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Looking for a quiet place to escape the hustle and bustle of Bangkok? Welcome to Benjakitti Park (AKA Benchakitti Park), genuinely Bangkok’s most beautiful park and free to visit.
Popular with walkers, picnickers and joggers (plus the ideal photo spot), Benjakitti Parks offers stunning views of the city and its forest, from numerous boardwalks, sprawling across a vast and verdant 180 acre site.
Given all the trees, mangroves and water features, it is hard to believe you are still in the heart of one of the largest cities in the world. Whilst New York has Central Park, Bangkok has Benjakitti Park, a wonderful place to visit and explore.
Whilst you may have heard of Lumpini Park before, Benjakitti Forest Park is less well known, but in our opinion, a much nicer urban green space to explore.
Especially popular at sunset, here is our guide to visiting Benjakitti Park / Benchakitti Park in Bangkok.
Table of Contents
How to Get to Benjakitti Park / Benchakitti Park
Benjakitti Park is located in Sukhumvit and is easily accessible from the Khlong Toei District of central Bangkok.
It is also located close to Terminal 21 shopping centre in Asok, and the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre.
In terms of public transport to the park, It is close to Asok BTS station or in terms of the MRT, Sukhumvit MRT and Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre MRT Station.
You can also easily walk to Benjakitti Park from Lumpini Park via a ‘high line’ pedestrian walking and cycle route (just over 1km in length) which avoids the busy Bangkok roads and traffic.
Several tuk-tuk pick-up and drop off points are also dotted around the park’s perimeter – please note no public vehicles are allowed in the park.
Opening Hours and Admission
The park is open from early mornings (generally from 5am) to 9pm daily, seven days a week. Park opening hours may vary on public holidays or for festivals held in the park.
Benjakitti Park is also free admission / no entry fee, making it one of the best free things to do in Bangkok.
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The History of Benjakitti Park
Benjakitti Park is actually Bangkok’s newest park, officially opening in 2014 to coincide with the 72nd birthday of Queen Sirikit.
Prior to the official opening, the park had been largely underused open space open since 1992, when Queen Sirikit had turned 60 years of age (5th cycle), hence the name “Bejakitti” (5 cycles). The name “Benjakitti” apparently was given by her Royal Highness Sirikit at the official unveiling ceremony.
The whole project to transform Benjakitti Park has cost over 650 million baht and it is now classed as Bangkok’s first forest park. The space has increased in size considerably since it opened in 2014 with the latest expansion and more boardwalks unveiled as recently as 2022.
The park is incredibly popular with local residents and tourists (plus the occasional monitor lizard!) and is a gorgeous green space to undertake sporting activities or lakeside walks.
How big is Benjakitti Forest Park?
Pretty, pretty big! In fact, Benjakitti Park is over 180 acres (over 70 hectares) in size, making it larger than nearby Lumpini Park.
If it wasn’t for the cityscape and views of the Bangkok skyline in every direction from the boardwalks, you could be forgiven for thinking you’d totally left the concrete jungle.
Boardwalks
Perhaps the most scenic part of Benjakitti (and also the most popular photographic spot – especially at sunsets) are the elevated walkways that run the length of the forest park.
Like no other park in Bangkok, these unique features blend into the background and give you stunning aerial and panoramic views of the green space below and the Bangkok skyline.
The boardwalks are easy to walk along and fully accessible with ramps at either end. The walk from one end of the boardwalk to the other takes about 15 minutes without stopping but there are also multiple exit points along the way.
The views here are simply stunning, especially looking out across the mangroves as small birds swoop by or ‘chatter’ in the forest.
Wildlife
As you’d expect from Bangkok’s first forest park, there is an abundance of wildlife within the park grounds and it is a popular spot for birdwatching / ‘birding’. Starlings, tailorbirds, doves and sunbirds can all be seen, especially from the boardwalks.
In the lake area at Benjakitti Park (near the running track), you’ll often see huge turtles bobbing around in the small ponds. On our last visit, someone had put lettuce or cabbage into their pond so the turtles were greedily snapping away at their ‘dinner’.
