Wandering in Seoul. Oct 2023. Part 1. Hang river.
I am still hungry... for travel and walks
Part 2 is here. Part 3 is here.
Back in Korea again. It is interesting how our mind spots differences between the places. Compared to Japan I found that pedestrians wait much longer in Seoul before they see green light to cross the road. In fact, it is a car country, I felt that vehicles somehow have a priority over pedestrians, which is opposite in Japan. People talk loudly, really loud, as if trying to prove something to each other. There is more energy. In the trains of Japan, especially in the morning, most people are dozing, here they are all on smart phones or talking, even there is a rare sight of newspaper readers (respect!). Travelling in Seoul metro can be a rigorous exercise if you choose not to use the escalators. And many people do, they just climb those super long stairs. In my case I normally walk on the escalator which is in Japan considered “dangerous”. I don’t often see lonely unhappy people in Seoul, people are mostly in groups, if solo, they don’t look “dark”, they are content and purposeful. So, given that Korean food is my favorite in this world, I think I could live here. At least a few months…
Now, to this piece. Seoul is a perfect city for walking. I like to structurize things and broke down Seoul walks into four groups: river walks, stream walks, mountain climbs and strolls around the suburbs (urbohikes - inventing new words is another hobby). I will talk about couple of river walks in this post.
HAN RIVER PARK WAlKS
Cheongdam towards Noryanjing fish market.
Every time I’m in Seoul I like to walk along Han River (Hangang) absorbing the sun, views and occasionally exercising in the abundant outdoor gyms. They are everywhere: along the river, in the parks, inside mountain trails. Convenience shops and toilets can be found easily as well. Sometimes I just buy beers and read near the river. Not today.
Han River is long enough for any walking enthusiast. It is 514 km long and intersected with 27 bridges. Walks are mostly far away from the traffic, clearly marked for pedestrian and bike riders and are constantly maintained and improved.
As I often stay in the nearby Riviera Hotel, my favorite route starts from Cheongdam area near Yeongdong Bridge, then towards the river, one hour walk until I reach Hannam bridge ,then right towards youthful Garosu-Gil to browse some shop windows and buy excellent coffee.
Garosu-gil area near Sinsa station is a good place for shopping, people watching, and some interesting food.
During this October trip I have decided to skip Garosu-Gil and continued straight towards Noryanjing fish market. In a slow contemplative speed, it is around 3 hours or 10 km.
Here is a rough map (I am showing where the turn to Garosu-gil is manually, as in Korea Google Maps are not allowed to display walking routes).
The route stretches through Jamwon and Banpo sections of Hangang park.
Banpo area is lively with a few eating spots.
You can also walk along Banpo bridge to cross to the other side of the river.
One hour or so further there is a slightly different paysage near Dongjak Bridge.
After Dongjak bridge 50 minutes or so you walk under the highway before emerging in the open with Hangang railway bridge view behind.
The construction of the bridge was finished in 1900, took three years, and the whole project is a remarkable story by itself.
From here I have walked towards Saetgang station and took the train to Noryanjing fish market (just one stop). You can buy some fresh fish in the market and they will cook it for you. Interesting experience.
Olympic Park towards Amsa.
This route is in the opposite direction. It passes through some sections of Seoul trail, and you can combine it with shopping in Lotte World near Jamsil station and visiting Seoul Sky, the tallest building in Korea (5th tallest in the world). The route ends near Amsa station, but you can walk further (see below).
Here is the map of the walk.
From my hotel Urin near Samseong station I walked towards the Olympic Park area until I reached Hang River Park.
And continued to the right along a pedestrian path, seeing Seoul Sky ahead.
After around 30 minutes I have reached Jamsil Bridge. Interesting tiny waterfall underneath.
From here turn right towards the Jamsil station and Seokchong Lake park (or just continue along the river). There is an information center in the Lake park where you can grab the vicinity maps. Lotte World and Hyundai department stores are nearby if shopping is on the agenda.
From this park you can also walk towards various stream trails following the signs.
After seeing the Lake park I am back to the river side and en route towards Amsa station. There is a cozy rest area near Cheonho bridge. People come with tents and settle for a day.
I also had my break.
Further I came across a Drone Park full of the enthusiasts of this new adult toy. Well, guess it is better than Japanese pachinko or video games. Nearby there are many playgrounds for different sports: basketball, badminton, tennis, soccer. Variety. In Japan free land is taken mostly by the baseball fields or golf clubs.
Amsa station has a nice residential feel. I would like to come here again to continue Seoul trail from here, as apparently according to the signs, I can walk further 7 km to Godeok station. Next time.
In fact, I want to walk all the length of the river. Well, there are so many places I want to see in this world…
Apparently I have chosen the right name for this blog - “Hungry for Travel”.
In the part 2 I will give example of a mountain climb and walks along the not so well-known streams in Seoul.
Very nice, I agree—I spent 5 weeks in Japan vs only a few days in Seoul or Korea, and Japan has infinitely more that’s culturally interesting and special to me—and yet I still experienced far more warmth, and a certain intrinsic drive and hunger from Koreans in a few days than I ever felt from cold and largely alienating Japan. Very different feeling.