A beautiful sunset sky over Seoul, something of a rarity over these last couple of rainy weeks. Photo by Robert Koehler.

Spend your summer vacation without leaving the city limits

Written by Felix Im
Photographed by Ryu Seunghoo

[box_light]Banyan Tree Club and Spa | 반얀트리 클럽 앤 스파 서울[/box_light]

The Banyan (T. 02-2250-8000) is situated along Mt. Namsan, near Myeong-dong, Itaewon, and Dongguk University. Offering new meaning to the word “relaxation,” it is divided into four sections: the club, the hotel, the festa, and the outdoor facilities. The hotel is equipped with a Moon Bar on the top floor, a dining room with a terrace on the third floor, and a crystal ballroom in the lobby. The club offers a spa, fitness facilities (including an indoor and an outdoor gym), an indoor swimming pool, and even a juice bar. Kids are often seen running around with towels wrapped around their wet heads, making it a perfect place for a family getaway, right in the heart of Seoul. The festa is exactly what it sounds like—fun. It provides golfing facilities, karaoke rooms, a bar, a bistro, and a garden terrace. The Oasis, an outdoor pool with a poolside bar, is the main attraction here. The Oasis is used for several private parties throughout the year and adds a sense of playful decadence to the calming atmosphere. In the winter, the pool is replaced by an ice rink. The outdoor facilities are for the athletes. It has a course for golf, courts for tennis and basketball, and a field for soccer or football. The facilities are conveniently located neart the Oasis—a hard day’s exercise can end in a hard day’s play.

FYI>
T. 02-2250-8000
www.banyantreeclub.net
(서울시 중구 장충동2가 산5-5 | San 5-5, Jangchung-dong 2-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul)

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Take Bus #2 from Chungmuro Station 충무로역 (Line 3, 4), Exit 2.

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[box_light]For a truly Korean night on the town[/box_light]

If you’re looking for something different from the typical hotel—something truly Korean—then a couple
of nights at a hanok guesthouse should provide the ideal experience. There are no beds here, only mats that can be rolled out onto the floor. The doors are wooden-framed and slide open. There are no shoes allowed inside any of the rooms. Mostly located among the various nooks of Bukchon Hanok Village, these houses offer the perfect taste of traditional Korean life, so be prepared to use a communal kitchen and lounge—maybe even share a bathroom. You can usually choose between different-sized rooms to accommodate your party. Singles usually start from KRW 40,000, with doubles going anywhere from KRW 70,000 to over KRW 100,000. Simply and modestly named, Bukchon Guesthouse 북촌게스트하우스 (T. 010-6711-6717) is a small and humble square of rooms centered around a cozy central garden. Tea Guesthouse 티게스트하우스 (T. 02-3675-9877) is just across the street and offers a relatively similar structure, with a magnificent garden of beautiful flowers. Not to mention the tea is great! Sophia Guesthouse 소피아게스트하우스 (T. 02-720-7220) is closer to Samcheong-dong, with a nice tree on the grounds. If you’re looking for a slightly more lavish experience, try Rak-Ko-Jae 락고재 (T. 02-342-3410). It feels more like a miniature palace than a guesthouse, but you pay for it, with rooms starting at KRW 250,000.

[box_light]Baeksasil Valley | 백사실계곡[/box_light]

Tired of the hustle and bustle of the city? Tucked neatly away in Buam-dong, Baeksasil Valley is a scenic part of the city that feels like the countryside. With a name that literally means “valley of mountains surrounded by streams,” how could it fail to relax your tired city-slicker bones? The area was the perfect getaway for nobles during the Joseon Dynasty; they built gardens and second homes here. However, the trip there is not without its own special cost. The hills you’re required to conquer in order to achieve the peace of its valleys are certainly no picnic. But don’t be discouraged! The excruciating walk is not without its charming little rewards. The neighborhood you’ll pass through is quiet and quaint, a seemingly secret little neighborhood hidden away from the rest of the city. If you have any trouble finding the entrance to the valley, just ask any of the friendly locals and they’ll gladly point you in the right direction, which is usually “up.” Once you reach the entrance, you’ll find yourself faced with a wooden staircase that gently leads your tired muscles into a serene hike through an ancient Joseon garden. Aside from the mountain scenery, the area also offers a temple and a fantastic view of the city.

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Take a bus from Exit 3 of Gyeongbokgung Station 경복궁역 (Line 3) and take a bus (7212, 1020, 7022) to Buam-dong Residents Center.

