Han River (ํ๊ฐ)
Han river orย Hangang is the main river flowing through the city ofย Seoulย to theย Yellow Sea, dividing the city north and south. This river is the most important symbol of the city for its beautiful nature and historical value. When visiting Seoul, itโs hard to miss theย Han River lined with parks that make it the perfect place to rent bikes, go on cruise by the river, enjoy bird-watching. Moreover having romantic picnic during the summer months and enjoy the cherry blossom festival during spring months.
A brief history
Since the ancient times of Joseon Dynasty Han River has been a valuable river for transportation of trade with China and other countries. However the river is no longer actively used for navigation. Because of its located at theย borders of the two Koreas. Geographical fact about Han River is that it is 494 kilometre in length and 2.5 meters in depth. There are also several islands in the river, such as Yoido located within the city.
In this post I will show the most beautiful ones that worth to see and explore. So, there are several parks, but the most easily accessible park along Han River is Yeouido Han River Park. This park is very famous for its the largest ยซI Seoul Uยป sign in the city. The sign is pretty photographic and can be very good Instagrammable place in Seoul.ย
How to get thereย
- Yeouinaru Station ( Seoul subway line 5) exit 1
- Yeouido Station (Seoul subway lines 5, 9) exit 3
Address: 68 Yeouigongwon-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.ย
As mentioned before there are roads for pedestrian walkways, bicycle paths, public parks and Yeouido Han River Park is the best spot for these activities. The price for renting a bike there is less than 10,000KRW per hour for a single bike and for a tandem bike for couples. Riding a bike gives a chance to explore beautiful views to the city around the river .Also it is good exercise for body, in case you get tired you can stop and sit on the grass whenever you want.
Aside from the biking or having picnic, there is also a Han River Cruise which I strongly recommend. It is a different way see the cityscape. One of the famous cruise is The ELand Han River Cruise which operates tours for English speakers.ย
There is a website www.elandcruise.comย where you can book the tickets for cruise, but it is in Korean.ย
For those who can not understand Korean there is a different website in English www.klook.comย .
Cruising on Han River is one of the best ways toย enjoy beautiful views of Han Riverย in day, sunset and at night. Moreover you can see manyย tourist attractionsย as 63 Square, Namsan Seoul Tower, Jamsil Stadium.
According to my experience the best time to visit Yeouido Han River Park is spring with its Cherry Blossom festivals and late summer for picnic and biking rides.
Yanghwa Han River Park (์ํํ๊ฐ๊ณต์)
This park is known for its direct access that provides a walking bridge to Seonyudo Island . It is located between Yeouuido Saetgang Tributary and the Gayang Bridge. The most interesting things about this parkare the old fashioned Korean boats that you can take from the park to Seonyudo Island.
Directions To The Park
Dangsan Subway Station, exit 3 or 4 and walk about 500 meters to the park.
If you are looking for the unique coffeeshop that is not overcrowded and have amazing view to the river that there is one on Gayang Bridge called Seonyu Cafe.
Address: 313 Seonyu-ro Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.
Cheonggyecheon Stream (์ฒญ๊ณ์ฒ)
Cheonggyecheon is an 11 km long stream that starts from Cheonggye Plaza and runs through downtown Seoul. It gives an opportunity for citizens to enjoy clean air, clean water and a beautiful resting area in the heart of the city. Cheonggyecheon Stream is a newly renovated resting place which constructionย started in 2003 by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Since then it has become a popular place forย tourists seeking variety of cultural experiences.
How to get there
- City Hall Station (subway line 1) exit 4, 5 min. on footย
- Euljiro 1(il)-ga Station (subway line 2) exit 2, 3, 10 min. on footย
- Dongdaemun Station (subway line 4) exit 6, 8, 5 min. on foot
As mentioned before the stream starts from a popular cultural arts venue Cheonggye Plaza and passes under 22 bridges before flowing into the Hangang River. The main attraction there is the Candle Fountain, which is a 4 m high, colored lighting waterfall that flows into the stream and especially stunning at night. At night visitors can enjoy this fantastic display of light on waterfall next to the colorful Cheonggye Plaza.ย
Recently, Cheonggyecheon Stream is attracted by many visitors for its various street concerts, live performances and festivals. For example,one of the biggest festival that delivers happy to all visitors is the annualย Seoul Lantern Festival. This festival is held at Cheonggyecheon Stream every November for 2 weeks, featuring thousands of lanterns along the stream.
