Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park: Bangkok's sponge park, opening hours and how to get there

Updated on October 5, 2026

Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park (CU Centenary Park) is a green space of 28 rai, or 4.5 hectares, in the heart of Pathumwan district, between the campus of Thailand's oldest university and the towers of Rama IV Road. It opened on 26 March 2017, the day of the university's centenary, and was designed by the Bangkok landscape architecture firm Landprocess to deal with the flooding that affects the surrounding neighbourhoods. The principle: the whole park slopes so as to collect rainwater, filter it and store it, hence its nickname, the "sponge park". Entry is free; allow an hour, longer if you come to picnic or run.

Highlights

The water garden and its basins

The slope of the park carries rainwater to planted filtering gardens, then to a constructed wetland that cleans it before it reaches the retention pond. You can read this journey of the water in the open air, with slabs, walkways and aquatic plants at the foot of the university buildings. In heavy rain, when the city's sewers are overwhelmed, the park can hold about a million gallons (nearly 4 million litres).

The great lawn

At the centre of the park, a wide, gently sloping lawn is the meeting place: students, families and joggers gather there at the end of the afternoon, with the towers of Pathumwan behind. It is one of the few places in the centre where you can sit on the grass.

The green roof

A raised, planted roof directs run-off to the filtering gardens below. It is part of the water system as much as of the scenery, and gives a view over the whole park.

A lesson in urban planning

The park is cited as one of the best-known "sponge city" examples in South-East Asia. It interests landscape-architecture fans as much as strollers, since you can see the system at work on the scale of a park.

Infos pratiques

Tips

Entry is free, with no ticket or booking. There is little shade on the lawn: aim for early morning or late afternoon, with water and mosquito repellent near the basins. After heavy rain, some slabs and walkways are slippery. The park is quiet on weekdays and busier at weekends; for a larger park a few metro stops away, see Lumphini Park or Benjakitti Park. To combine it with the neighbourhood, read our guide to Siam and Pathumwan.

How to get there

Rama IV Road / Henri Dunant Road, Chulalongkorn University, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330. By metro: MRT Blue Line, Sam Yan station, a few minutes' walk. By BTS: National Stadium or Siam station (Silom or Sukhumvit line), then a taxi or a walk of about twenty minutes; the metro is simplest.