The exchange machine outside your hotel near Wat Pho is the easy choice, and it costs you money to use it.
We changed cash both ways on the same trip: once at the hotel’s machine, once at a counter near the MRT station by Wat Pho. The difference was enough that we now check the rate before we leave the room, not after.
Where is the best exchange rate near Wat Pho?
Wat Pho sits close to a cluster of small exchange counters near the MRT station. These are separate from the hotel machines that sit in lobbies and reception areas around the temple. The counters near the MRT are run for people who actually live and work in the area, not just for temple visitors who need cash fast. That’s the whole reason the rate is different.
We didn’t have to walk far. It was a short detour from the route between the hotel and Wat Pho, not a special trip across town.
What we actually paid: hotel machine vs MRT counter
The hotel’s in-house machine was quoting a rate sitting somewhere in the 0.18 range. The counter near the MRT station was far better, by a margin that was obvious as soon as we looked at both boards side by side. We didn’t need a calculator to see it.
INFO ・ Exchanging cash near Wat Pho
- Hotel machine: rate around 0.18, easiest but weakest option
- MRT counter: noticeably better rate, short walk from the temple
- Rates change daily, so compare the boards on the day you go, not from memory
Is SuperRich worth the trip instead?
SuperRich is the name most travellers mention when they ask about the best rate in Bangkok, and it does have a reputation for offering some of the strongest rates in the city. But its branches cluster around Pratunam and Silom, not around Wat Pho. If you’re already down at the temple with kids in tow, crossing the city for a marginally better rate isn’t worth the time. The counter near the MRT station by Wat Pho gets you most of the way there without the detour.
When to exchange money, not just where
The mistake is timing, not location. If you land at the airport or check into the hotel and change cash immediately because it’s there, you’ve already taken the worst rate on offer. Checking the Bangkok money exchange best rate near the MRT before you move, rather than after you’ve committed to the convenient option, is the only real lesson from this.
Airport and hotel machines are the easy option and the worst one.
Who this is for
This is for anyone changing a meaningful amount of cash while visiting Wat Pho and staying nearby. If you’re only breaking a small note for a snack or a tuk-tuk, the hotel machine’s convenience probably outweighs the difference. But for anything larger, the short walk to the counter near the MRT station is worth it every time we’ve checked.
