Quick answer: Kudi Chin is a Portuguese-Thai community on the Thonburi bank of the Chao Phraya, settled on land King Taksin granted after the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767. In one visit you can see Santa Cruz Church, the free Baan Kudichin Museum (Tuesday to Sunday, 09:30 to 17:30) and the family bakeries that still bake khanom farang Kudi Chin over charcoal. From Adelphi Itsaraphap it is about 1.9 km on foot, around 25 minutes, or about 4 minutes by car without traffic.
What is Kudi Chin?
Kudi Chin is a small neighborhood in Wat Kanlaya, Thon Buri District, just west of Memorial Bridge. After Ayutthaya fell in 1767, King Taksin made Thonburi his capital and gave land here to Portuguese descendants who had served the Siamese court. Chinese families settled north of the local canal and the Portuguese settled south of it. The Catholic families built their first church, Santa Cruz, around 1770.
Those families are still here. In 2014 about 1,850 people of Portuguese descent lived in 293 households around the church. They share the lanes with Buddhist, Chinese and Muslim neighbors, and a Catholic church, Buddhist temples, a Chinese shrine and a mosque all stand within a short walk of each other. The Tourism Authority of Thailand sums up the area as “3 religions, 4 beliefs”.
A conservation effort that began in 2008 opened the community to visitors. People still live in these lanes, so keep your voice low and ask before you photograph residents or their homes.
What to see in Kudi Chin
Santa Cruz Church, the center of the Portuguese quarter
Santa Cruz means “Holy Cross” in Portuguese. The first church on this site was built of teak around 1770, on the land King Taksin granted. After a fire it was rebuilt in brick, and the building you see today was completed in 1916. It mixes Renaissance and neoclassical styles under a red dome, with a pale cream front that faces the Chao Phraya.
Santa Cruz is a working parish church, not a museum. Its Google listing shows it open roughly 05:00 to 10:00 and 17:00 to 19:00, the hours around Mass. Outside those hours the doors may be closed, so plan the church for early morning or late afternoon. Cover your shoulders and knees, and stay quiet if a service is on.
Baan Kudichin Museum: a family home turned museum
Baan Kudichin Museum is a three-story wooden house at the end of a lane beside the church. According to the museum, the house was built more than 80 years ago, in the reign of King Rama VII, by a Chinese carpenter named Phuk. When it stood empty, the family turned it into a museum instead of selling it.
The ground floor is a café. The upper floors tell the story of Siam and Portugal, with photos and household tools of early Kudi Chin families. The exhibition also covers the Catholic settlers who arrived in the reign of King Rama III and foreign residents such as the American missionary Dan Beach Bradley, who lived in the community. From the rooftop you can look over the whole neighborhood.
- Opening hours. Tuesday to Sunday, 09:30 to 17:30. Closed on Mondays.
- Entry. Free. Donations are welcome.
- Address. 271 Thetsaban Sai 1 Road, Wat Kanlaya, Thon Buri, Bangkok 10600.
Wat Kalayanamit, Kian Un Keng and the mosque
The rest of Kudi Chin is a few minutes from the church along the public walkway beside the Chao Phraya.
- Wat Kalayanamit. A royal temple founded in 1825 by Chaophraya Nikonbodin, a Thai-Chinese trader, in the reign of King Rama III. Its main hall holds Luang Pho To, a very large seated Buddha that Thai-Chinese visitors call Sam Po Kong.
- Kian Un Keng Shrine. A Hokkien shrine to Guanyin, more than 100 years old and one of the oldest shrines in Thonburi, with carved wood and old paintings inside.
- Bang Luang Mosque (Kudi Khao). A mosque built in traditional Thai architectural style, used by the Muslim families of the area.
Khanom farang Kudi Chin: what it is and where to buy it
Khanom farang Kudi Chin is the community’s own cake, a recipe that goes back to Portuguese sweets of the Ayutthaya period. It uses three ingredients: wheat flour, duck eggs and sugar, with no baking powder, yeast or preservatives. The bakers whisk the batter until it rises, pour it into molds, top it with raisins, dried persimmon, candied winter melon and a little sugar, then bake it over charcoal. The Kudi Chin version is crisp outside and soft inside. The batter follows Portuguese baking and the toppings follow Chinese custom, since raisins, dried persimmon and candied winter melon are lucky fruits in Chinese belief. In the past the cake was sold mainly at the end of the year, around Christmas.
