Pha That Luang Tickets and Opening Hours

According to Tourism Laos, Pha That Luang is open Tuesday to Sunday in two windows, 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. It is closed on Mondays and over the lunch break between 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM. A plan that lands at midday or on a Monday will meet a closed gate.

Tourism Laos lists admission at 30,000 kip per person. The official listing gives one flat rate, with no separate price for foreign visitors and Lao nationals. Other websites quote a spread of different figures, but the Tourism Laos page is the official source, so budget for 30,000 kip.

During Lao New Year, on April 14 to 16, 2026, the Lao News Agency reported free entry for domestic and international visitors at Pha That Luang, Wat Si Saket and Haw Phra Kaew. That was a holiday exception, so expect to pay the listed fee on ordinary days.

Tourism Laos does not publish separate opening hours for the That Luang Festival. If you plan to visit between November 21 and 24, 2026, do not assume the normal schedule applies, and check locally before you set out.

• Opening hours
  • Tourism Laos lists two daily windows, 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
• Closed days and times
  • The stupa is closed on Mondays and during the lunch hour between the two windows.
• Admission fee
  • Tourism Laos lists the entry fee as 30,000 kip per person, one rate for all visitors.
• Festival hours
  • Tourism Laos publishes no special hours for the November 2026 festival.

Getting to Pha That Luang

Pha That Luang stands at the end of Pha That Luang Road, about 4 km from the center of Vientiane. No official street address is published beyond that description, so give the end of Pha That Luang Road as your destination when you arrange a ride. For a map app, the stupa sits at roughly 17.9762° N, 102.6343° E.

The grounds around the stupa are gated to keep out traffic, and you can no longer drive around the complex. Plan to leave your vehicle or ride outside the gated area and enter the grounds from there.

Tourism Laos does not publish a public transport route or a fare to the stupa. Agree on any fare with a driver before you set off, and allow for the midday closure when you choose your arrival time.

A Short History of the Great Stupa

Tourism Laos traces use of the site to 307 BC, the year 236 of the Buddhist calendar. Other accounts place the first stupa on the site centuries later, so treat 307 BC as the Tourism Laos date rather than a settled one. According to Tourism Laos, Vientiane's first governor, Phaya Chanthabouri Pasitthisack (Bourichan), built a kiln-like structure there about 9 meters high and 10 meters wide. Tradition holds that missionaries sent by the Indian emperor Ashoka enshrined a relic of the Buddha, believed to be his breastbone.

King Setthathirath moved his capital from Luang Prabang to Vientiane and ordered the present stupa built in 1566. In 1641, Dutch East India Company envoy Gerrit van Wuysthoff described an "enormous pyramid" with its top covered in gold leaf.

The stupa was plundered repeatedly and destroyed in the Siamese invasion of 1828. A French restoration based on Louis Delaporte's 1867 drawings failed, so the stupa was redesigned and rebuilt in the 1930s. Tourism Laos gives 1953 as a restoration date.

That timeline matters for how you look at it. The ground is ancient, but the structure in front of you is a twentieth-century rebuild on a far older sacred site.

What to See at Pha That Luang

The golden stupa rises 45 meters from ground to pinnacle on three levels. The first level measures about 68 by 69 meters, the second 48 meters, and the third 30 meters per side. Its gold centerpiece echoes the curve of an elongated lotus bud.

A cloister-like wall, about 85 meters long on each side, encloses the stupa. The wall holds Lao and Khmer sculptures, including one of the Khmer king Jayavarman VII. Walk along the inside of the wall to see them before you turn to the stupa itself.

Tourism Laos calls Pha That Luang the most significant national monument in Laos and an icon of Lao Buddhism. Believed to hold a relic of the Buddha, said by tradition to be his breastbone, the stupa remains a place of worship and not only a landmark. Dress modestly and keep voices low, as at any Buddhist site.

That Luang Festival: November 21 to 24, 2026

The Tourism Laos events calendar lists the That Luang Festival and Trade Fair in Vientiane Capital for November 21 to 24, 2026. The festival centers on the stupa itself.

The Tourism Laos event listing describes a program that includes a wax-castle procession from Wat Si Muang to the stupa, a dawn alms-giving to monks, the traditional Ti Khee game, a final candlelight procession at the full moon, fireworks, and a trade fair. Tourism Laos pages give different timings for the wax-castle procession, so confirm its date locally before you plan around it.

Tourism Laos gives the dates and program but no festival-period opening hours for the stupa. Check Tourism Laos for current details before arranging a visit during those days.

Planning Your Visit Around the Closed Hours

Choose one of the two daily windows, either 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM or 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Monday is the one day the stupa is shut, so build your Vientiane schedule around that. If you only have Monday free, use it for sights with different hours.

You can pair the stupa with Patuxai, another Vientiane landmark. Confirm each stop's opening hours separately, because they may not match the stupa's schedule.

Temple lovers can add Wat Si Saket for a contrast to the golden stupa. Putting the stupa in a morning or afternoon window and the other stop in the remaining one keeps the day simple.

For a different side of the city, the COPE Visitor Centre is another option. Check its hours before you commit, as we have not matched them to the stupa's.