Wat Arun was built in the days of Thailand's ancient capital of Ayutthaya, and was originally known as Wat Makok ("Olive Temple"). Despite its name (from Aruna, the Hindu god of the dawn), the best views of Wat Arun are at sunset rather than the dawn, and there are restaurants and coffee shops across the river that make fine viewpoints.

The outstanding feature of Wat Arun is its central prang (a prang is a Khmer-style pagoda), which is about 80 meters tall and symbolizes the legendary Mount Meru, center of the universe. Steep steps lead to two terraces on the tower.