Parks and Outdoors - The Seoul Guide

Banpo Hangang Park

Banpo Hangang Park is a park located on the southern side of the Hangang River. Most people visit this park to see the Banpo Bridge Rainbow Fountain show. The bridge is a well known tourist attraction and the longest fountain bridge in the world. The bridge measures in at 1,140 meters (3,740 feet).

Cheonho Park

Cheonho Park is a small neighborhood park located in southwestern Seoul, not far from Gwangnaru Hangang Park and Amsa-dong Prehistoric Settlement Site. Though small, the park features a musical fountain, library, outdoor stage, and walking paths. There are also various sports facilities including a basketball court and volleyball court. Though located in the center of the city, Cheonho Park provides a space for relaxation for both locals and tourists.

Dosan Park

Dosan Park is a park and memorial dedicated to the life and achievements of independence activist An Chang-ho, who also went by the pen name Dosan. The park first opened in 1973 in Sinsadong. It covers 29,974 square meters (322,637 square feet). Sights here include the Dosan An Changho Memorial Hall, the tomb of Dosan and his wife Helen (Hye Ryon Lee), multiple statues, and walking trails.

Dream Forest

Dream Forest is a large park located in Gangbuk-gu which features open spaces and many walking trails. The area was formerly known as Odong Geullin Park. On October 17, 2009, renovation work was completed and the park was renamed as Dream Forest. At 660,000 square meters, (7,104,180 square feet), Dream Forest is the fourth largest park in Seoul after after World Cup Park, Olympic Park, and Seoul Forest.

Gwangjin Forest Naru Park

Gwangjin Forest Naru Park is a neighborhood park located in Gwangjin-gu, between Guui-dong and Gwangjang-dong, close to the Hangang River. The park has two sections on both sides of Cheonho-daero at the northern end of the Cheonho-daero Tunnel. Since the 1970s, the area has gone through various stages of development.

Jamsil Hangang Park

Jamsil Hangang Park is a riverside park in Seoul, Korea, located along the Hangang River between Jamsil Railway Bridge and Yeongdong Bridge. It sits near the Seoul Sports Complex (Jamsil Sports Complex), home to Seoul Olympic Stadium and Jamsil Baseball Stadium. Though sitting in the heart of Seoul, the 4.8 km (3 miles)-long park spans 539,071 square meters (5.8 million square feet) and offers a peaceful escape from the city.

Jangchungdan Park

Jangchungdan Park, located on Mt. Namsan, is a park where a shrine and tablet once stood that honored those who died trying to protect Empress Myeongseong. Many soldiers died trying to protect Empress Myeongseong from the Japanese. Today visitors to the park can find multiple statues and memorials including one for the 1919 Independence Movement of Korea.

Maeheon Citizens’ Forest

Maeheon Citizens’ Forest, formerly Yangjae Citizens’ Forest, is a public park located in the neighborhood of Yangjae-dong in southern Seoul. In 1980, the land where the park today is located was acquired through the Gaepo-dong Land Arrangement Plan. The goal of this plan was to beautify the city and provide a pleasant recreation area for the citizens of Seoul.

Marronnier Park

Marronnier Park is a park located in the Daehangno district of Seoul named after the large marronnier (chestnut tree) growing in the center of the park. The Marronnier tree originates from Italy and France in the Mediterranean where in the spring, red and white flowers can be seen blooming. The district of Daehangno, also known as College Street, is a popular place for cultural events, exhibitions, and musical performances.

Naksan Park

Stunning views of Seoul can be seen from Naksan Park, set high above Daehangno on Mt. Naksan. A portion of the old fortress wall runs through the park. Naksan Park is sometimes called Nakta Park. The name of the park is a reference to its hump like appearance as "nakta" is the Korean word for camel.

Namsan Park

South of Myeongdong on Mt. Namsan is Namsan Park, popular for hiking trails, tourist attractions, N Seoul Tower, and panoramic views of downtown Seoul. Namsan, meaning "South Mountain", is the largest park in Seoul attracting over 20,000 people a day who visit here to experience a little slice of nature in the middle of the urban city.

Oil Tank Culture Park

The Oil Tank Culture Park in Mapo-gu is one of the newest parks in Seoul, repurposed from an old oil depot into a cultural center and park. The Seoul Metropolitan Government, with the help of citizens, transformed the site to preserve its history and promote sustainability and urban regeneration. The Mapo Oil Depot was built as an oil storage facility in the 1970s to prepare for future oil crises.

Olympic Park

Seoul Olympic Park, or Olpark, is a large outdoor recreation area, sporting venue, and park that was built for the 1988 Summer Olympics. Just a few of the facilities built for the Olympics include a swimming pool, gymnastics arena, tennis courts, fencing gymnasium, and velodrome. The park is large and covers an area of over 1.4 million square meters.

Sajik Park

Sajik Park is a park located near the Central Government Complex on the hills of Mt. Inwang. Rites to the deities of earth and grains are performed here. It was here where sacrifices and ceremonies were performed in honor of the deities of the earth and the deities of the grains.

Sebit Dungdungseom (Floating Island)

Seonyudo Park

Seonyudo Park is a popular park and open space located on an island on the Hangang River that was formerly used as an industrial water treatment plant. The small island, located west of Yeouido, was opened in 2009 after city officials realized that the island could be better used as an urban park instead of an idle industrial plant.

Seoul Forest

Seoul Forest is a large park and nature area with walking paths and unique artwork that is located on the banks of the Hangang River on Ttukseom (Ttuk Island). In the past, this area has been used for many purposes from a royal hunting ground to more recently as a water treatment facility.

Seoul Iris Garden (Seoul Botanical Garden)

Seoul Iris Garden (Seoul Botanical Garden) is a park that lies between Mt. Dobongsan and Mt. Suraksan in northeastern Seoul that features an iris garden. The park and botanical garden first opened on June 7, 2009. Seoul Iris Garden measures in at 52,417 square meters (564,212 square feet). The area features twelve unique theme zones including an Iris Garden, Medicinal Plant Garden, Wetland Park, forest lounge, and an observatory.

Tapgol Park

Tapgol Park is a public park that lies at the center of Seoul, near Insadong. It was here in 1919 where the March 1st Korean Independence Movement began. This movement called for the independence of Korea from Japanese rule. The highlight of the park is the famous enclosed marble Wongaksa Pagoda that was constructed in 1467.

Yeouido Hangang Park

Yeouido Hangang Park is one of the most popular parks found along the Hangang River which runs through the heart of Seoul. The park is located on the northern edge of Yeouido, an 8.4 square kilometer (5.2 square mile) island. Yeouido is the center of Seoul's finance and banking. Located nearby are many important buildings related to finance, business, banking, and politics such as the National Assembly Building.

Yongsan Family Park

Once a golf course for the United States military, Yongsan Family Park has become an oasis and a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. The large park, which features wonderful wide open green spaces and trees, is situated right next to the National Museum of Korea just south of Mt.