Wat Mai
Place · Phou Si, Royal Palace & Wat Mai
A 15-minute stop beside the palace museum: the five-tiered roof and gilded doors of Wat Mai; go early, before the tour groups.
- Five-tiered roof
- Gilded reliefs
- Next to the palace
- Bring cash
- Works with kids
Highlights come from Voykit's own data and desk notes, not from reviews. Hover a tag to see its source.
Rules in force · 8Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore…
- Southeast Asia ↗Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Brunei and Myanmar; never carry a bag or parcel for anyone.
- Southeast Asia ↗Carry a passport valid for at least six months from entry with two blank pages; airlines refuse boarding on less.
- Laos ↗Get the visa only from the official government e-visa portal or at the airport or border desk; lookalike sites charge extra.
- Laos ↗Carry Lao kip in small notes; small shops, tuk-tuks and markets are cash-only, and Thai baht or US dollars are only accepted at some tourist businesses.
- Laos ↗At dawn alms-giving, watch from across the street, keep quiet, never use flash and never touch a monk.
- Northern Laos ↗Roughly Feb–Apr the north is hazy from crop burning: check the air quality before you book a viewpoint or a long day trip.
- Luang Prabang ↗The old town goes quiet from about 23:00 and many guesthouses lock their door for the night: tell your hotel your arrival time and ask how to ring for the night staff.
- Luang Prabang ↗Dawn alms-giving is a religious act, not a show: stay on the far side of the street, keep quiet, no flash and no touching.
More
Map & directions
Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Plan
Open now, best time to go, opening hours
Go now?
hours and prices: check on the day- Open
- Hours unknown
- Crowds
Quietest around 08:00 or 17:00
MonTueWedThuFriSatSunQuietest Mon–Thu · busiest Sat · desk estimate
- Tickets
- Adult: ₭10,000–20,000 (2026 estimate)
- Time to spend
- 15–25 min · up to 40 min if you linger
Best time to go
Tour groups mid-morning; quiet at opening and late afternoon.
By weekday: quietest Mon–Thu, busiest Sat.
Opening hours
- Note
- Opening hours are not printed until verified; the temple is usually open daily with a small fee (check).
- Hours note
- Daily, daytime; confirm at the gate.
Which month is quietest
- Janheavy
- Febbusy
- Marlight
- Aprbusy
- Maylight
- Junquiet
- Julquiet
- Augquiet
- Sepquiet
- Octbusy
- Novheavy
- Decpacked
Quietest Jun–Sep · busiest Dec.
Estimate: desk reasoning from typical visitor patterns; not counted. Holidays and events move these weeks.
Weather here, next 7 days
Loading forecast…
Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.
Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).
On the ground
Getting in, access, sensory load, what to bring, and where to go if it does not work
Getting in
- Stop
- Sisavangvong Road, next to the Royal Palace Museum
- Ticket
- on site · official site · bring cash
- Stairs
- Not recorded
- Shoes
- Shoes on.
Accessibility
- PartialStep-free entrance
- Check firstLifts
- Check firstAccessible toilet
- PartialWheelchair
- YesStroller · ok
Sensory load
- Sensory load2/5 Low
- Peak crowd3/5 Medium
Exposure: medium
What to bring and the rules
- Cash · The ticket desk is likely to take cash only.
- Clothing that meets the dress rule · Shoulders and knees covered; shoes off inside the halls.
- Footwear that suits the rule · Off before the hall.
- Shoulders and knees covered; shoes off inside the halls.
- Shoes: Off before the hall.
- Allowed outside; ask inside.
Rules and prices change: check the official site before you go.
Bailouts
- heat: Café on Sisavangvong Road (AC)
- rain: Covered veranda of the temple
Nearest rescue anchor: B — Wat Mai courtyard
Problem
Red lines
- Shoulders and knees covered, shoes off inside.
- Do not point your feet at Buddha images or touch monks.
Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).
Map and nearby
Where it is, how to get there from your hotel or from where you stand, and what is around it
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Nearby places
More detail
Everything else we know about this place
Tickets, prices and entry
Know before you go
- Wat Mai dates from the end of the 18th century and is one of the best-known temples in the old town.
- During the Lao New Year in mid-April, the Phra Bang Buddha image is brought here for a ritual bathing.
- The temple has a five-tiered roof, a feature that marks its importance.
- It is a working temple with resident monks.
Best time of day
Plan 15–25 min inside.
quietlightbusyheavypacked· desk estimate, ordinary weekday
Tickets & entry
- Where to buy
- Buy at the entrance on the day.
- Buy from the official site or the ticket desk; resellers add a fee for the same ticket.
- Bring cash; cards may not be taken (check).
- Dress code
- Shoulders and knees covered; shoes off inside the halls.
- Shoes: Off before the hall.
- Photos
- Allowed outside; ask inside.
- What's closed
- WeeklycheckOpen daily in general; confirm.
- Lao New Year (mid-April)checkCrowded and partly closed for ceremonies.
“Check” dates move year to year: confirm on the official page for your date.
| Ticket | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | ₭10,000–20,000 (2026 estimate) | — |
How to do it well
- 1Walk south-west from the palace museum for about 4 minutes.
- 2Pay the small fee at the gate and remove shoes before the hall.
- 3Look at the five-tiered roof and the gilded relief panels on the doors and walls.
- 4Leave for Phou Si or a café before the coaches arrive.
Time on site, inside and your plan
Time on site
Minimum
10min
Worthwhile
15min
Typical
25min
p95
40min
How much time do you have?
Enough for a typical visit (25 min).
With the other 5 min, these are a walk away (their own visit time is on their page):
- Royal Palace Museum4 min on foot · 1 min spare
- Phou Si5 min on foot · 0 min spare
Visit times are typical figures, not promises; queues and closing times can change them.
Step-free check, who it suits, facilities
Step-free check
- Step-free entrance: partly · partly
- Lifts: check · check
- Accessible toilet: check · check
- Wheelchair: partly · partly
- Stroller: yes · yesok
Steps at the main hall; open forecourt.
Skip it if
- You are short of time and prefer Wat Xieng Thong.
With kids
- with kids
- A short, easy stop; keep hands off the gilded panels.
- child price
- check
Combine with
Combine with
- 4 minRoyal Palace Museum
- 5 minPhou Si
Walk the Phou Si, Royal Palace & Wat Mai area · the cluster page has the walking order, rescue stops and after-dark notes
Best photo time
Best photo time today
Sun times for today load in your browser.
Deep dive
Questions, photos, and where our facts come from
Questions and answers
Questions and answers
Good for rain?
Yes, the veranda gives cover.
Checked 2026-09-29 · Voykit desk
Is it a working temple?
Yes; monks live and study here, so be quiet.
When is it busiest?
Mid-morning tour groups and Lao New Year.
Photos
Photos
Wat Mai Photo: Allie Caulfield, CC BY 2.0
Wat Mai Photo: Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0
Deep dive
Sources
- officialUNESCO — Town of Luang Prabang
- secondaryWikivoyage — Luang Prabang
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Source: Price
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
Prices are 2026 estimates. The official site has the current price.
Source: Opening hours
Source: Best hour
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
No official source is recorded for this figure.
Taken from the desk crowd estimate by hour. It is not a count of visitors.
Source: Bag rating
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
No official source is recorded for this figure.
Rated for the whole walking cluster, from desk research, not for this entrance.