Seoul Forest, transformed from the Ttukseom Racecourse in 2005 into a 24-hour park

From the 1908 water purification plant and the 1954 racecourse to Seoul Forest in 2005

Ttukseom, where Seoul Forest is located, is a waterfront area close to the Han River and Jungnangcheon Stream. In this area, Ttukdo Water Source, the country's first modern water purification plant, was established in 1908. In the 1940s it served as a recreation area, from 1954 to 1989 it was the Seoul Racecourse, and afterward it was used as Ttukseom Sports Park. Even today, the Waterworks Museum north of the park shows that this land was connected to Seoul's water supply.

The city of Seoul transformed about 1.15 million square meters of land that had included a golf course and riding facilities into a large green space, and Seoul Forest opened on June 18, 2005. At the time of opening, the trees planted numbered about 420,000 across 104 species, and the park's starting point was its role as a public green space linking the Han River waterfront and the Seongsu-dong living area in eastern Seoul.

From culture and art park to ecological forest: how not to mix up the five zones at once

Seoul Forest is made up of spaces with the character of a culture and art park, ecological forest, nature experience learning garden, wetland ecological garden, and Han River waterfront park. The area closest to Seoul Forest Station is the culture and art park zone with the Mirror Pond, Family Yard, and ground fountain, while the deer enclosure and insect botanical garden are located deeper inside the park toward the ecological forest.

If it is your first visit, it is easier not to backtrack if you enter from the Seoul Forest Station side, pass the Mirror Pond and Family Yard, and then move in order to the Insect Botanical Garden, deer enclosure, and Gallery Garden. To include the Han River scenery, you can cross the pedestrian overpass and continue toward Ttukseom Hangang Park. Two to three hours is enough to see only the park, and three to four hours is suitable if you include the Han River.

• Short 90-minute route: Seoul Forest Station → Mirror Pond → Family Yard → Insect Botanical Garden → deer enclosure
• Basic 2- to 3-hour route: Seoul Forest Station → Mirror Pond → Ecological Forest → deer enclosure → Gallery Garden → Forest Playground
• Half-day route: Seoul Forest → pedestrian overpass → Ttukseom Hangang Park → Seongsu-dong streets

The 24-hour park and the 05:30-21:30 ecological forest have different entry hours

The park area of Seoul Forest is open 24 hours, and admission is free. However, the ecological forest, deer enclosure, and pedestrian overpass sections can be used only from 05:30 to 21:30, so you should not assume that you can pass through the entire park the same way late at night. The Seoul Forest Management Office phone number is 02-460-2905, and the official website is https://parks.seoul.go.kr/template/seoulforest/main.do.

Indoor and seasonal facilities follow separate schedules. The Insect Botanical Garden is open from 10:00 to 17:00 from March to October and from 10:00 to 16:00 from November to February, with last admission 30 minutes before closing. The Butterfly Garden operates from 10:00 to 17:00 from May to October, and the Insect Botanical Garden and Butterfly Garden are closed on Mondays.

• General park area: 24 hours, open year-round, free
• Ecological Forest, deer enclosure, pedestrian overpass: 05:30-21:30
• Insect Botanical Garden: March-October 10:00-17:00 / November-February 10:00-16:00
• Butterfly Garden: May-October 10:00-17:00, closed on Mondays

2 minutes from exits 3, 4, and 5 of Seoul Forest Station on the Suin-Bundang Line, 11 minutes from Ttukseom Station

The easiest access is via Seoul Forest Station on the Suin-Bundang Line. If you leave through exits 3, 4, or 5 toward Seoul Forest, it is about a 2-minute walk to the nearest park entrance. If you use Ttukseom Station on Line 2, it is about an 11-minute walk from exits 7 or 8 toward Seoul Forest.

By bus, the blue bus 121 and the green buses 2014, 2224, 2412, and 2413 stop at nearby Seoul Forest bus stops. If you are carrying luggage or pushing a stroller, it is easier to use Seoul Forest Station as your base to reduce crosswalks and sidewalk walking. For foreign travelers, checking the station exit number together with the sign "Seoul Forest" helps distinguish the exits toward the Seongsu-dong commercial area from those toward the park.

Why choosing Seoul Forest Station before parking makes sense: 200 won per 5 minutes for small cars

The Seoul Forest parking lot is available, and the official rates are 200 won per 5 minutes for small cars and 400 won per 5 minutes for large vehicles. The parking lot management office operates at 070-4414-1799 during the day and 02-3431-3774 at night. If you enter by car, set the address to 273 Ttukseom-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul.

The park sits between Seongsu-dong and the Han River, so cars can arrive all at once on weekends, during flower season, and during events. In particular, the 2026 Seoul International Garden Expo runs from May 1 to October 27, 2026, in the Seoul Forest and Seongsu-dong area, and as of August 2026 there are additional garden exhibitions and event routes in parts of the park. Arriving by subway, walking through the park first, and then having dinner in Seongsu-dong on the way back is a way to avoid parking exit delays.

• Small car: 200 won per 5 minutes
• Large vehicle: 400 won per 5 minutes
• Parking lot day inquiries: 070-4414-1799
• Parking lot night inquiries: 02-3431-3774

Fallow deer, Insect Botanical Garden, Forest Playground: choose where to stop by purpose

The fallow deer at Seoul Forest are a symbolic presence that turn the memory of the former racecourse land into today's ecological observation. The deer enclosure can be seen during the ecological forest hours of 05:30-21:30, and the Insect Botanical Garden closes earlier depending on the season, so it is better to visit it before the deer enclosure.

If you have a child age 9 or under, Seoul Forest's Forest Playground is an outdoor Seoul-style kids' cafe that can be used freely without advance reservation. There is no limit on capacity, it is free, and it is used with shoes on and together with a guardian. Smoking is prohibited throughout the park and at all play facilities, and pets other than guide dogs are not allowed in the Forest Playground.

• Deer enclosure: viewable during ecological forest hours, 05:30-21:30
• Insect Botanical Garden: 10:00-17:00 or 10:00-16:00 depending on the season
• Forest Playground: as of 2026, for those born in 2017 or later, free, open use without reservation
• Forest Playground notes: guardian required, shoes must be worn, pets not allowed

In August 2026, walk with the Seoul International Garden Expo route added

The 2026 Seoul International Garden Expo opens on May 1 and continues through October 27 in the Seoul Forest, Seongsu-dong, and Han River areas. The city of Seoul announced a garden project of about 90,000 square meters connecting Seoul Forest, the Han River, Seongsu-dong, and Konkuk University Station, and admission to the expo is free without separate reservation. Even for visitors who want to see only the park's original forest paths, there are now stretches where you can walk along the currently installed garden works.

In spring, it is good to change your route around the tulips in the bulb garden near Family Yard; in early summer, the hydrangea path in the Slow Walk Garden; in summer, the shaded Ecological Forest and the indoor Insect Botanical Garden; and in autumn, the ginkgo trees and garden exhibitions. Pets may enter Seoul Forest with you, but the leash must be kept within 2 meters, and they are not allowed on lawn areas, garden green spaces, benches, or raised platforms.