Tulip Garden in Seoul Forest Park

May9

Tulips are slaying the flower festivals and parks in Korea. This cup or bulb shape flower sprung in different vibrant colors and looks so enticing. With those flower festivals happening around the peninsula at this spring time, you’ll surely have great and fancy photos to look back after the season ends.

This year’s the first year that Seoul Forest has this display of Tulip Garden. They do have every spring actually but not as much as this. The park has now its own tulip garden arranged prettily for visitors.

We have another reason to stroll around every spring. Take pleasure capturing your instagrammable photos. Tulips will start to wither mid of May.

Direction: From Bundang Line (Yellow line) get off at Seoul Forest Station and head to exit 3..take the elevator an it will lead you to the main entrance.

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This gallery contains 16 photos.

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Gyeongchun Line Forest Park: A Discarded Railroad Turned Into a Park

Apr30

As we chased the beautiful cherry blossoms around Seoul, I stumbled upon this article about an old railroad park with pictures of beautiful sakuras in full bloom. Looking forward for this picturesque view we headed to this once disused railroad to see it for ourselves.

Luckily, cherry blossoms are still pleasing in sight and there was a festival going on when we visited. Lots of people as usual and children were countless running and playing. In a way, we still manage to take tons of nice pictures.

The old trains on display were the major attractions to visitors and there were some young Koreans who dressed up that matches the ambience of the place. Feels like you were from a different era. Such a nice idea for photography lovers.

A young Korean woman dressed up to match the old setting of this park.

Photo zone in the middle of the railways.

Showing you more of our photos.

Inside the old trains.

More photos of the far end old train.

We obviously had fun on this day.

Location: (Walking from the station will take you about 10 minutes. Just follow the railroad to arrive at the entrance of the park.)

Line 6/Hwarangdae Station/exits 2 or 4

Line 1/Wolgye Station/exit 1

Jade Garden and the Sightly Tulips Trail

Apr25

“Small Europe in the Forest” is what Jade Garden Natural Arboretum (제이드가든 수목원 is, with 24 unique themed areas to stroll around. Located at Chuncheon, Gangwon-do and only an hour of traveling from Seoul. This attraction is a de facto to locals as location for TV drama’s and romance movie. It’s not quite surprising hence from the scenery outside we could see how fanciful it is.

Let me tour you around this 160,000 square meters garden of gardens. This panorama is divided into three paths and each with categorically incomparable landscape. Wandering around those three courses will consume three hours of your time. And actually more because of frequent stopping for resting and refreshments.

Ready? Let’s start!

Allow me to guide you around to all the gardens from the entrance namely; the English Border Garden, Italian Garden, Kitchen Garden, Alpine Greenhouse and the Ginkgo Maze.

English Border Garden
Italian Garden
Kitchen Garden
Alpine Greenhouse

Walking further are the lovely array of colorful tulips.

Tree Deck Garden
Flower Wave Garden

Now we reached the middle and this is where we rested for a while because of that refreshing ambiance of the waterfall.

Waterfall Garden
Moss Garden entrance

Approaching the higher part of the hill we reached the Sky Garden and the turning point to another path. The view from the top gave us a feeling of very much close to nature.

Wedding Garden

Here comes the best path for me 🙂 The magnolia and longer tulips trail!

Magnolia Garden

The path going back is more of leisurely walking for us. Just can’t get enough of the beauty of this place. Took tons of photos literally and I could give you more.

Planning to visit too? It isn’t hard to find, here’s how.

From Sangbong Station (Seoul Subway Gyeongchun Line), go to Gulbongsan Station.
From Gulbongsan Station, take a shuttle bus to Jade Garden.

Shuttle Bus (refer to the official website for more information & schedules)
Gulbongsan Station → Jade Garden: 10:45-16:45, 1 hour interval
(Bus departing at 12:45 available on Weekends & Holidays only)

Jade Garden → Gulbongsan Station: 11:10-17:10, 1 hour interval

No bus services at 12:10
ENTRANCE FEE: Adults 8,500 won / Teenagers 6,500 won / Children 5,500 won (discount is available from a group of 30 though)

Have fun on your visit!

