Seoul Gardens and Parks You Must Visit! 

As an expat living in Seoul, we are sometimes so surrounded by tall city buildings. that we feel the need to escape and find some of those beautiful nature spots again. These are some of my favorite places to escape the urban lifestyle and breath in some fresh air and greenery. Even though Seoul is such a big city, they have done a great job of keeping some large walking trails, large parks, and botanical gardens. I’ve created this comprehensive list of beautiful Seoul gardens and parks to visit and some within the surrounding areas. 

Seoul Gardens and Parks You Must Visit! 

[one-half-first]

[/one-half-first][one-half]

[/one-half]

Seoul Botanical Garden

Address: 161 Magok-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Seoul Botanical Garden is a fairly new exhibit that opened up just this year. It’s a beautiful botanical garden similar to the ones you see in Singapore, although smaller. This is one of my favorite Seoul Gardens to visit. This beautiful garden is interesting to explore and see what there is to offer. The area is all indoors and there are some other areas you can explore and view like the seed room, cafe, gift shop and more. It is worth checking out especially if you love plants or want to educate your kids on botany. 

Seoul Grand Park – One of Seoul’s most popular Gardens

Address: 102 Daegongwongwangjang-ro, Makgye-dong, Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

This park has my favorite gardens in Seoul and is the most famous in Seoul! You have probably seen the subway station for it on your map. At this park, they have an amusement park, botanical garden, a zoo, and a rose pavilion. This park is so large and the prices are fairly affordable with tickets to the zoo for adults at 5,000 won. 

Seoul Iris Garden – Includes several Gardens

Address: 4 Dobong-dong, Dobong-gu, Seoul, South Korea

At the Seoul Iris Garden, they have an iris flower garden, medicinal plant garden, and waterside botanical garden. There are about 130 different species and 300,000 individual iris plants within the garden itself. The park is surrounded by wetlands or marshlands as well with plenty of man-made walkways and wooden bridges. 

Namsan Outdoor Botanical Garden

Address: Itaewon 2(i)-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea

This botanical garden is in the heart and Seoul of Seoul. Get it? It’s in the prime location for travelers all over. It is close to Namsan Tower, which makes it pretty convenient to visit while in the city. Many people visit this area because of Yongsan Air Base, Itaewon (a popular spot for foreigners), and the famous Namsan tower. If you want to get a break from the city, be sure to check out the Namsan Botanical Garden in Seoul.

Seoul Children’s Grand Park

Address: 216 Neungdong-ro, Neung-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, South Korea

At this kid-friendly park, there is a zoo, amusement park, park, botanical garden, performance events, and the natural world for you and your family alike to explore. The park admission is free, however, there may be some other fees related to the other areas of the park. 

Bucheon City Botanic Gardens (부천식물원) in Seoul

Address: 381 Chunui-dong, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

In this garden, you can find some of the rare plants that you may not be able to see in Seoul. At the Bucheon City Botanic Gardens, it is located in a glass greenhouse with different plant environments such as a fun plant gallery, water plant gallery, subtropical gallery, fleshy plant gallery, and wild plant gallery.

Seoul Forest 

Address: 273 Ttukseom-ro, Seongsu-dong 1(il)-ga, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea

This beautiful area is definitely worth visiting during the fall with all of the gorgeous foliage and trees. This park has large pathways to take an afternoon stroll. It consists of about 5 parks: the Culture and Arts Park, Eco Forest, Experiential Learning Park, Marsh Plants Garden, and Hangang Riverside Park. The Cultural Art Park has the Seoul Forest Square, Ttukseom Family Field, decorative flower beds, a visitor’s center, a skate park, an outdoor stage, a waterside lounge (restaurant), an in-forest open space, an in-forest playground and water play area. The eco forest is a natural habit for all different natural animals in Seoul. 

Bukhansan National Park

Address: 262 Bogukmun-ro, Jeongneung-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, South Korea

This is one of Seoul’s most popular hiking areas that include a mountain. It is probably one of the most visited national parks in Korea as well. Since there is a mountain, there are lots of gorgeous peaks that give you the perfect eagle’s eye view. There are several hiking trails you can take that last from 1.3 – 3 hours. Although, I’m sure they can last longer if you do more. Be sure to make it to the Baegundae Peak for a breathtaking view. 

Olympic Park (올림픽공원)

Address: 424, Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul

This park is mostly used for people who need a place to play sports. This park includes modern, state-of-the-art sports stadiums, an eco-friendly forest, and spacious grassy fields. There is also a Cultural Art Park, Leisure Sports Park, Environmental Eco-Park, and a History Experience Park. You can also get a tour of the park if you wish. 

Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) – Digital Seoul Gardens

Address: 04566  281 Euljiro, Jung-gu, Seoul (Euljiro 7-ga) 

The DDP is technically not a park, however, there is a rooftop area filled with an electric lighted flower garden. This is a popular landmark in Seoul with its intriguing design and art-filled rooms. This is more like an architecture park filled with intricate details. 

