Exploring Bangkok's Benchakiti Park

[bkkmfj2648]

I needed a break from Pattaya last week and the urge to visit Bangkok immediately after the Friday 28 March 2025 earthquake - gave me the excuse to go and visit BKK.

I have noticed throughout my life that I seem to be attracted to disasters....

Me at the Costa Concordia disaster in 2012 off the coast of Giglio island in Italy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa_Concordia_disaster

 

So, I explore Bangkok last week and the only inconvenience due to the earthquake that I experienced, was that I was not allowed to go to the top of the Mahanakhon tower to visit the Skywalk - as it was closed (3 April 2025) for post earthquake damage assessment.  I have since learned that some of my friends who have condos in BKK have encountered earthquake damages in their condos that will need to be fixed.  One friend is having to pay 250,000 baht to fix cracks in his condo walls.

In this trip to BKK, I wanted to have NEW experiences and a visit to Benchakiti Park was on my list. So, on Saturday 5 April 2025 I first visit Lumphini Park looking everywhere for the entrance to Benchakiti Park - as I had read that these 2 parks are now connected.

WRONG!!

They are NOT connected and I share the below so that you can avoid the long extra walking mistake that I made - indicated in RED below.

I had walked the perimeter of Lumphini Park looking for signs / indications of the cutover that I had read about to get to Benchakiti Park.  After not finding one, I gave up and just exited Lumphini Park where the RED X is indicated on the below map.  I walked upwards on Witthayu Road towards the One Bangkok complex - as it appeared on my Google map as being connected to Benchakiti Park = NOT - there is a certain point where as a pedestrian you cannot walk anymore as the pathway ends and becomes a large entrance only for cars onto a big highway.  So, a kind security guard directed me to what I believe was northbound on small tiny roads that eventually entered into a shanty town with streets where cars could not pass - as they were too narrow and only pedestrians and motorbikes could pass in these narrow alleys (it reminded me of my many walks in the back streets of Venice). Unlike in the Philippines - when I entered their shantytowns, I was not afraid - as I am already intune with the local Thai people and their kindness - as we definitely could not understand each other there.

I think that the locals understood where I wanted to go (as I presumed that I was not the only lost farang looking for the entrance to the unmarked Benchakiti Park), as they all kept indicating to me which alley way that I needed to meander through to get to the upper pedestrian bridge that connects Witthayu Road with an overpass bridge specifically built that brings you to Benchakiti Park that is elevated over the shanty town.

So, the lesson learned for an enjoyable entrance to Benchakiti Park from Lumphini Park is:

• You need to physically EXIT Lumphini Park at the extreme North East exit (as shown below):

• and then walk perhaps 100 meters north and you will find a stairway that goes up onto a purposely built pedestrian bridge (I believe that it is called the Green Mile) that will take you over the busy Witthayu Road, over all of the below shanty town, and then over the busy Duang Phithak Road, and by then you are physically in Benchakiti Park.

When you arrive to Benchakiti Park - you can stay up on the meandering walkway - which is what I did - OR - you can take the stairs and go down into the park and walk amongst the greenery, streams, swamps, etcetera.

There are many placards during the walk to tell you what you are looking at in both Thai and in English.

 

Nice greenery and eye candy down below.

I highly recommend a visit to Benchakiti Park, and now you can enjoy it more than I did, as I exhausted my energy levels when I became lost in the intense heat.

I would definitely go back - but:

• using the direct route - to conserve my energy to enjoy the park more,
• on a more cloudy day to avoid the intense rays of the sun,
• and, I would venture down from the meandering elevated pedestrian walkway to be up and closer to the nature.

https://hikerhero.com/benjakitti-park/

Enjoy!!

 

[khaolakguy]

Agreed that this is an enjoyable walk and good to see life in the city from a different height perspective. The maps above are very helpful. 

[PeterRS]

I think I'm right in suggesting that the Queen Sirikit MRT station is the closest to the Park. Asoke BTS/Sukhumvit MRT a cose second.

[tm_nyc]

46 minutes ago, PeterRS said:

I think I'm right in suggesting that the Queen Sirikit MRT station is the closest to the Park. Asoke BTS/Sukhumvit MRT a cose second.

I haven't tried it but it looks like the Khlong Toei BTS station is fairly close to the southwest corner of Benchakitti Park.

@bkkmfj2648 gets extra points for doing his explorations in the hot season!

[PeterRS]

12 minutes ago, tm_nyc said:

I haven't tried it but it looks like the Khlong Toei BTS station is fairly close to the southwest corner of Benchakitti Park.

I have not been to the Park but you may be right. Depends I suppose where the entrances are.

[reader]

I've used three different entrances and Khlong Toei I found to be most direct.

Very different environment than Lumpinee (it was once tobacco fields) but well worth visit when sun is low or sky overcast.

[spoon]

1 hour ago, reader said:

visit when sun is low or sky overcast.

Make sure to bring umbrella unless you want to get stucked there if you go there when its not sunny

[Olddaddy]

9 hours ago, bkkmfj2648 said:

Unlike in the Philippines - when I entered their shantytowns, I was not afraid

I never got afraid walking around during the day in the Philippines🇵🇭 including Tondo in Manila

I loved it 😜

 

[vinapu]

10 hours ago, Olddaddy said:

I never got afraid walking around during the day in the Philippines🇵🇭 including Tondo in Manila

I loved it 😜

 

you are big guy so they are more afraid of you than you would be afraid of them

[TMax]

That's a good lap for early morning exercise (start no later than 7am), around Lumphini Park, along the green mile and then to Benchakitti Park (have a nice look around) and back again, takes quite a long time and must be early morning (or you roast) and take a big bottle of water. From memory the walk I've done from the hotel and back using that route was about 7 kilometres (give or take a bit), yes I do walk a lot even at home, a lot of my exercise now is walking for cardio health so a walk like that isn't too hard for me.

[siriusBE]

Queen Sirikit convention centre is more or less part of the park and therefore the Queen Sirikit MRT is a good starting point. The park was nicer that expected