As its name suggests, Lumphini Park is a park of around 60 hectares, which purifies the air of congested Bangkok and restores the patience of those who visit it.
Full of open spaces, trees and several playgrounds, Lumphini Park contains an artificial lake, famous for housing a lot of “monitor lizards” (or “varanos” in Spanish), where you can rent boats and go for a ride, which is not bad at all to disconnect from the stress of the capital of Thailand.
It also has around 2.5 km of jogging tracks, if you feel like it.
Lumphini Park was established in the 1920s by King Rama VI. It was originally a museum, but after World War I it became Bangkok‘s first park. During World War II the park was used as a Japanese army camp.
It is located at the heart of the main business district, in the Lumphini sub-district, on the north side of Rama IV Road, between Ratchadamri Road and Witthayu Road.
There are several things to do and important points to visit in the park, such as the statue of King Vajiravudh (Rama VI), which was built in 1942 to commemorate the construction of Lumphini Park.
On the other hand, there is nothing better than taking off your shoes and taking a stroll through the gardens. Many of them are full of trees that offer good shade, and it is highly appreciated, because there are times of unbearable heat.
The animals in the park deserve a special mention, as they roam freely without being bothered by people. More than 30 species of birds live in Lumphini Park, but if there is one animal that takes the cake, it is the monitor lizards. They are of spectacular size, and they swim around the lake as they please.
There is a Thai old-fashioned nursing home, the Bangkok Elder Citizens’ Home. It is interesting to visit it; elderly citizens go there to relax, exercise and train. It is open from 8:00 to 18:00 every day, and dance classes are available every Sunday and Saturday.
A shaded area houses plenty of exercise equipment, so if you’re feeling adventurous and want to give it a go… though it’s better to sit by the lake and enjoy the views.
You can also take a bike ride around the park, as there are paved areas designed for this. This will allow you to take a look at the whole park more comfortably, although avoid the sunniest hours if you don’t want to get dizzy. Remember that you are in Bangkok…
Finally, we leave here some more interesting areas, such as the House of Hope: a shelter for homeless children, where they provide information, advice and education to help homeless children.
There is also the Lumphini Park Library, which offers books and videos to those who are interested. Open from 8:00 to 20:00h, Tuesday to Sunday. There is also a nice Chinese pavilion where you can rest in the shade if you are having a barbecue.
Lumphini Youth Center: center for young people. It offers sports activities and sports equipment for members, like football, swimming, basketball and dancing. If you feel like it, you can play with them, because they love it. From Monday to Friday it is open from 18:00 to 20:00h. On weekends it is open from 10:00 to 18:00h.
Buddhist Dharma Activities: Buddhist monks’ routines that take place on the last Sunday of every month from 07:00 to 09:00h.
Music Festival: A festival of Western music and Thai music held on Sundays, January to April, from 5:30pm to 8pm.
Silom MRT station or Lumphini BTS station will drop you off right in front of the park. If you wish, you can also take a taxi (remember to ask for the meter and the ride will not cost you so much)