[box_light]A new way to experience the Hangang River[/box_light]

The Hangang River and its many riverfront views of Seoul have always been popular with locals and tourists alike. With the opening of the new Seoul Marina in Yeouido this past April, visitors are now offered the opportunity to explore the Hangang River and its many views by boat—and a sailboat, at that. Customers are offered the choice between a “dingy,” which only accommodates a single rider, a “cruiser,” which fits up to eight people, a “business boat,” for up to 28 people, or a “power boat,” a 12-person vessel. The most popular choice is the “cruiser,” as it’s suitable for small families and couples. Depending on which type of boat you choose, a ride in one of their “yachts” can be as low as KRW 15,000 or as high as KRW 600,000 for the power boat. Fees are usually charged by the hour, with rental equipment charged separately. Trips are usually an hour long and leave at scheduled times throughout the day. After your sightseeing trip along Seoul’s shores, you can return to the marina for a bite or a drink at Café Breeze, conveniently located right near the dock.

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T. 02-3780-8400, www.seoul-marina.com
(서울시 영등포구 여의도동 81 | 81 Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul)

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Take Bus #206 from National Assembly Station 국회의사당역 (Line 9), Exit 1.

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[box_light]Challenge your mind and muscles with a hike and a history lesson[/box_light]

In ancient times, Seoul was surrounded by a fortress wall designed to protect the city from invaders. The wall has mostly been torn down, but some of it still remains, and other portions are being rebuilt. Not only can you go see these remains, but you can also hike alongside these walls and even on top of them! The entire course is very long (about 18 km), and is divided into eight courses: Bukchon Hanok, Jeongdong, Samcheongdong, Cheonggyecheon, Daehangno, Bugaksan, Namdaemun, and Namsan Park. With the exception of one, you can easily walk these trails for a nice leisurely stroll, sighting many couples along the way. Mt. Bugaksan is the exception—you’ll need shoes and clothes fit for a good sweat. Most people start from Waryong Park; from there, heed the signs, following the ancient wall until you reach the outside of the Hanyang Fortress, part-military base and part-tourist attraction. Because this part of the wall still serves its original military purpose, a proper form of identification is required—either a passport or an Alien Registration Card. Failure to bring identification will result in you being turned away. A grueling hike leads to the fortress; from the top of it, you can easily see why the spot is military advantageous. To one side are the mountains that eventually lead to North Korea, and to the other is northern Seoul. You can see Seoul’s N-Tower, Dongdaemun, and other famous sites, along with a breathtaking cityscape that almost seems misplaced next to such beautiful mountains.

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Take local bus #2 from Anguk Station 안국역 (Line 3), Exit 2.

Pleasant leisure space offers views, history[/box_dark]

Ichon Hangang Park is located on the north side of the Hangang River between Jungnangcheongyo Bridge and Wonhyodaegyo Bridge. Following the riverside, it’s a favorite location for walking and jogging thanks to its beautiful flowers— depending on the season, you might see reeds or cosmos flowers. You’ll find plenty of leisure and sports facilities here, too, including an X-Game center for skateboarders, an internationalsized inline skating rink, a basketball court, a tennis court, and even a field for gateball, an unusual team sport similar to croquet invented in Japan in the immediate post-war era.

One activity in which you can partake at Ichon Hangang Park is rafting across the Hangang River. This is a popular team building activity for schools and workplaces, but individuals can give it a try, too. The river-crossing program runs April to October—resting every other Sunday—for a participation fee of KRW 4,000 per person. There’s a Nature Experience Center, too, where the many trees, flowers, and plants of Korea’s mountains, fields, and farming villages have been planted to recreate a pastoral landscape. The scenery is made all the more beautiful by nearby Nodeulseom, a semi-pastoral artificial island built in the early 20th century as part of the construction of Hangangdaegyo Bridge. The island is home to an urban farm that local families can use for free; it’s also home to a beehive run by a group of urban beekeepers.

Over Ichon Hangang Park are some of Korea’s most historic bridges. The oldest of the bridges is Hangang Railway Bridge A, completed in 1900 and still very much in use. It was the first fixed bridge to span the Hangang River. Next to it are three other railway bridges built in 1912, 1944, and 1995. Just as historic is Hangangdaegyo Bridge, a car crossing built in 1937. The Hangangdaegyo Bridge was also the site of one of modern Korea’s worst tragedies: in the opening days of the Korean War, the bridge—still packed with refugees and retreating soldiers— was prematurely demolished by the panicked authorities to prevent the North Koreans from crossing the river, killing hundreds of refugees in the process.