Hongneung Arboretum

Address: 02455,  57 Hoegi-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul  

The arboretum is free to the public and only open on the weekends. This is the oldest Arboretum located in Korea.  There are 12 different gardens that include the following: conifers, broad-leaved trees, shrubs, herbs, subtropicals, ornamentals, edible/medicinals, exotics, and carnivorous plants.  This is considered to be a hidden gem in Seoul.

Hours of Operation

• March to October: 09:00 – 18:00 
• November to February: 09:00 – 17:00

Closed: 

• Every Monday, May 1 and all statutory holidays
• Closed on Saturdays or Sundays 

Gardens right outside of Seoul

Garden of the Morning Calm – Popular Gardens outside of Seoul

Address: 432 Sumogwon-ro, Sang-myeon, 상면 Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

This is one of the most instagrammable places in South Korea due to its suspension pedestrian bridge. At this park, it is filled with a variety of different types of gardens from the herb garden, greenhouse to the wildflower garden. You can easily get lost in this location. 

Asan Botanical Garden (세계꽃식물원)

Address: 37-37 Asanman-ro, Dogo-myeon, Asan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea

This garden features over 3,000 species of flowers. As a botanical garden, these flowers are in the largest indoor greenhouse botanical garden in Korea. Many of the species of flowers that are inside this botanical garden are not known species within Korea. 

National Institute of Ecology

Address: 1210, Geumgang-ro, Maseo-myeon, Seocheon-gun, Chungcheongnam-do

At the National Institute of Ecology, there is a lot to explore. They have an Aquatic Botanical Garden, Ecorium, Playground, Mountain Ecology Center, ponds, Education Center, Deer Ecology Center and even more. This huge location is beautifully crafted and designed for any visitor for Korea. This is located close to Gunsan which is about 2.5-3 hours away. 

Gyeongju East Palace Garden (경주 동궁원)

Address: 74-14, Bomun-ro, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do

The east palace garden has Korea’s first zoo and botanical garden. There are also a variety of greenhouses to visit as well. This park includes a botanical garden, an agricultural experience facility, and a bird park. The bird park is a unique way to experience the gardens. There are many types of birds there including a toucan, parrot and more. 

Pocheon Herb Island

Address: 947, Cheongshin Road, Shinbuk-myeon, Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi-do

This is actually considered to be a Theme park which happens to be one of the most interesting or random theme parks in Korea. At this theme park, you can experience the herb plants museum & flower shop, the herb plant museum, outdoor gardens, gondola ride, dinosaur village and more. 

Incheon Grand Park

Address: 산180 Jangsu-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, South Korea

Like the Seoul Grand Park, this is a fairly large park in an urban area in the city of Incheon right outside of Seoul. This large park includes an Arboretum, Wetland, Forest School, Sledding area, Campgrounds, a Restaurant, Shop, Lake, Environmental Future, Wooden Cultural Experience, Toilets, Sports Facilities, Performance Facilities, and more. It’s a great park to get some fresh air and enjoy a relaxing day. 

Sorae Ecology Conservatory 

Address: 77 Sorae-ro 154beon-gil, Nonhyeon-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, South Korea

Sorae Ecology Park is a marshland area located in Incheon. This Conservatory is filled with windmills, marshland, wooden platforms and more. This place does not look like it belongs in South Korea with the windmills. This area has been preserved for many of the natural habitats for animals and insects within South Korea. 

Central Park in Songdo

Address: 196 Technopark-ro, Songdo-dong, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, South Korea

Songdo is the new and upcoming area and I like to explain it to my California friends like the tech bubble in San Francisco. It’s becoming popular are for foreigners and where all the big tech companies are located like Samsung. In this area, they have built a beautiful park with a pond where you can take cute boats. Many people will come to this park and have a picnic with their family or friends. 

Planning a trip to Korea?

RELATED POSTS:

[one-half-first]

• Why you should visit South Korea!
• Busan, South Korea
• Top 10 Korean Drugstore Skin Products
• 10 Things to Eat in Korea
• Seoul Travel Tips
• Myeongdong Street Food
• Myeongdong Shopping Street
• Things to do in Itaewon
• How to go to Bukchon Hanok Village
• 3 Days in Seoul Itinerary
• Autumn in Korea
• Where to stay in Seoul
• Korean Street Food

[/one-half-first][one-half]

• One day in Seoul
• Jeju Itinerary
• Cimer Spa at Paradise City
• Teach English in South Korea
• Things to do in Hongdae
• Things to do in Incheon
• What to do in Incheon Airport for a Layover
• Gwangjang Market
• 2 Days in Busan Itinerary
• Gamcheon Culture Village
• Things to do in Gyeongju
• Things to do in Paju

[/one-half]

[one-third-first][/one-third-first][one-third][/one-third][one-third][/one-third]