s 2.1 extreme 12.1h
October Acceptable 24° - 32° 33° 237 mm overcast 85% 1.1 m/s 1.9 very high 11.7h
November Very Good 23° - 32° 31° 46 mm partly cloudy 80% 1.5 m/s 1.8 very high 11.4h
December Ideal 21° - 32° 26° 6 mm some cloud 71% 1.8 m/s 1.8 very high 11.2h
Getting There & Around

How to Get to Tha Phra Chan Amulet Market#

Tha Chang and Tha Maharaj piers on the Chao Phraya Express Boat are a few minutes’ walk to the south, and cross-river ferries from Tha Phra Chan run to Wang Lang on the Thonburi bank.

History & Culture of Tha Phra Chan Amulet Market#

Tha Phra Chan means “moon pier”. It takes its name from Phra Chan Fort, one of the 14 forts on King Rama I’s city wall. The fort is long gone, but the name lives on in the pier and in Phra Chan Road, one of the oldest roads in Bangkok, which runs between the wall of the former Front Palace (now Thammasat University) and Wat Mahathat under the shade of large padauk trees.