Despite being such a large metropolis, there are many places to escape the urban landscape of Seoul. The Han River of course is one popular place that comes to mind, but maybe a little less well-known is Haneul Park. Upon doing some research, I learned that this place was once a landfill that the city decided to repurpose into a park. As you will see, the results were fantastic! With its gorgeous views and serene, almost dreamlike atmosphere, this place is sure to please!
This park is one of five parks around World Cup Stadium and may be a bit hard to get to as the area is quite huge. I came out of World Cup Stadium Station and took the path highlighted on the map. Once you find the pedestrian overpass, you’ll know you’re headed in the right direction. Once you cross the bridge, you can expect a small hike up some 300 stairs or go left and ride the trolley for a small fee. You can also search for “Haneul Park” on Google Maps for clearer directions.
If you make a left right after crossing the pedestrian bridge, there’ll be a small forest area with trees planted in columns. It’s a great place for shooting photos, but you might be assailed by relentless bugs in the area. Being a city guy, I was a bit uncomfortable from the barrage. This area has grown a bit wild from lack of maintenance it seems.
The park is gorgeous and relaxing on a fair-weather day. The wind was just perfect and made the grass wave lazily around like in the movies. The lack of trees made the sky feel so much closer to you. Needless to say, I had a blast taking photos in this photogenic park. It allowed me to relax and disconnect from the city. My feelings were at peace here.
This half-sphere structure was quite unique and stood out. What was very interesting was it was significantly cooler inside than out. I think the sphere was insulated from all the brush growing around it, creating an area of cool air. There were benches for people to relax and escape the hot weather.
The park definitely has its Korean touches with cute ornaments scattered around. There are quite a few windmills which make you feel as if you’re in the countryside. I couldn’t believe such a beautiful park escaped my knowledge for so long. There also seems to be a lot of seasonal shifts in the landscape here. You can find pampas grass in the summer, along with sunflowers. It appears that there are a lot of cosmos flowers if you get the timing right!
Haneul Park is one of those places you just want to come back to again and again. I can’t wait to see it during other seasons. I wonder what it will look like throughout the year! If you come here, I do hope you enjoy it as much as I did. It was a real treat!
Finding the Seoul 