A Myriad of Pink Azaleas in Korea: Best Three Spots to Wander

Apr23

Royal azalea is native to the Korean Peninsula. It blooms appealingly late of April up to early summer and really an attraction for nature lovers. Its colors varies from white to pink and obviously the myriad of pink flounder most.

To catch a glimpse of this dainty flower and capture instagrammable photos here are my best spots for you to wander.

Starting out with Wonmi Bucheon Azalea Hill (Wonmisan Azalea Festival), though the festival has ended, azaleas are still on its peak and worth the visit. Located In Bucheon City. How to go: Take Line 7 to Bucheon Stadium station, exit 2. Walk straight about 5 minutes and turn left on the sign of Azalea Garden.

The next one is, Gunpo Royal Azalea or the Gunpo Royal Azalea Festival. Lucky you, the festival will be held from April 24-28, 2019. This hill is eventually a sea of flowers.

Direction: Take Line 4 to Surisan Station..exit 3. Walk straight passing the park. You’ll find the entrance after 5 minutes walk.

And of course my favorite of among these three, the Goryeo Mountain Azaleas or the Goryeosan Jindalle Festival in Gangwha, Incheon. This nature wonder is a spot for hikers usually, but don’t worry even if you’re a first timer you will brave out this one. And yes, the festival was over too yet not to worry the flowers are still in full bloom.

View for the other mountain.

Here’s how to go: (From Seoul) Take Subway Line 2 to Sinchon station and head to exit. Walk to the nearest bus stop and get on bus 3000 (an express bus) to Gangwha Intercity Bus Terminal (that’s the last stop actually). From the terminal, take bus #1, 23, 25, 27, 30 32 or 70 and get off to Gangwha History Museum.

Enjoy this pretty flower only in Korea.

Pink Mountain in Spring: Goryeosan Jindalle Festival

Apr22

Have you had a great time with sakuras? As the charming beauty of cherry blossoms slowly withering away, here comes another spring flower that’s bathing the peninsula in pink. The azaleas! This flower’s charm spring in different colors and pink is predominant that made a few mountains in Korea looks prettily and exciting especially for mountain hikers.

For sporadic hikers like me, wandering this mountain is just fine and will be the same even for first timers for sure. No sweat. Nice and easy, literally.

Though we had traveled almost two hours from Seoul, it’s definitely worth the time as the view promises a thousand pictures. LOL! That’s what we foreigners are up to right?

The beautiful pink mountain.

After getting off the bus, we followed the crowd considering that I knew everybody’s heading to the same direction (so don’t worry you’ll not get lost!). We made a left turn to the first corner (it’s right after a cow farm) and walk straight until we reached an intersection and continued walking to the left again.

Way going up, you’ll know you’re near if you’ve seen the temple and a small community of locals. You’ll see stairs that will lead you to a short cut to the top yet there is another narrow road behind the temple. Whichever means you take it will both brings you to a the spectacular view of Goryeo mountain.

anther road leading to the mountain

a wood bridge before the temple

The temple.

Certainly, rather as expected there’s a huge crowd of locals and foreigners overlooking the beauty of this nature. They’re mostly ending up in picnic style after the long walk. The direction we headed took us about 30 minutes to the top. While it took us an hour going down because we chose to try another direction, that was the main road and which was the road took by most of the hikers.

A clear sky and a great hike! Really enjoyed the myriad of pink azaleas. Want to see it too?

Stairs to another mountain.

Huge crowd

the main road

The jindalle.

Kind of a suggestion: For taking the right bus to from Gangwha during the festival, buses going there has banners/posters of the festival and just follow the crowd they’re heading there for sure.

Enjoy your hike too!