Those looking for views can visit the Hangangdaegyo’s two scenic cafés, Café Nodeul (north end) and Café Rio (south end). The former is more of a bar, while the latter is more of a traditional café. Café Nodeul’s views of the sun setting over the Hangang River and the skyscrapers of Yeouido are not to be missed.

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(302-17 Ichon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul | 서울시 용산구 이촌동 302-17)
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Ichon Station (Line 1 and 4), Exit 4. Walk 500 m to the park.

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Spring by the Hangang River | 한강

A day following the lazy river at the heart of a workaholic city

Written by Ben Jackson
Photographed by Ryu Seunghoo

After spending its youth trickling and splashing through the mountains of Gangwon-do, the Hangang River enters Seoul as a fat, sedate, and middle-aged waterway, its lack of pace furthered by a variety of man-made interventions. Series of parks on each bank guide the Hangang through the city, punctuated by bridges, resorts, and marinas and linked by a network of walking and bicycle paths.

When the warm spring weather sets in, Seoulites hit the riverbanks with characteristic vigor, charging along the bike paths (you’ll even see the occasional chalk outline), power-walking off calories, skating, walking dogs, flying kites, eating, drinking and sleeping. Spending a day following the Hangang as it flows from east to west is a great way to discover Seoul from another angle while getting some hard-earned fresh air and exercise.

©Sungjin Kim

Located on the north bank of the river, this spot is easily reached from Exits 2 and 3 of Ttukseom Resort Station 뚝섬유원지역 (Line 7), making it a good place to start a day’s journey. There’s plenty to do here, including hiring “duck boats” for a 40-minute jaunt on the river (KRW 15,000/23,000 for pedal-powered/automatic), waterskiing and windsurfing (call T. 02-1330 for information), or relaxing on the embankments with snacks from one of the nearby convenience stores. Also worth a look is the Jabeolle (J-Bug) cultural complex, a raised, tubular structure whose innards are comprised of a gallery, cafés, a restaurant, and a gift shop; it offers a great view across the river.

A couple of kilometers west along the riverbank lies Seoul Forest, one of the capital’s major green areas. Designed with the aim of creating a local equivalent of New York’s Central Park, Seoul Forest is a combination of trees, lawns, gardens, greenhouses, a butterfly house, lakes, and more. It even has a deer garden, with deer feeding opportunities on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons at 2pm and 3:30pm (reserve by calling T. 02-460-2987; Korean). There are cafés and convenience stores in the forest itself and a collection of restaurants and cafés on the lower floors of the two giant green apartment blocks nearby.

Another five kilometers west stands Seoul’s only “double deck” bridge: while Banpo Bridge carries most traffic above the river, like the Hangang’s other bridges, the Jamsu Bridge—directly beneath it—lies barely a few meters above the water level, making it an ideal point to cross the river from north to south along dedicated bicycle lanes (though crossing the river at other bridges is possible, too, thanks to various staircases, ramps, and elevators). On the way here, shortly after Seoul Forest and the mouth of Jungnangcheon Stream, is Mt. Eungbongsan, a favorite spot for photographers in search of the perfect shot of the cityscape.

Yeouido Floating Stage

From the southern terminus of Jamsu Bridge, it’s a 6.5-kilometer journey west to the island of Yeouido. The journey takes in Banpo Hangang Park, as well as a possible short diversion to Seoul National Cemetery, a large complex containing the resting places of some of the country’s greatest heroes and most controversial figures.

Yeouido itself is full of things to see. Surrounded by bike trails, it is lined by Yeouido Hangang Park on the northern bank and Yeouido Saetgang Ecological Park to the southeast, a lush complex of wetlands, trees, and undergrowth crisscrossed with walking and bicycle paths as well as raised walkways and a very distinctive pedestrian bridge. Beyond Wonhyo Bridge are a couple of floating cruise terminals with a buffet restaurant, café, and fast food joint.

Further west, another large park crosses Yeouido at its center, and at its southern side stands IFC Mall, one of the newest additions to Seoul’s rapidly growing mall collection. Drop in here for food or a coffee, or even to watch a film at the CGV multiplex cinema on Level 3. The western tip of Yeouido is home to Korea’s National Assembly building and Yeouiseo-ro, a curved street lined with cherry trees. It’s also the location of Seoul Marina, which offers cruise yacht rides from KRW 15,000 per person, per hour. (Seoul Marina stated that this price may be amended in late April. Reservations must be made online at www.seoul-marina.com [Korean] at least three days in advance. Seats may be obtained, if still available, by those turning up on the day of without a reservation: departures are at 3pm, 5pm, 6:30pm, and 8pm on weekdays, with an extra 1pm sailing on weekends.)

