Bukhansan National Park

Bukhansan National Park sits at the northern edge of Seoul, a mass of granite peaks and forested valleys that abuts the city's apartment blocks directly. The highest summit, Baegundae at 836 metres, is a three- to four-hour round trip from the nearest subway station. The ascent requires some scrambling on fixed chains near the summit but is manageable for anyone reasonably fit. The views from the top over Seoul to the south and the mountains of North Korea to the north are exceptional on clear days.

The park is most crowded on weekends and public holidays, when hikers in full mountaineering gear (Koreans take hiking attire seriously) fill the trails. Weekday mornings are quieter. Multiple subway lines give access to different parts of the park; Ui Station (Line 4) and Gupabal Station (Line 3) are two of the most useful entry points.

things to do sight
A story
Bukhansan is the most visited national park in the world by area, according to UNESCO — its proximity to a city of ten million people means it receives around five million visitors a year. The park covers only 80 square kilometres, but those kilometres contain granite peaks, Buddhist temples, sections of a seventeenth-century fortress wall, and valleys that feel surprisingly remote given where they are.

Other places in Things to Do