Written by: Emily Creasman
Photos by: Emily Creasman
The Seoul Botanic Park, located in Magok, Gangseo-gu, is a recent development to the Seoul metropolitan area, having officially opened in May 2019. The facility’s scale is impressively huge, consisting of an indoor botanical greenhouse, outdoor gardens, parks, and a lake. According to the park’s website, the mission of the Seoul Botanic Garden is to conserve and breed endangered plants to promote ecological balance and create a natural refuge amongst the urban landscape of Seoul.
The park’s Greenhouse is the perfect place to visit during the winter, with vibrant foliage and flowers growing in abundance all year long! Located central to the park, the Greenhouse contains plant species from 12 different tropical and Mediterranean cities including Jakarta, So Paulo, Barcelona, Perth, and Istanbul. Visitors are guided through various passageways and zones showcasing each different city. There are signs located throughout giving brief details about the different plants. Audio guides can be purchased before entry as well.
Along with the colorful and abundant foliage, there are various rock structures and water features. The sounds of birds, monkeys, and other wild animals can also be heard overhead through speakers, contributing to the sense of being in a wild environment. The humid temperatures inside the Greenhouse also mean that you won’t even need your winter jacket when walking around-it’ll actually be kind of hot!
After making your way through the ground floor, head up to the Skydeck, where you can get an overhead view of the gardens below.
After exiting the Greenhouse, explore the building’s many other facilities, including the free-to-enter art display, plant-themed café, children’s reading area, restaurants and a dining hall, convenience store, and gift shop.
You can also go onto the roof to get a view of the top of the Greenhouse and distant city buildings.
Afterwards, you can wander around the outdoor parks. Even though the plants outside aren’t blooming in the winter, the tan tallgrasses and icy blue lake provide visuals special in their own way. The Open Forest, Lake Garden and Wetland are all free to enter while the Themed Gardens require showing your ticket (the same one used to enter the Greenhouse).
The Seoul Botanic Park is the perfect activity to do during these last few weeks of winter and is a great introduction into the Spring season! Not only is the park good for individuals and couples, but the park is also a great activity for kids as there are many opportunities for education. The Park also provides classes on garden culture for people of all ages and levels.
Address: 로 161, Magok-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul
로 161, 마곡동 강서구 서울특별시
Website: https://botanicpark.seoul.go.kr/eng/main.do
Hours of Operation:
Open Forest, Lake Zone, Wetland: Open year round
Botanic Garden and Theme Gardens:
March – October: Daily 09:30 – 18:00 (Last entry at 17:00) *Closed Mondays*
November – February: Daily 09:30 – 17:00 (Last entry at 16:00) *Closed Mondays*
*Check their website for hours on Holidays! *
Price:
Open Forest, Lake Garden, Wetland: Free
Greenhouse and Theme Gardens: Paid fee
Adults (19 – 65) – KRW 5,000
Youth/Students (under 19) – KRW 3,000
Children (under 13) – KRW 2,000
Group (more than 30 people) 30% discount
Free/discounted tickets for those under 6 and over 65, those with disabilities, students without chaperones
