Haneul Park: A must-visit attraction in Autumn
Enjoy the spectacular view of Seoul’s Autumnal scenery from Sky Park!
There are many parks in Seoul that are loved by many due to their beautiful scenery. Haneul Park in Mapo-gu is a park that is especially popular in the autumn months due to the Japanese pampas, Ginkgo Maple Trees and the grass fields that are at the park. The pamaps grass is the most popular area of the park, attracting not only Koreans from all over the country, but also tourists from all over the world!
Information
Address: 서울 마포구 상암동 482
482 Sangam-song, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Hours: 05:00-20:30 (slightly varies by month)
January | February | March | April | May | June | |
Open | 7:00 | 7:00 | 6:00 | 7:00 | 7:00 | 7:00 |
Close | 18:00 | 18:30 | 20:00 | 20:00 | 20:00 | 20:30 |
July | August | September | October | November | December | |
Open | 5:00 | 5:30 | 5:30 | 6:00 | 06:30 | 07:00 |
Close | 20:30 | 20:30 | 20:00 | 20:00 | 20:00 | 18:00 |
Park Facilities
Menkoni Electric Car
Loacation: 서울 마포구 월드컵로 365
365 World Cup Road Mapo-gu, Seoul
Hours: Summer (March-November): 10:00-20:00, Winter (December-February): 10:00-18:00
Price: Adults: One Way: 2,000 KRW, Round Trip: 3,000 KRW / Children (48 months - elementary school): One Way: 1,500 KRW, Round Trip: 2,200 KRW
Menokni Electric Vehicle is an electric vehicle that is used as a fun form of transport around the park. You can take a round trip from the park entrance to the top of the Haneul Park.
You can purchase your ticket at the entrance of the park or via machine and payments can be made with card or cash. The machine to purchase tickets is in Korean and in English, so it is easy to navigate.
If you wait across from the ticket office, you will be able to board. It comes in intervals ranging from 10 to 20 minutes.
There is another ticket office and machine at the top of the park, so you do not have to purchase tickets in advance. You can also purchase one way tickets if you do not want walk one of the ways. Boarding is always right in front of the ticket office, so it is always quite easy to find.
Haneul Stairs
If you are in good physical shape, or you want to have a little bit of a workout, you can also try taking the Haneul stairs to the top of Haneul Park. You can find these stairs after passing the ticket office for the Menkoni cars. There are around 291 stairs in total and it takes about 20 minutes to go up. This is a great option for those that want to enjoy the scenery leisurely and get a little bit of movement in as well.
Convenience Store in Parking Lot
There is a convenience store in the parking lot at the entrance of Haneul Park. They sell drinks, ramen, ice cream, and snacks. There is also a ramen machine so you can cook your ramen right away and enjoy a light meal at the tables outside of the shop. However, there is limited seating so it may be difficult to eat here on days where the park is crowded.
Haneul Garden
There is a small building located next to the tourist information center at the top of Haneul Park. Here you can find an assortment of snacks, sweets, and toys and souvenirs.
Colorful Plants
There is a large variety of plants that have been planted here, creating different atmospheres throughout the year. You can come at different times of the year to see the different types of flowers and plants.
April: Sakura, Azalea
May: Rape blossoms, Wisteria flowers
End of September - October: Sunflower, Cosmos, Pampas grass, Pink Muley, Kokia
From May to start of Autumn the whole field is green and the scenery resembles that of a wide grassland. The autumn season is the most popular at Haneul Park as there are the colorful Japanese pamapas grass as well as colorful plants such as Sunflowers, and Pink Muley in full bloom.
If you want to see beautiful flowers, we recommend visiting in the spring or from the end of September to October.
Miscanthus Festival
The Japanese Pampas Grass festival is held in October of every year. Normally, it is open only until around 20:00 to protect the ecosystem in the park, but at the festival, it is open until 10 PM. At the festival you can enjoy the Japanese Pampas Grass, the night view of the Han River, music concerts, and exhibition of crafts. There are also photo tournaments that you can participate in!
Our Visit
Haneul Park is one of the five theme parks in the World Cup Park. It is best known for it's Miscanthus Festival, which is held every October, attracting visitors from all over.
Haneul Park is filled with nature and is located higher up, so many people like to come here to see the outside scenery. When you go up to the park, you can get nice aerial views of the city.
You can use the park's transportation services to get to the top if you do not want to walk up. The stairs are noted to be quite difficult so it may be easier to use the bus to get to the top of the park. The bus comes in about intervals of ten minutes. Keep in mind that the amount of people that can ride the bus at once is limited so on weekend, you may have to wait a while.
You can enjoy the picturesque views of the park from the bus. It was so green, that for a second, we forgot that we were in Seoul.
When you get off at the top, you will be able to see all the mountains and the skyscrapers.
Haneul means "Sky" in Korean and is called Haneul Park as it is considered a park in Seoul that is the closest to the sky. We also think that this park is the best place to get views of the sky! We visited in May so everything was green and lush, but if you come in the fall, everything is pink, brown and beautiful warm tones!
