Bangkok parks: Benjakitti, Lumphini and where to go

Every Bangkok family has its park. Maybe it’s where your mum walked laps before work, where your uncle swears he saw a lizard “as long as a motorbike”, or where Yai sat on a bench and fed you sticky rice from a plastic bag. Going back as an adult, you’ll find the parks are where the city exhales: runners at dawn, aerobics at dusk, and a whole park standing still at six o’clock.

This page covers the big Bangkok parks, a couple in Chiang Mai, when to go and how to get there. Last checked 20 October 2026. Opening hours and facilities change: treat the times here as a guide and check before you go.

When to go: dawn or dusk

The middle of the day is for air-conditioned malls and naps. Thailand’s Department of Disease Control advises avoiding outdoor activity between 11am and 3pm in the hot season (roughly late February to mid-May), and drinking water before you feel thirsty. Bangkok runs on the same clock all year: the parks are busy from first light until about 9am, quiet at midday, and full again from about 5pm, when the free aerobics start.

Benjakitti: the forest in the middle of the city

Benjakitti (also spelled Benchakitti) is the one your cousins will post on Instagram. The original park, with its big lake next to the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, opened in 2004. The forest park behind it, on land that used to belong to the Tobacco Authority of Thailand, fully opened in 2022. Time Out calls it Bangkok’s first park with a forested area, covering about 720,000 square metres.

• The skywalk: raised walkways loop over the wetlands and the young forest, with the Sukhumvit towers behind. Walk it at sunset.
• Running and cycling: separate paths for both, and the lake loop is a favourite with the run clubs (see run clubs in Thailand).
• Walk on to Lumphini: an elevated path, the Green Bridge, links Benjakitti to Lumphini Park.
• Getting there: MRT Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre is the closest station; MRT Sukhumvit and BTS Asok are a walk away.
• Hours: Time Out has listed both 04:00–21:00 and 05:00–21:00. Arrive after 5am and you’re safe.

Lumphini: lizards, aerobics and the 6pm anthem

Lumphini is the old favourite: a big lake, shady paths, outdoor gyms, the boats your parents may have pedalled on a date. Time Out lists it as open 04:30–22:00, by BTS Sala Daeng and MRT Lumphini or Si Lom.

The monitor lizards. Lumphini is famous for its water monitors, which swim across the lake and sunbathe on the banks like small dinosaurs. In 2016 park officials estimated there were about 400, and moved some to a wildlife centre in Ratchaburi. They’re wild and generally shy: keep your distance, don’t feed them, and keep small children and dogs close. Your little cousins will love them. Yai will not.

The 6pm anthem. At 6pm, the national anthem comes over the park’s loudspeakers, and the whole park stops. Runners stop mid-stride, the aerobics music cuts out, people on benches stand up. It lasts about a minute. Stop where you are and stand still until it ends; nobody expects you to sing. Many luk khrueng remember this as the moment they felt the difference between “on holiday” and “home”. Then everyone starts moving again, as if nothing happened.

Aerobics at dusk. From late afternoon, instructors on small stages lead free aerobics to very loud music. Anyone can join at the back. More on this in our active life in Thailand guide.

Benchasiri: the small one on Sukhumvit

Benchasiri (Benjasiri) sits right by BTS Phrom Phong, next to the big malls. It’s small, with a pond, a playground and outdoor sports areas, and Time Out lists a swimming pool. The evening aerobics start at about 6pm. It’s the easy one if you’re staying on Sukhumvit and only have an hour. Time Out lists it as open 04:30–22:00.

Chatuchak Park and Rot Fai: the north

The Chatuchak area has a cluster of parks next to the weekend market. Chatuchak Park has open lawns and evening aerobics at its main plaza. Rot Fai Park (Wachirabenchathat) is the big one for cycling, with a free butterfly garden and insectarium that children love. Time Out lists it as open 05:00–21:00, near MRT Chatuchak Park, MRT Kamphaeng Phet, MRT Phahon Yothin and BTS Mo Chit. Combine it with the market (see night markets) and a very long lunch.

Suan Luang Rama IX: the big day out

Suan Luang Rama IX in the east is Bangkok’s big botanical park: gardens, a lake and a pavilion museum about King Rama IX. It’s a family day out rather than a quick run, and it’s well known for its aerobics sessions both morning and evening. Time Out lists it as open 05:00–19:00; the nearest BTS station, Udom Suk, is still a taxi or Grab ride away. Our getting around Bangkok page has the taxi Thai.

Bang Krachao: the green lung

Across the river from Khlong Toei, Bang Krachao (also spelled Bang Kra Jao) is a protected peninsula of orchards, canals and narrow raised paths, in Samut Prakan province. Time Out calls it Bangkok’s “green lung”. The classic way in is by boat from Wat Khlong Toei Nok Pier, a short ride from MRT Khlong Toei, then by bicycle; Time Out describes a pierside shop that rents bikes. Many bike routes stop at Sri Nakhon Khuean Khan Park, the big public park inside.

Go in the morning, take water, and check when the last boat leaves. The raised paths are narrow, so ride slowly and give way to locals on motorbikes. Fares and rental prices change; ask at the pier.

Outside Bangkok: Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is cooler in the mornings and greener. Two well-known spots:

• Huay Kaew Arboretum and Ang Kaew Reservoir, by Chiang Mai University at the foot of Doi Suthep: woodland paths, a lakeside track with exercise stations, and a wooded campus to add on. Great Runs suggests linking them for 4–5 km.
• Suan Buak Haad, the small park in the old city’s south-west corner: a loop of about 700 metres under shade trees. Go early.

More on the city in Chiang Mai with your Thai family.

Walking with Yai

The best way to see a Thai park is at Yai’s pace. She’ll know which bench is shaded at which hour, which auntie sells the best soy milk at the gate, and which aerobics instructor has the best music. Ask her:

ไปไหม

pai mai

Draft: waiting for a native speaker’s review.

And when the sun gets going, ร้อนจังเลย (rorn jang loei), “it’s so hot”, will start a conversation with anyone on the next bench. Make sure she drinks something too:

ขอน้ำหน่อยได้ไหม

khor naam noi dai mai

ขอน้ำหน่อยได้ไหมครับ

khor naam noi dai mai khrap

ขอน้ำหน่อยได้ไหมคะ

khor naam noi dai mai kha

Who is speaking?

ครับ said by a manค่ะ said by a woman

Draft: waiting for a native speaker’s review.

When you head home, or when you’re back abroad and she’s walking alone:

ยายดูแลสุขภาพด้วยนะ

yaai duu lae suk-kha-phaap duai na

ยายดูแลสุขภาพด้วยนะครับ

yaai duu lae suk-kha-phaap duai na khrap

ยายดูแลสุขภาพด้วยนะคะ

yaai duu lae suk-kha-phaap duai na kha

Who is speaking?

ครับ said by a manค่ะ said by a woman

Draft: waiting for a native speaker’s review.

Practise this conversation in Reply Thai

“Wanna come?”, “could I have some water?” and “take care of yourself, Yai” are all in Reply Thai, practised as replies, so the walk round the lake can happen in Thai, at Yai’s pace.

Reply Thai for iPhone: coming soonEmail me at launch

Want to do more than walk? See run clubs in Thailand and gyms and muay thai.

Thai words on this page are a draft until a native speaker has reviewed them. Opening hours and facilities change: check before you go. Last checked 20 October 2026.