King Rama IX Park, Bangkok, Thailand | Flower Festival, Botanical Garden

King Rama IX Park, Bangkok Overview

The largest public park of Bangkok, the King Rama IX Park is a botanical garden built in 1987 to celebrate King Bhumibol's 60th birthday. Spread over 200 acres, this beautiful space is perfect for wandering around or spending an afternoon with family. It also has a gallery with photos and paintings of the King. Every December, the park also hosts an enchanting flower festival.

King Rama IX Park is a popular tourist spot in Bangkok. It is an expansive area, planned meticulously to showcase the nature of Thailand while providing an ideal environment for relaxation and enjoyment. It is the biggest park in Bangkok at present. Winter is the best time for visiting the King Rama IX Park when the flowers are in full bloom with the flower festival in progress

King Rama IX Park Flower Festival

Flowers at King Rama IX Park Bangkok — The Flower Festival at the King Rama IX Park is One of the Grandest Events of the at the
Park (Source)

An annual flower festival takes place at the King Rama IX Park during the latter part of the year, preferably the first week of December to celebrate the birthday of the erstwhile King. The temperature dips enough to be comfortable for hordes of visitors as well as foreign tourists who make the show a resounding success. There are numerous flowers on display at the show with both common and rare species being showcased here. The show opens with a religious recital by the Buddhist monks who pay their respects to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Apart from the beautiful flowers, the park also has an Art exhibition along with one dedicated to His Majesty, King Bhumibol. Gardeners and local flower lovers grab this opportunity of buying plants, seeds, and bulbs from the park along with gardening tools.

Dates: 1st - 10th December
Timings: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Cost: THB 10

Botanic Garden at King Rama IX Park Bangkok

An expansive botanical garden is situated right inside the King Rama IX Park. It includes an enormous collection of trees and plants, both outdoors as well as indoors that are preserved within the greenhouses created to represent the bygone colonial era.

Chinese Gardens
The Chinese section of the garden has been aptly designed with a quaint old wooden pavilion concealed behind a wall. There are numerous varieties of cacti planted in the American section. It truly reminds one of the Nevada Desert without the hot sand and severe weather.

Dome Adventures
Young children are particularly enthused to find the presence of a large dome that looks entirely futuristic reminding one of the Star Trek adventures. The Italian gardens are exceedingly neat and clean in comparison and sport several fountains. The plants are trimmed neatly with the hedges being manicured to perfection.

French Colonnade
The statue located in the middle of the French Colonnade like structure grabs the attention of the visitors. The striking similarity with Rodin's 'The Thinker' makes the tourists wonder at the detailing and amount of care that went into the planning of the garden. The orchids, being showcased in the botanical garden generate a lot of interest as well.

Lily Pond at King Rama IX Park — There is a Lily Pond Near the Botanical Gardens at the King Rama IX Park (Source)

It is deemed to be one of the best botanical gardens across Bangkok. People venturing that far would be pleased to find a number of bridges leading up to a lily pond. The pavilion of Thakon Phrakia in the middle of the lily pond is a perfect representation of the traditional designs of Thailand.

Timings: 5:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Cost: Included in Park Entry, No Additional Fee

Activities at the Park

Swan Boats at King Rama IX Park — You Can Take a Swan or Duck Shaped Boat Across the Lake at King Rama IX Park
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Apart from visiting the Botanical Gardens and attending the Annual Flower Festival, there are many things you can do at the 200-acre King Rama IX Park:

Pedalling on the lake in duck and swan-shaped paddle boats that are found lining at the jetty. They are offered on hire at reasonable rates for half an hour
Participating in Tai Chi or aerobics
Travelling through the entire park by taking a toy train ride
Visiting the outdoor gym for working out
Children can play within an enclosed space with a supply of toys and games provided by the authorities

Tips

King Rama IX Park Bangkok Thailand — King Rama IX Park in Bangkok, Thailand
(Source)

Visitors find it most effective to visit the park early in the morning so that they can walk through all the different sections.
Other activities at the park remain suspended three days before the commencement of the flower show with the public being allowed to participate after the end of the festival.

How To Reach King Rama IX Park

King Rama IX Park, known traditionally as the Suan Luang Rama IX is located at Sukhumvit Soi 103. However, it is quite far from Bangkok city centre with most visitors preferring to take the BTS to Udom Suk. After that, hire a taxi for THB 70 to reach the gates of the park. Traversing the entire distance by a cab is likely to take 30 minutes and will cost about THB 150.