5 Peaceful Spots in Busy Bangkok
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
As a huge city with six million residents, Bangkok, Thailand is vibrant and frenetic seemingly 24 hours a day. If you're feeling overwhelmed and need a place to chill out, TPG International Contributor Lori Zaino suggests some quiet spots within the city that are perfect for soothing your jet lag or simply recharging after a day of sightseeing. (All photos are by the author, unless otherwise specified).
Bangkok can be an overwhelming city. It's large and hectic, and I don't blame anyone for wanting to find a spot to get a little peace and quiet. Even the temples, which in many other cities are quiet places for reflection, are touristy and often crowded in Bangkok. So here are five peaceful places in Bangkok that are sure to make anyone fall in love this bustling city!
1. Lumpini Park
Named after the Buddha's birthplace in Nepal, this 142-acre park in the center of Bangkok provides a haven of shade, peace and quiet — and no smoking. Dating back to the 1920s, the sprawling green space has plenty of trees, lakes and flowers, perfect for a peaceful midday stroll.
If you're up for a unique fitness experience, you can pay 50 THB (just over $1) to work out in the vintage outdoor gym.
You'll also find a lake where you can rent small paddle boats for 30 THB (just under $1) per hour. I highly recommend a paddle around the lake for great views of the park that is rimmed by the Bangkok skyline. Look out for the giant monitor lizards that swim or lazily lounge near the water's edge. These huge reptiles aren't particularly aggressive, but you should still avoid getting too close. Also keep an eye out for fish, beetles and giant turtles.
When you get hungry, there are street food vendors just outside the park entrance, and you can sit at the park's picnic tables to chow down on your Pad Thai and enjoy some people-watching. If you're lucky, you'll spot a Tai Chi or fencing class in progress.
Lumpini Park
Address: Rama IV Road, Pathumwan
Hours: 430am-9pm (bicycling only permitted between 10am-3pm)
MRT: Silom, Lumphini, Skytrain: Saladaeng
Asiatique is Bangkok's newest open-air shopping mall and quite possibly the most upscale night market in the city. Opened in 2012, its riverfront complex features more than 40 restaurants, lots of shopping and entertainment and activities — including Sky Asiatique, Bangkok's Ferris wheel.
Once you've shopped the busy, buzzing market to your heart's content, head over to the Sky Asiatique for a tranquil trip up to the clouds. Each gondola offers soft music and breathtaking, 360-degree views of Bangkok and the Chao Praya River. If you want to raise the romance factor, spring for a private gondola. Or, if the wheel isn't too crowded and you and your partner look happy and in love, you just might get your own gondola for free.
Sky Asiatique
Address: 2194 Charoenkrung Road, Wat Prayakrai District, Bangkok Laem
Hours: 5pm-12am
Price: 300 THB ($8) for adults, 200 THB ($5.50) for children and seniors, and 1000 THB ($27) for a private gondola for two
Skytrain: Stephan Taskin — then can catch the free boat (running every 30 minutes between 5pm-11pm) down the river to the market
Formerly known as the Bangkok Rose Gardens and set an hour's drive from the city center, this 70-acre riverside spot prides itself on being more of a community than a tourist attraction. The garden dates back to the 1960s, started by a family that grew roses to sell at Bangkok's Pak Khlong Talat flower market. As word of these beautiful gardens spread, area people began visiting to see it for themselves.
Today, the property consists of a 4-star hotel, spa, six antique Thai houses overlooking a lake, a weekend farmer's market, a 10-acre farm, the Thai Village Cultural Center and, of course, plenty of roses. This serene landscape is a special treat for nature lovers, as there are some 100-year-old-plus trees on the property and several different endemic species of flowers, plants, trees and herbs.
Sampran Riverside Gardens
Address: Pet Kasem Road, Sam Phran, Nakhonpathom
Hours: 8am-6pm, daily
Price: Self-guided garden visits are free, or you can book various tours of the farm and the Thai Cultural Center
4. VIP Blue Ribbon Bangkok Airways Cinema at Siam Paragon
Feel like kicking back and watching a movie on a humid and rainy Bangkok afternoon? How about one complete with a massage, reclining bed/seat, a glass of wine and a VIP lounge?
Start off by enjoying the comfy velvet seating in the Bangkok Airways Blue Ribbon Lounge. Here, you can peruse an iPad and pick out a drink (wine, beer or non-alcoholic) and your choice of snack (anything from ice cream to cake to popcorn). Then, enjoy a 15-minute massage, ensuring that you're sufficiently relaxed enough to enter one of the individual screening rooms to enjoy your movie.
Anyone who loves the seats in the pointy end of the plane will love this theater's wide, cushy leather seats, each of which is trimmed in lacquered wood and comes with a pillow and blanket. Be sure to use that blanket, by the way, and bring a jacket or scarf, as well — the AC here can be really cold.
VIP Blue Ribbon Bangkok Airways Cinema
Opening Hours: 10:30am-12 midnight
Price: 1000-1250 THB (about $28-$30)
Skytrain: Siam
5. The Jim Thompson House & Museum
An American entrepreneur who settled in Bangkok in the 1950s, Jim Thompson's successful Thai silk company funded his construction of an elegant, graceful complex of houses that's now known as the Jim Thompson House & Museum. He lived here until 1969, when he took a trip to Malaysia with friends and mysteriously disappeared.
These days, the home's six traditional Thai houses, surrounded by jungle foliage, koi ponds and flowers, are open to the public. The property's traditional Thai teakwood buildings feature ornate carvings and arched ceilings, and house an extensive collection of art and antiques. Rest your mind and body in any one of the garden pavilions, and enjoy the sensation of being very far from home.
Jim Thompson House & Museum
Address: 6 Soi Kasemsan 2, Rama 1 Road, Bangkok
Hours: Open 9am-6pm, daily
Price: 150 THB ($4) adults, 100 ($3) THB for ages 22 and under (with ID)
Skytrain: National Stadium
Still stressed? Visit one of Bangkok's Infinity Spa for a rejuvenating Thai massage or kick back with a cocktail at one of the city's famous rooftop bars, such as under-the-radar Cloud 47
Helpful Hint: Credit cards such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card don't charge foreign transaction fees, making them ideal to use on overseas vacations. To see more cards without these fees, check out Top Credit Cards With No Foreign Transaction Fees.
For more on Bangkok, check out these posts:
Destination of the Week: Bangkok
TPG's own trip to Bangkok back in 2012
Hotel reviews of the W Bangkok, the Royal Orchid Sheraton and the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
5 Reasons Why I Love Bangkok Airways
12 Tips For Your First Trip To Southeast Asia
Have you got the perfect chill-out spot in Bangkok? Please share it!
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees