Wat Ratchabophit Sathitmahasimaram Ratchaworawihan

The tilework is the reason to come. Patterned ceramic covers the exterior in colour, set against white architecture, and it's the kind of detail you can stand in front of for half an hour and keep finding things. Rama V had it built in the 19th century, and there's a royal cemetery in the complex too, which gives the place a ceremonial weight that the crowds at the bigger sites tend to drown out.

What makes it work is how quiet it is. People turn up on a weekday afternoon and find they're close to the only ones there, mostly Thais and a handful of tourists. You'll often see monks at prayer. The grounds are properly kept. This isn't a five-minute photo stop, it's somewhere you can sit under a tree with a book and nobody will hurry you along. If you're doing the Grand Palace area, walk the extra few minutes to Thanon Fueang Nakhon and come here after, when you need the noise turned down.