Lumphini Park

The park lies in Pathum Wan district, bordered by Rama IV, Ratchadamri and Witthayu roads, directly next to Silom. It is run by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and is regarded as the first public park in Thailand.

King Vajiravudh, Rama VI, gave the land in 1925, and it was first used as a fairground before becoming a park. It was named after Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha in Nepal. A statue of Rama VI from 1942 stands at the main entrance. During the Second World War the Japanese army used the grounds as a camp.

An artificial lake fills the centre, with swan paddle boats for hire. A jogging loop of about 2.5 kilometres circles the grounds, past a Chinese style clock tower from 1925, playgrounds, an outdoor gym and a public library.

Asian water monitor lizards are a familiar sight swimming in the lake or resting on the banks, and birdwatchers have recorded more than 30 species. The elevated Green Bridge, about 1.3 kilometres long, connects the park to Benjakitti Park to the east.

Entry is free. Gates open before sunrise and close in the evening, and cycling is limited to set daytime hours. Early morning, when locals run and practise tai chi, and late afternoon are the best times. Si Lom and Sala Daeng stations are closest to the main gate, and Lumphini station serves the southeast side.

Gate times, cycling hours and the lake

Lumphini Park covers about 57.6 hectares, or 360 rai, and the gates open at 4:30 am and close at 9 pm every day. Cycling is officially allowed only between 10 am and 3 pm, which keeps the paths clear for runners in the cool hours. Swan paddle boats on the lake have been about 40 baht per half hour.

Around 400 Asian water monitors live in the grounds. In 2016 the city caught and moved some of them elsewhere to keep numbers down, but they remain common along the water. They are wild animals, so keep a few metres away and do not feed them.

The park library, described as the first public library in Thailand, opens from 8 am to 8 pm Tuesday to Sunday. In the cool season the Palm Garden hosts Concert in the Park evenings with the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra and other bands, and a Sunday music programme has run from January to April between 5:30 pm and 8 pm. In the 1960s a floating restaurant called Kinnari Nava operated on the lake until it was destroyed by fire.