Wat Hong Rattanaram is an undervisited Thonburi temple beside the canal that offers an experience of Buddhist monastery life without the tourist management of the Rattanakosin temples. The complex includes an old viharn with well-preserved murals, a resident monk community, and grounds that extend to the canal bank.
The temple dates from the Ayutthaya period and was restored during the Bangkok period under Rama I. The surrounding canal-side streets in this part of Thonburi feel untouched by the development happening elsewhere in the city. The temple is easily combined with a walk or boat ride that takes in Wat Kalayanamitr and the Santa Cruz Church further along the riverfront.