Train Station Stroll: What to do around BTS National Stadium Station?
The National Stadium BTS Station is the last station on the green line (Silom Line) that connects Bangkokians from both sides of the Chaopraya River. You will find office workers frequenting the line during rush hours and young students heading to shopping malls after school. But since this line intersected with the Sukhumvit Line at Siam Station, the National Stadium BTS Station that is one station away is often overlooked and even forgotten.
There’s a saying “we don’t see things we pass by as clearly as we see our destination”. It best describes the minds of people who by any chance pass by this station. Today, we will take you touring around the station that is always seen as the station to stop if you want to go to MBK center or Siam Discovery. To your surprise, you will see that you can have quite a good day strolling around this unpopular destination.
Get Fit
To live up to the name of the station, it makes the most sense to feature some physical activities in our stroll. We’re starting to see a generation of Thai people that are more health-conscious, so pack up your sportswear and running shoes and join them for gains. When you arrive early in the morning, you will see joggers all around the Supachalasai Stadium taking in the fresh morning breeze. There’s also a fitness area nearby that is free for the public to access. If you’re short on gears, you can find discounted sporting goods in stores all around the area. For those of you who might take sporting a bit more seriously, you can even find lessons from professionals here.
Visutdrarom Swimming Pool
If you’ve been to MBK center before there’s a chance you might’ve seen a competition grade swimming facility in the national stadium area from up high in the parking building. To get to the pool, simply walk down from the station, and go straight between the Futsal facility and MBK center. This swimming facility gives lessons to anyone 7 years and older and are open for public use to people with prior experience. For more details of membership costs and entry fees check out their official Facebook page.
Table Tennis Lessons at Yasaka
Talk about a light sport that can be enjoyed by anyone of any age; Table Tennis is the way to go. We often see ping-pong tables at pubs, resorts, or even at your friend’s house, that's because it’s easy to learn and a good activity to pass the time. If you want to take things a little more seriously or learn more about the techniques we recommend you take some lessons with the real pro. At the facility here inside Nimibutr Stadium, you can have your gears upgraded and handles corrected from a real national team member and SEA games gold medalist from the Yasaka team. For more information have a look at their official website below.
Get Filled
You often hear or might’ve read that it’s good to have a well-balanced meal to replenish what you’ve lost in the sweat. We recommend you walk towards Banthat Thong Road to find some of the best street food vendors in town. Some of these vendors have been serving Chulalongkorn University’s students for generations. The one menu we recommended after a good exercise is Hainanese Chicken Rice, a high-protein dish which also happens to be one of the top choices in the Thai street food checklist.
Seven Hainanese Chicken Rice
Banthat Thong Road is home to multiple Hainanese Chicken Rice vendors, but this one is slightly different. This vendor will have the favorite dish ready for you 24 hours every day, making it an excellent place to drop by very late at night or if you want to have an early breakfast. The rich and thick rice gives off a sweet, garlicky aroma and the chicken is perfectly boiled, not too chewy or too dry. You can also ask for fried chicken if you like some crisp on your dish, and also the dipping sauce here is to die for.
Jay Bow’s Hainanese Chicken Rice
Not far from the vendor above is another choice for good Hainanese Chicken Rice. This place serves chicken with almost no skin or fat, but the meat is cooked perfectly that it practically melts in your mouth. While the rice and sauce are just on par, the fried chicken here is to highlight it all. The chicken thighs are fried until golden brown, making the skin is thin and crispy like a potato chip and the meat juicy.
Get Fancy
Getting filled up with good food after a productive day is always good for your body. You get to build your muscles and keep your body nourished with great vitamins and proteins. What's left now is for you to feed your heart and soul with some fine arts.
BACC Bangkok Art and Culture Center
The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) is a mid-town facility for contemporary arts that aims to create a meeting place for artists, to provide cultural programs for the community giving importance to cultural continuity from past to contemporary. This nine floor building with a recreational atmosphere is the perfect place for you to indulge what the different realms of Bangkok’s arts scene have to offer.
Once you step down from the BTS Skywalk you will see the Open Space in front of BACC building often used for concerts or film screenings. When rotating though a series of escalators from floors 1 to 4, you will be passing through artHub@bacc, home of various design cafes, restaurants, and bookshops. Don’t forget to stop by the 2nd floor to see the People's Gallery,
a public art space where anyone can submit their exhibition proposal, for some interesting pieces. The 5th floor is the home of a 220 seat Auditorium designed for talks, musical events and film screening. Last but not least are the Main Galleries on floors 7 through 9 that has a total space of about 3,500 sq.m.
Check out their website and Facebook page for the latest news and updates on what exhibitions and performances will take place during your time of visit.