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Pa Chalerm Phrakiat Park (under Saphan Taksin Bridge)
Suan Pa Chalerm Phrakiat (Thai: สวนป่าเฉลิมพระเกียรติ) pronounced sŭan bpàa chà-lĕrm prá gìat is a small but very popular inner city park located directly under Saphan Taksin Bridge (Sathorn Bridge). It is situated between Charoen Nakhon Road and the Chao Phraya River. The immense concrete bridges carrying road traffic and the extended BTS line overhead, although imposing at first, only add to the character of the park and provide welcome protection from the sun and rain for its many visitors, some of whom play takraw (Thai: ตะกร้อ) or do aerobics. In Thai, the name Suan Pa means forestry plantation, which may explain why the park is so densely planted with trees, affording good shade to visitors at most times of the day.
The park has two basketball courts, a football pitch, two takraw courts, and a free open air gym. The machines and workout benches are poorly maintained but the free weights are worth using if you can stand the heat of exercising outdoors. There is also a perimeter path used as a running circuit by a local running club, and an area for aerobics.
Overall, this park is an excellent place to exercise or watch everyday Thai life. Very few foreign visitors enter the park, but that should not deter you from going there.
Getting there
You can enter the park from Charoen Nakhon Road (next to the Pepsi Depot) or use the entrance next to the Chao Phraya River. From BTS Sathorn Taksin station, cross Saphan Taksin Bridge on foot (there is a walkway on both sides) or take the ferry which costs about 3 baht each way.
Location map
Address
Suan Pa Chalerm Prakiat
Charoen Nakhon Road
Khlong San District
Bangkok
Thailand
Comments
Not 100% sure but I think it
Not 100% sure but I think it closes at 9pm. I used to walk past it on my way to/from work in Bangrak.
Do you have the opening times
Do you have the opening times for this park?
Opening times
I should have checked this when I visited last week but only realized my omission when I returned home. The park opens early every morning and closes after dark in the evenings, possibly about eight or nine o'clock. Someone else may be able to confirm this for you - otherwise I'll take a look the next time I'm there.
Article renamed
I've now renamed this article to Pa Chalerm Phrakiat Park. The article was originally named Suan Pa Chalerm Phrakiat Park but the use of "suan" and "park" is probably wrong as both words have the same meaning. Elsewhere I've continued to use the Thai name Suan Pa Chalerm Phrakiat as the location attracts mostly Thai visitors and is therefore likely to be referred to by that name.
Good place for running
I used to walk through this park nearly every day and also used to go running in the evenings. It's one of my favorite small parks in Bangkok and if you live nearby its definitely worth a visit, maybe not for its beauty (although I personally like the bridges) but as a great place to work out. It's also a nice retreat to escape from the more congested and polluted Charoen Krung side of the river.
If you go in the evenings you may meet some members of a local running club. When I used to go running there about two years ago, one of the men used to carry a horn to warn dawdling pedestrians to make way for the runners. They were a friendly group to run with.
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