The best-kept park in Bangkok is Lumpini Park. It is the oldest, largest and most popular of the city's green areas. Established at the beginning of the last century, it is said to be the best escape from Bangkok without having to leave town.
Other public parks in Bangkok include Chatuchak Park, Suan Rommaninart Park and Suan Saranrom Park in the Rattanakosin island area, and Benjasiri Park (the Queen's Park) on Sukhumvit Road, near the Emporium department store. Nearly all of these parks host aerobic dancing and other recreational activities in the evenings after work.
In the outskirts of Bangkok, the Rama IX Royal Park (Suan Luang Ror IX) has earned a reputation for its beautiful setting and superb designs. Established in celebration of His Majesty the King's 60th birthday, the trees in the park are not yet fully mature and do not provide complete shade. Nonetheless with its different garden styles, Suan Luang Ror IX is already very popular among weekend picnickers.
Another new yet remarkable public park in the vicinity of Bangkok is at Phutthamonthon in Nakhon Pathom province. The park is also the largest religious sanctuary in Thailand.

Lumpini Park
The most popular and most central of Bangkok's green areas, Lumpini Park (Suan Lum) is a tropical oasis bounded on four sides by Rama IV, Wireless (Withayu), Ratchadamri and Sarasin Roads. Entrances to the park are available on all four sides.
Named after the birthplace of the Lord Buddha, this park is home to a large variety of mature tree and shrub species, with large boating lakes and a spectacular fountain. The road that circuits the park is popular among joggers who come for their exercise in the mornings and evenings. Watch out for early morning 'tai chi', performed by the older generation Chinese residents, aerobic dance classes, singing and dancing, and even open-air weight lifting. Rowing boats and paddle boats can be taken out on the lake for a few baht. There are plenty of benches and tables to rest for a while or enjoy a picnic, and vendors plying the park will happily sell you a drink or rent a mat for a modest fee.
An unusual sight in the mornings (and not for the squeamish) is the freshly squeezed snakes' blood and bile sold by vendors. These delicacies are considered to be invigorating health tonics by certain Thais and Chinese. Try some if you dare.
Lumpini Park is open daily from early morning until late.

Rama IX Park
The 200-acre Rama IX Park, or Suan Luang Ror Kow, is located in east Bangkok on Sukhumvit Soi 103 (Soi Udomsuk). Opened in 1987 to commemorate the fifth-cycle birth anniversary of His Majesty the King, the park comprises extensive landscaped gardens, botanical gardens and a water park. At the center of the park is an eye-pleasing crown-shaped building that houses an exhibition of His Majesty's life and works. Rama IX Park is a popular weekend getaway for the city residents. Just watch out for the green mini-buses that congregate at the end of Soi 103 to get to the park.
Rama IX Park is open everyday from 6.00 am to 6.00 pm. The admission fee is 10 baht.