Wat Sai Ma Nuea

Wat Sai Ma Nuea sits directly on the Chao Phraya riverbank in Sai Ma subdistrict, Nonthaburi, and dates to around 1757, in the final years of the Ayutthaya kingdom. Entry is free, daily 08:00-17:00.

The temple’s name is a later addition, not part of its original founding: once a second temple, Wat Sai Ma Tai (“Southern”), was built nearby, locals started calling this one “Nuea” (Northern) to distinguish the two. The record of who originally built it hasn’t survived — typical for a riverside temple of this age in the string of old towns along the Chao Phraya north of Bangkok. What has survived is the ubosot, considered one of the more attractive examples of late-Ayutthaya temple architecture in the area: a chofa-racha-hang-hong roofline (the swan-tail finial style typical of the period) tops the hall, and the door and window gables are carved with kranok flame-pattern woodwork in a style art historians class as genuinely Ayutthaya-era rather than a later Rattanakosin imitation.

The other reason locals visit isn’t religious at all — the temple’s riverside pier has a resident population of fish that gather to be fed, a small but popular activity for families stopping by on a Chao Phraya boat trip or a weekend drive along the river road. It’s a modest, functioning neighbourhood temple rather than a landmark destination, and that’s part of the appeal: no entry queues, no souvenir stalls, just an old ubosot and a river pier.

Insider Tip: Combine the temple visit with feeding the fish at the pier — bring a small bag of fish food if you’re passing a market beforehand, since the temple itself doesn’t always have vendors on-site.

Dress modestly and remove your shoes before entering the ubosot. Wat Chaloem Phra Kiat Worawiharn, a royal temple further along the Chao Phraya, and Wat Chotikaram, another riverside temple in the same district, both make reasonable pairings if you’re exploring Nonthaburi’s river-town temples in one trip.