🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Uttaradit sits right where the north meets the central plains, so the town absorbed several eras of art — Sukhothai, Ayutthaya and Chiang Saen from the north. Walk the temples and you'll see styles mixed together in a way that's hard to find elsewhere. We've grouped everything into zones to make routing easy: the Thung Yang–Laplae zone, where the sites sit close together, and the in-town zone along the Nan River.
Old temples worth a stop
If you're short on time, here are the temples we've ranked by what they're worth and how easy they are to reach. All of them are free — there's only a donation box if you feel like giving.
Wat Phra Thaen Sila At (Royal Temple)
An old temple on Khao Tao hill in Thung Yang, Laplae district, thought to date back to the Sukhothai era. Its sacred heart is a square laterite throne sheltered by a Chiang Saen–style mondop inside the viharn — and that mondop is the image on the provincial seal. If it's your first time in Uttaradit, start here.
Wat Phra Fang Sawangkhaburi Muninat
An old riverside temple in Pha Chuk that was once the centre of the Chao Phra Fang faction in the late Ayutthaya period — the last holdout King Taksin folded into Thonburi. Inside you'll find a relic chedi, a sealed-window ordination hall (ubosot mahaut) and a small museum of old pieces. The quiet and the sheer size of the grounds make it feel like walking through a real ancient town.
Wat Tha Thanon (Luang Pho Phet)
A temple right in town in Tha It, walkable from the market and the train station. It enshrines Luang Pho Phet, a bronze Chiang Saen–style Buddha in the subduing-Mara pose with a diamond-cross sitting posture and a 32-inch lap width — a guardian image the people of Uttaradit hold dear. The viharn is built in an unusual Chinese-pavilion style.
Wat Don Sak
An old temple in Laplae town whose highlight is a pair of late-Ayutthaya carved wooden viharn doors — coiling kanok scrollwork and Himmaphan creatures. The left and right panels carry different patterns, but close them and the designs line up perfectly. It's one of the three finest door pairs in the province.
Wat Phra Yuen Phutthabat Yukhon
An ancient temple from the same period as Wat Phra Thaen Sila At, sitting on the same hill but a different peak — you can simply walk over from the throne temple. It has a pair of Buddha footprints and an old mondop, and it's a spot people often link on foot during the Phra Thaen homage festival.
Wat Thammathipatai
An in-town temple a lot of people overlook, but its dharma hall holds the original carved wooden doors moved from Wat Phra Fang. The real ones stand 5.3 metres tall and 16 cm thick, carved with gilded rice-cluster motifs inlaid with mirror glass. If you want to see the genuine Wat Phra Fang doors, this is where they are.
Temple-hopping tip
Wat Phra Thaen Sila At and Wat Phra Yuen are next to each other, and Wat Don Sak is nearby in the Laplae zone. Group these three into one loop and you'll save a lot of time. Wat Phra Fang is out the other side of town, so set aside a separate half-day for it.
Want more out of Uttaradit? Book tours & activities
Booking online ahead on Klook or GetYourGuide is usually cheaper than the gate and skips the queue. Pick only the experiences you actually want — prices and availability are shown live on each site.
The three carved doors — the town's standout treasures
If you had to sum up Uttaradit's culture in one image, it would be the three pairs of carved wooden temple doors that art circles consider the province's prized possessions. Each pair lives in a different temple, made in a different era by different craftsmen. See all three and you're already halfway to understanding this town.
- The Wat Phra Fang doors — the largest and finest in the province, Ayutthaya period, 5.3 metres tall. The originals were moved to Wat Thammathipatai in town back in 1951; Wat Phra Fang now displays a replica set in the original frame.
- The Wat Phra Thaen Sila At doors — wood carved with multiple layers of coiling scrollwork, master-level craftsmanship, in the temple's viharn.
- The Wat Don Sak doors — late Ayutthaya period, coiling kanok scrollwork and Himmaphan creatures. The left and right panels differ, yet close them and they line up exactly. In Laplae town.
Get the most out of the doors
To see the genuine Wat Phra Fang doors, go to Wat Thammathipatai in town. The doors set in the frame at Wat Phra Fang itself are a replica — beautiful, but newly made. Worth knowing in advance so there's no confusion.
Heritage tied to Phraya Phichai
Uttaradit is the birthplace of Phraya Phichai of the Broken Sword, King Taksin's great warrior who fought until his sword snapped in his hand and still won. That story became the cultural backbone of the town — there's a monument, a museum and local crafts all tied to the sword legend.
Phraya Phichai of the Broken Sword Monument
Standing in front of the provincial hall in the town centre, it's a regular check-in and place of respect for locals. A small museum beside it tells his story.
Nam Phi Steel Sword Museum, Ban Nam Phi
Out in Thong Saen Khan district, it tells the story of Nam Phi steel — the high-grade steel used to forge swords since ancient times. A giant Nam Phi steel sword over 9 metres long is on display.
Laplae Town Museum
Keeps the way of life and traditions of the Laplae people inside an old wooden house, near the Laplae town gate with its figure of a widow carrying her child — the symbol of the Laplae town legend.
Festivals and culture worth timing your trip around
If you can time it right, the Wat Phra Thaen Sila At homage festival is when the town is at its liveliest. Held every year on the full moon of the third lunar month, coinciding with Makha Bucha Day (in 2025 it ran 30 Jan–12 Feb), it features a hundred-monk alms-giving at dawn, candle processions around the throne, and a local market with goods from all nine districts.
- Wat Phra Thaen Sila At homage festival — Makha Bucha Day (third lunar month) at Wat Phra Thaen, Thung Yang, Laplae.
- Luang Pho Phet homage festival — mid fourth lunar month at Wat Tha Thanon in town.
- Laplae durian–longkong season — rainy season into early winter, when you can walk the Laplae temples and stop at a fruit orchard in the same day.
A 2-day temple route
Built to flow with the driving: day one covers the adjacent Thung Yang–Laplae zone, day two covers the town plus Wat Phra Fang, which sits the other way out.
Thung Yang–Laplae zone
In town + Wat Phra Fang
Know before you go
- Dress — these are temples locals actually use, so dress modestly and keep a shawl handy in case you enter a viharn.
- Getting around — most temples are outside the town centre, so your own car or a rental is by far the easiest. Public transport is thin.
- Timing — go in the morning for good light and fewer people; allow extra driving time for Wat Phra Fang since it's far out.
- Merit-making — every temple is free to enter, with a donation box if you wish. No admission fee.
Plan your Uttaradit stay and trip all in one place
See the Uttaradit travel guide →