Only a few households still bake it. The Momentum counted three bakeries in 2023, and two of them are easy to find in the lanes near the church:
- Thanusingha (ธนูสิงห์). 235 to 237 Soi Kudi Chin 7. Its Google listing shows it opening at 10:00, and it sells gift boxes.
- Lan Mae Pao (หลานแม่เป้า). 382 Soi Wat Kanlaya, close to Santa Cruz Church. The owner is the fifth generation of the family bakery, which still bakes over charcoal. It makes small pieces topped with raisins and large trays with the full topping. Hours reported in 2023: Monday to Friday, 09:30 to 17:30; call ahead at weekends.
How do you get to Kudi Chin from Adelphi Itsaraphap?
On foot, leave the hotel by Itsaraphap 10 Alley and head north to the foot of Memorial Bridge (Saphan Phut). From there, turn west onto the public walkway along the Chao Phraya and follow it to Santa Cruz Church. The walk is about 1.9 km, around 25 minutes at an easy pace. By taxi or Grab it is about 1.8 km, around 4 minutes without traffic.
| Place | Walk from the hotel | Opening hours |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz Church | About 1.9 km, 25 min | About 05:00 to 10:00 and 17:00 to 19:00 |
| Baan Kudichin Museum | About 2.0 km, 26 min | Tuesday to Sunday, 09:30 to 17:30 |
| Kian Un Keng Shrine | About 2.0 km, 27 min | Check on the day |
| Wat Kalayanamit | About 2.1 km, 29 min | Check on the day |
Coming from the Phra Nakhon side instead? Take the MRT to Sanam Chai, walk to Atsadang Pier next to Yodpiman River Walk, and cross by ferry to the Kudi Chin side.
Make a day of it on the Thonburi side
Kudi Chin sits between the hotel and Wat Arun. Wat Arun is about 1 km north of Wat Kalayanamit, around 15 minutes on foot, so the two fit easily into one day. For a full route that links Wat Arun, Kudi Chin and Khlong San, read One Day in Thonburi: A Walking Route from Itsaraphap.
If you are still choosing where to base yourself, the guide to where to stay near Wat Arun explains why the Thonburi side works for temple mornings. The hotel’s Neighborhood guide has an illustrated map with Santa Cruz Church, the shrines and the markets around Itsaraphap.
Staying at Adelphi Itsaraphap: address, check-in and booking
Adelphi Itsaraphap is an 18-room boutique hotel in Khlong San, “The Cultural Living Room of Itsaraphap”. Kudi Chin is about 25 minutes away on foot, so the church’s early morning hours are easy to reach from the hotel.
- Address. 296 Itsaraphap 10 Alley, Somdet Chao Phraya, Khlong San, Bangkok 10600.
- Check-in and check-out. Check-in from 15:00 to 23:00, check-out by 12:00.
- Rooms. Deluxe (24 sqm), Premier King (30 sqm) and Premier Twin (30 sqm), each for up to 2 guests. See the rooms.
- Café. Adelfee Coffee is in the hotel, for a coffee before or after the walk.
- Booking. Check dates and rooms on the hotel’s own booking page.
Kudi Chin FAQ
- How much time do you need in Kudi Chin?
Santa Cruz Church, Baan Kudichin Museum, Kian Un Keng Shrine and Wat Kalayanamit all lie within about 300 m of each other in a straight line, so most of the time goes to the sites themselves. Allow two to three hours to see each one and stop at a bakery, plus an hour if you continue north to Wat Arun. - What should you wear to visit Kudi Chin?
One short walk takes you into a church, Buddhist temples, a Chinese shrine and possibly a mosque, so dress for all of them. Cover your shoulders and knees, and wear shoes you can slip off easily, because you remove them before entering temple halls and the mosque. Inside Santa Cruz Church, keep quiet during Mass and switch off your camera flash. - Can you take khanom farang Kudi Chin home as a gift?
Yes. Thanusingha sells gift boxes. Because the recipe has no preservatives, buy it on the last day of your stay if you are taking it on a flight, keep the box closed and out of the sun, and ask the bakery how many days it keeps. - Which day of the week is best for Kudi Chin?
Tuesday to Friday is the safest choice. Baan Kudichin Museum is closed on Mondays, and the only published hours for Lan Mae Pao (2023) cover weekdays, so on a weekend call the bakery before you go. For the inside of Santa Cruz Church, go before 10:00 or after 17:00, then visit the museum and the bakeries once they open. - Can Adelphi Itsaraphap help you plan the walk?
Yes. Before you set out, ask the front desk for the walking route and the day’s opening hours. If you want to plan the visit before your stay, you can call the hotel on +66 2 077 5171.