By the northeastern bank floats Paradise, a restaurant serving fairly pricey Western-style dishes, alcoholic beverages, tea, and coffee. Paradise also has a collection of duck-shaped paddle boats, rowing boats, and motorboats for messing about on the water.

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T. 02-447-3333
www.hankangwedding.co.kr (Korean)
(86 Yeouido dong, Yeongdeungpo Gu, Seoulㅣ서울시 영등포구 여의도동 86)

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Rainbow Bridge, Seonyudo Park

A short distance west of Yeouido is Seonyudo Park, an attractive complex set on the island of the same name. Seonyudo Park is famous for its innovative design, which makes extensive use of the giant concrete tanks, walkways, baths, and other structures remaining from the water treatment facility previously located there. The park comes to life from late spring onward and makes an impression on most visitors.

Yanghwa Bridge offers a good way to cross the river again, back to its northern bank. From here, the journey continues west to the enormous World Cup Park complex. If you’re hungry again, the World Cup stadium itself is home to several eateries. If not, make your way around the network of walking and cycling trails around the complex. Haneul Park is a high hill that offers great views across the western part of the capital and of the setting sun. Crowned with fields of reeds dotted with sculpture-like structures, it makes for an atmospheric end to the day. Nanji Hangang Park contains a variety of sports fields and a camping ground, which can be used for daytime picnics and barbecues (KRW 3,750) or camping at night in a variety of tents (reservation needed; call T. 02-304-0061; Korean). Noeul Park is a wide, grassy area that also boasts a golf course, while Nanjicheon Park features as its centerpiece a successfully restored stream, once heavily polluted but now a haven for local wildlife.

Seonyudo Park©Robert Koehler

Other options

The route above, from Ttukseom Resort to Nanji Hangang Park, is around 25 km long. If you’ve blasted your way through it in a couple of hours and are not even ready for lunch, there are various other options available. Heading back along the southern bank and continuing from Yeouido all the way to Amsa-dong, near the 1988 Olympics complex, is one 25-kilometer possibility; others include following bike paths up the various streams that flow into the Hangang: Jungnangcheon (near Seoul Forest) and Hongjecheon (just east of Nanji Hangang Park) Streams on the northern bank and Anyangcheon (3 km west of the southern terminus of Yanghwa Bridge) and Tancheon/Yangjaecheon (slightly east of Ttukseom Resort; cross the river via Yeongdong Bridge) Streams on the southern bank.

The Korea Tourism Organization recommends several other routes: go to http://english.visitkorea.or.kr and search under “Recommended Bicycle Trails in Seoul.”

Seoul Metropolitan Government’s cycling page (http://bike.seoul.go.kr) is in Korean, but has a useful map: click on 자전거지도 on the red navigation menu and you’ll be shown the cycle trails around the city (red lines are dedicated cycle routes, green are shared with pedestrians).

More information

The route described above covers a fair distance in central Seoul, but for more information on any of the places it passes through, see the Korea Tourism Organization website (http://english.visitkorea.or.kr) or call the Korea Travel Hotline at T. 02-1330.

Bicycles can be hired from 12 locations along the northern and southern banks of the Hangang, including Ttukseom Resort, the southern terminus of Banpo/Jamsu Bridge, two locations on Yeouido, and Nanji Hangang Riverside Park. Recent reports indicate that managers are reluctant to let bikes rented at one location be dropped off at another on weekends: this may change if Seoul authorities decide to intervene. Rentals cost KRW 3,000 per hour. Check the brakes, chain, and other basic parts of the bike before you set off!

The banks of the Hangang are highly exposed to the sun: protection is recommended.

Conrad Seoul | 콘래드 서울

Conveniently located in the heart of the Yeouido Business District, the Conrad Seoul is perfect for business travelers who travel in luxury and style. Rooms are spacious, well-designed, and have killer views of the Hangang River. The entertainment and multimedia technology is courtesy of the Apple Mac mini.

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T. 02-6137-7000, www.conradseoul.co.kr
(23-1 Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul |  서울시 영등포구 여의도동 23-1)

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Yeouinaru Station 여의나루역 (Line 5), Exit 1 or Yeouido Station 여의도역 (Lines 5, 9) Exit 4

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