Hwadamsup

I highly recommend visiting this botanic garden during the autumn season; it's truly worth it. While the monorail offers a view, I'm not sure it's as enjoyable as the walk, and keep in mind there's a separate ticket required, which should be booked in advance. Personally, I preferred the walk for the best views and vibrant autumn colors. I also took the public transport to reach Hwadamsup which was pretty smooth.

I was lucky that it was not busy when I visited, but it was an eye-feast! Not to mention, the 파전 and other foods are also super yummy (the ones inside are better than the place just outside the gate). Lots of areas to explore, but be aware that the courses are LONG. Also, you MUST BOOK ONLINE IN ADVANCE. Additionally, the monorail (also must be reserved in advance) is really hard to get a seat. But, the place is really well laid out, decorated, and offers some really breathtaking and unique views. Located next to a ski resort and condo villiage.

Hwadam Botanic Garden 26 October 2023 🍁🍂

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Hwadam Forest
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- We tried to find tour packages before coming but it seems like they’re fully booked during this period. Also tried to book tickets on the website but it requires Korean phone number of which I didn’t have back then.

- We called Uber from Hongdae around 8 a.m. and arrived at the garden a little while before 10 a.m. The one way taxi costs 75,100 KRW.

- We presented our passports and bought the entrance ticket at the ticket office which costs 11,000 KRW/ person. Cards are accepted.

- MONORAIL: by the time we arrived, all the monorail tickets leaving from platform 1 was sold out. However, we were recommended to walk to Platform 2 to buy tickets on the spot.

- at Platform 2 there are 2 routes available to book at the machine (use Papago to translate): from Platform 2 - 3 or 2 - 1. We chose the route from Platform 2 -3. It costs 5,000 KRW/ person.

- at Platform 3 we also took the monorail back to Platform 1 for fun. There are plenty of tickets available so I chose the one which had 25 tickets available. It turned out there were only us and 2 grandpa/grandma. So we could take photos on the monorail.

- In my opinion, if you’re arriving in the morning, there is a better chance of getting the monorail ticket.

- It’s worth visiting from Seoul if you plan to spend your time freely here. I have the map with me but still got lost and walked back from Platform 3 to Platform 2. Haha 🤣

- The scenery is beautiful, with the leaves turning into pretty colours. 🍁🍂 I would prefer a quieter botanic garden, however I don’t regret coming all the way here from Seoul. It’s so peaceful here. (Look at the trees! 🤣)

- The food at the Hanok food court is kind of expensive, yet delicious.

- So we headed back to Seoul by using public transportation. The bus stop for the bus no. 9 is in walking distance from the garden, however the bus comes like once or twice per hour. It costs 1,350 KRW/ person if paid by card. The WiFi on the bus works pretty well. We got off at Gonjium Station.

- From Gonjium Station we changed the train thrice. (It depends on where you’re going. We came to Seongsu to explore the area.) So from the bus stop it took around 1 hour and a half to get back in Seoul.

#HwadamBotanicGarden #Hwadamsup

Best and lovely place for whoever is interested in nature, plants, and lives living in Korea. Please visit spring, summer, fall, and winter, and you will find what a brilliant this nature.

One of the beautiful places with plants, traditional architecture, fisheries, walking trail, herbarium, monorails and natural falls. The entry fee is 9000 won for adults and we need booking before visit. The place is well organized with associated restaurants and washrooms. The parking place is nearby. The resort accommodations are also available and the view is awesome. Overall a wonderful place to visit with family and friends. ❤❤

Beautiful place to visit. I heard you can visit every season to see the beauty of the nature. Since I visited in fall I could see the colors of the leaf in detail the view was wonderful. There were small trees which were actual trees but in mini size looking at it I was awestruck. Amazing way they have maintained the whole park. Anyone who comes here during spring and fall I would recommend them to visit this place. There is an option of mono rail which is good for older people who cannot climb up and down. They can see the beauty while sitting in a place. If you go as a family you can pack your own lunch as you would find a place to sit together and eat.

(Photos do not use filters. Original real color) This forest trail is a well-made road and consists of two courses: a gentle slope for easy walking and steep course as a fast track. And even better, it takes three hours to around whole area, but I went up to a short course(2 hours) by my choice. It's a place where you can feel nature to your heart's content. It is highly recommended to go in autumn, when the whole mountain is dyed red, especially between the fourth week of October and the first week of November. Autumn is a difficult time to make reservations even for Korean. So you must make a reservation in advance. On-site reservations are always sold out!

Best place for a family outing and picnic. There are also restaurants beside the entrance gate in case you get hungry or just want to grab a coffee. Family friendly. Stress free zone.

Quite a gorgeous view during Autumn, the landscape of Hwadamsup was stunningly beautiful. When we visited there with everything covered by golden maples and highlighted by occasional burning red.

The vicinity was not seen popular among foreigners and it was no where you would visit, unless you stayed at the LG resorts; the options for transportation were very limited. Coaches running haphazardly between the garden and the town, and the frequency was nothing you could predict. (Do not expect everyone stays in the queue, although some younger generations were very polite)

The food was unexpectedly cheap for a tourist spot, and the quality was not bad; however the souvenir shop was quite disappointing for the quality of their product.

The monorail tour was amazing and comfy, however the design of connecting two compartments into one was a complete failure; people sitting at the back of the first cart and the front of the second cart were blocked 90% of the time, which made half of the riders unhappy.

Beautiful place to walk and see Fall foliage. Great for strollers and handicap access. You can walk all the way up the mountain with wheels. Went with my two year old and his stroller - it was perfect.

I was pleasantly surprised how nice this "forest" was! It's not a natural forest but created and managed by one of the biggest Korean enterprises' family member. You can enjoy a 90-min walk along the deck (to the top and down), or alternatively, take the monorail. If you want to purchase the entry-only ticket without monorail, you'll need to buy it online on their website as they don't sell it at their ticketing booth.
You're not allowed to bring any food inside, and there are only vending machines for drinks inside the forest.
The entry ticket is 9000 won and there is a plenty space for parking.

Absolutely gorgeous! We chose to walk instead of ride the monorail. So much lovely scenery and we were lucky enough to come when the sun was shining and it wasn't too hot.

We will definitely be returning in the autumn.

picturesque views of the forest ！！！
Must try the Korea pancake in the food court

Very beautiful botanic garden especially in Autumn. Recommended.

It’s hard to find taxi for foreigner.Come early in the morning.

This place is an amazing place covered with beautiful flowers and refreshing trees. Pretty comfy with monorail brings you from three different spots to others. The forest is huge. I will definately visit again soon. Thanks LG!

Cute monorail. I recommend to buy 3station ticket, not round trip ticket. Buying 3station ticket is cheaper than round trip monorail ticket. When we arrive the third station, we can walk down along walking way. We can take view and photo shots along the way. When finish travelling at Hwadam botanic garden, I have to take taxi to train station.

various things to see. there are a lot of people, but its good to walk slowly. nice view👍🏻

If you want to visit a resort to enjoy, have fun and learn at the same time, this is the right place for you. There is a freshwater fish museum, insect house and a lot of biological specimens you can see and/or study. It’s a great place to spend your time with friends or with family.

Very good place to walk around while looking at various types of trees. This place is accessible by strollers and wheelchairs. I would come back during Fall season.

Adorable private botanic garden. Air is so easy to breathe. It's not crowded at all even on the weekends. Maybe because of Covid.
Give it a try, can't go wrong with flowers and butterflies.