Also, keep an eye out for monitor lizards. Whilst we didn’t see any ourselves on our several visits to the park, there are warning signs up. If you really do want to see monitor lizards, head over to Lumpini Park as you are guaranteed to spot them there.
Finally, you’ll also occasionally see the odd stray dog or cat in Benjakitti Park – the locals seem to leave water out for them to help beat the scorching heat.
Lake and Mangroves
There are several waterside areas in Benjakitti Park. Whilst the mangrove areas are best seen from the boardwalks, there is also a huge man-made lake (with fountains) on the eastern side of the park, running parallel to Ratchadaphisek Road.
The manmade lake here has a running track all around it so is a little less serene than the greener mangrove and forest park section.
We’ve also read online you can hire boats at Benjakitti Park but during our several visits in February and March 2023, we couldn’t see any boats for hire but did notice several ‘abandoned’ blue boats in the mangrove area.
So whilst not rowable, it did make for some beautiful photographs at sunset!
Live Music and Group Walks
Most times we visited Benjakitti Park, there was some form of event or love music going on.
Big festivals and events have taken place recently including the Wonder of Well Being festival where the park was transformed with art installations and pop-ups in four distinct zones.
On one occasion when we visited in early 2023, there was high energy / fitness festival being held at the main Benjakitti outdoor amphitheatre area.
On another occasion, we watched a local band called ‘Painkillers’ perform in the smaller auditorium by the man-made lake. The live music was free to watch and was enjoyed by an appreciative crowd.
Also, there are several local groups that offer free evening walking tours of Benjakitti Park.
Benjakitti Dog Park
Whilst dogs are not allowed in the main Benjakitti Park, a new Benjakitti Dog Park opened in 2022 to allow city dwellers to walk their furry friends – ‘paw’esome stuff!
Dog owners must register their dogs in advance and carry dog poo bags – random spot checks are often carried out
The Dog Park is open from 5am to 9pm daily.
Photography at Benjakitti Park
This must be one of the most popular photography and selfie spots in Bangkok, given the unique setting and location (particularly at sunset).
The best place to take photographs is the boardwalk area, due to the high elevation, panoramic views and cool juxtaposition of the natural habitats with the sleek and shiny skyscrapers in the background. Note: non commercial photography is allowed in Benjakitti.
We also noticed that it is a very popular spot for students to have their graduation photos taken.
The Best Time to Visit Benjakitti Forest Park
We visited Benjakitti Park both during the morning, afternoon and evening and definitely the most popular time to visit is in the late afternoon.
It can be eerily quiet mid morning or early afternoon (likely due to the searing heat and full on sunshine), but the park comes alive from about 4pm onwards with people taking early evening strolls along the boardwalks.
Sunset also brings out the best of Benjakitti Park, as the golden hues and reflections from the setting sun and skyscrapers show the park in a whole new ‘light’.
Eating and Drinking
Benjakitti Park is a popular place to picnic or bring food to enjoy and eat on a bench.
There are several areas throughout the park with tables that have shade from either palm trees, or you can sit down in one of the numerous shelters.
Benjakitti Park allows million dollar (or baht) views of Bangkok city to go with your picnic. Note that whilst there are no permanent cafes, there are often street food vendors lined up right outside the park entrances, particularly along Ratchadaphisek Road. Alcohol consumption is also forbidden.
Other Attractions and Amenities
There are lots of things to do in Benjakitti Park plus amenities including:
- Multiple public toilet blocks (free to use)
- Small shrines for people to pay their respects
- Pop-up massages
- Yoga workshops
- Empty warehouse buildings that seemingly will be turned into shops or cultural spaces (as at March 2023).
Finally, Benjakitti Park is THE best Park to explore Bangkok
Given its unique setting and elevated boardwalks, we can honestly say that Benjakitti Park is the most beautiful park in the city of Bangkok, especially at sunset.
With an abundance of wildlife, a lush green setting and multiple jogging tracks, the park is a popular outdoor space and easily one of the best free things to do in Bangkok.
Like Benjakitti Park? Whilst not combine it with a trip to Lumpini Park – read our guide to visiting Lumpini Park here >
Benjakitti Forest Park Bangkok Address
Benjakitti Forest Park (also often referred to as Benchakitti), Ratchadaphisek Rd, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110
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