Rama IX Park

Suan Luang Rama IX opened in 1987 to mark King Bhumibol's sixtieth birthday and covers about eighty hectares, making it the largest park in Bangkok. Its layout is unusual for the city: a central lake with a botanical garden and a series of walled international gardens - Japanese, Chinese, Italian, French, Spanish, English and an ASEAN section - each laid out in its national style, plus a large greenhouse complex of tropical and desert plants and a museum on the king's life and work. Because it is a long way from the centre in Prawet district with no convenient rail link, it takes a fraction of the foreign visitors of Lumphini and is largely used by Bangkok families, particularly at weekends. The annual flower festival in December, held around the king's birthday, is when the planting is at its most elaborate and the crowds heaviest. It is very large; walking all of it takes real time in the heat.

What you actually see

• The international gardens - Japanese, Chinese, Italian, French and others, walled separately.
• The greenhouses - tropical and desert plant collections.
• The lake - the central water with the botanical garden around it.
• The December festival - the flower show around the king's birthday.

When to go

November to February; the flower festival is in December and is the peak. Early morning avoids the heat. Weekends bring Bangkok families in numbers.

Honest expectations

Far from the centre with no rail link - a taxi ride each way. Very large, with long walks between sections in heat and limited shade in parts. Some themed gardens are maintained better than others.

Nearby

Suvarnabhumi Airport is east; central Bangkok is a long drive west.