The park is especially popular at dusk, as the sun set and the red pampas grass make for a beautiful orange and red color combination. Along with the plants and nature, there are many festivals and performances that are held in the park that attract visitors.
Haneul Park, was created as a method of environmental preservation in the city. However, to make it a attractive to visitors, the park has installed many cute photo zones where you can take photos with your friends and family!
There are also several observation decks on the south side of the park, where you can see Han River and the Seoul skyline. The view is beautiful anytime of day, we suggest coming in the afternoon and enjoying the park until sunset so you can see both the day and the night view of the city!
Another famous observatory in Haneul Park is the "Bowl with the Sky" observatory. This observatory is interestingly shaped like a bowl.
When we went, the Wisteria flowers were in bloom and covered the observatory.
Inside the observatory, you can spin around along the wall. When you go up the higher levels, you can see not only all of Haneul Park, but also the buildings of Seoul and the mountains in the distance. The scenery was very nice to look at!
The benches at Haneul Park are very unique. Many of them resemble traditional Korean resting spaces, and are probably a little bit more spacious than benches that you familiar with.
Remember we said that Haneul Park was especially popular in the autumn months due to the red and orange aesthetic the park gives off? It is also popular due to the Pink Muley flowers that fill the park in the autumn seasons. The bright and vibrant pink color almost seems artificial, and becomes a popular tourist destination in the fall months. We have never seen such beautiful flowers before!
Source：Instagram ＠joopic_
There are also areas where you can take photos of the cosmos and the kochia! It can get really crowded here in the autumn months, so we suggest coming on a weekday afternoon if you can!
Although the morning and afternoons are bound to be much quieter and less crowded, there is something special about watching the sun set against the Japanese pampas in the fall. If you are willing to brace the crowds, it truly is a beautiful sight!
Useful Information
Bathrooms
There are several restrooms in Haneul Park. You can find the bathrooms at the parking lot, Visitor Information Center, and near the Observatory.
Visitor Information Center
You can find the information center near the entrance of the park. Because it is a little high up, there are really nice views from above.
Bicycles
You can also ride a bicycle at Haneul Park. There is a Ddareungi rental where you can get a bike to enjoy around the park. Because Haneul Park is uphill, it would be quite the exercise. Please note that bikes are not allowed to be rented out on weekends and holidays.
Nearby Stores
There are limited food options at Haneul Park, with only small snack shops and convenience stores. There is a bigger shop at Peak Park which is nearby, so if you are hungry, we suggest stopping by there before heading over here.
There is a convenience store and a small snack shop called Tammy House. At the convenience store you can get snacks, ramen and soft drinks. At Tammy House, you can get a light meals such as udon noodles, cafe drinks, and hot dogs.
There are outdoor tables that you can use. We had the Han River Ramen (3,500 KRW) and a soft drink (2,500 KRW) and ate it on the spot for a light meal at the convenience store. Since the square is in front of you, you can enjoy your meal while looking at the sky and the scenery. Food outside always just seems to taste much better as well!
Homeplus
If you take Exit 1 from World Cup Stadium Station and look to your right you will see a large Homeplus, which is a large supermarket. Like stated before, there are not that many places to buy food in park, so we suggest that you buy snacks and drinks here before!
Nearby Parks
There are 5 parks in the World Cup Park, where Haneul Park is one of them All the other parks are really big, so it would be impossible to go to all of them at once. However, Peace Park is located between Haneul Park and World Cup Stadium Station, so we suggest if you do want to go somewhere else, we suggest checking out that park.
Nearby Recommendations
With Yen
With Yen is a cafe recommended for those who want to enjoy traditional Korean tea. In the tea course, you can have a special experience with tea, rice, and traditional sweets as a set. Click on the button below to read our full in depth review!
Flower Pub
Flower Pub is a pub nearby where you can enjoy wine in a romantic atmosphere. It is decorated with western-style interior and flowers, it is perfect for dates and friend groups! Creatrip members can get a free glass of house wine here if you present your coupon.
Taiwan Way
Taiwan Way is a delicious restaurant where you can enjoy authentic Taiwanese style hot pot. Creatrip members can also get a little freebie if they present their coupon below.
How to Get There
Take subway Line 6 to World Cup Stadium Station and exit from Exit 1.
Follow the road in the parking lot on the left.
Go straight through the parking lot.
Take a big road and cross the pedestrian crossing.
if you go straight for about 5 minutes, you will see a big intersection. At the intersection cross.
As soon as you cross, take a right.
After crossing the pedestrian crossing, you will see the parking lot of Haneul Park. Turn left towards the park entrance.
If you walk for about 1 minute, you will see the ticket office!
We hope that you enjoyed our review of Haneul Park! If you have the time and are in the area, we strongly recommend coming here and enjoying some time out in the nature. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below, or send us an email at support@creatripc.com! You can also follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook to stay updated on all things Korea!