Take AREX Train and Go On Fall Foliage Tour in Korea

 

It is Autumn season in Korea now and we are going to introduce some popular attractions for fall foliage in Korea which is reachable by taking the AREX train. Let's check it out now.

#1 Jeondeungsa Temple

Depart from AREX Geomam Station

Geomam Station Exit 1  ▶ At Geomam Station Bus Stop, Take Bus #70 

▶ Get off at Jeondeungsa South Entrance

When you walk along the fortress wall, you can see the harmonious view of the colorful Autumn leaves and Jonghaelu with blue sky as background.

#2 Ganghwa War Museum

Depart from AREX Geomam Station

Take Bus #90 ▶ Get off at Youth Training Center, walk 12 mins

Ganghwa War Museum, one of the most famous places for ginkgo trees.

If you go there after 3pm, you can see the golden ginkgo trees with Autumn sunlight.

#3 Seoul City Wall Museum

Depart from AREX Seoul Station

Transfer to Subway Line 4 ▶ Get off at Dongdaemun Station Exit 1, walk 6 mins

The highlight of Naksan Mountain trail - 1st Observatory Square!

A place where you can enjoy beautiful scenery of Seoul Fortress Wall in gold color during Autumn!

#4 Namsan Outdoor Botanical Garden

Depart from AREX Gongdeok Station

Transfer to Subway Line 6  ▶ Get off at Hangangjin Station, walk 10 mins

The large Namsan Outdoor Botanical Garden is a good place to enjoy Autumn leaves and relax.

#5 Jeongdong Observatory 

Depart from AREX Seoul Station

Transfer to Subway Line 1  ▶ Get off at City Hall Station Exit 2

Jeongdong Observatory is a place where you can enjoy beautiful and colorful Autumn leaves around Deoksugung Palace at a glance. You can enjoy this panoramic view of Autumn leaves on the 13th floor of the Seoul City Hall Seosomun Building.

If you are visiting Seoul in the Autumn, do add these places in your itinerary list. You can definitely enjoy breath-taking Autumn scenery if you visit the attractions that we have listed above.

*Note: Remember to wear a mask and follow COVID-19 preventive guidelines whether you are visiting places indoor or outdoor.

Enjoy Autumn Walk at Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul

 

The beautiful maple trees create an amazing view of Autumn!

There are many places in Seoul that are considered popular for Autumn foliage, but this is a must-visit place when you travel to Korea in Autumn, and it is the Gyeongbokgung Palace.

The opening hours of Gyeongbokgung Palace varies in a different season. For November - December, the opening hours is 09:00 - 17:00 (last admission is at 16:00). It is closed on every Tuesday.

You can get to Gyeongbokgung Palace from Gwanghwamun Station or Gyeongbokgung Station. If you have extra time, we recommend you to visit the National Folk Museum of Korea as well.

Although the autumn leaves may have fallen a lot in the cold weather in the late Autumn, but we hope you can still enjoy the Autumn vibes by looking at the red autumn leaves in the pictures. The autumn of Gyeongbokgung Palace is a place where you can feel the romance from the beautiful autumn leaves.

Many people visit Gyeongbokgung Palace to enjoy autumn.

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Geunjeongjeon Hall at Gyeongbokgung Palace looks magnificent. If you want to see the interior of Geunjeongjeon Hall, you have to queue in two lines due to social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

On one side of Gyeongbokgung Palace, you could see the colorful autumn leaves that is perfect for you to enjoy autumn during your trip in Korea.

Gyeonghoeru Pavilion that is surrounded by willow trees around the man-made pond, is a magnificent and wonderful building by itself. This is also a great place to enjoy the Autumn scenery in Gyeongbokgung Pavilion.

No trip to Korea is complete without visiting Gyeongbokgung Palace, especially if you visit in Autumn! We hope you will have a wonderful autumn time in Korea next time.

[Information about Gyeongbokgung Palace]

1. Getting There

   · At AREX Gongdeok Station, transfer to Subway Line 5 ▶  Get off at Gwanghwamun Station Exit 2, Walk 5 mins 

   · At AREX Seoul Station, transfer to Subway Line 1  ▶ Get off at Jongno 3-ga Station, transfers to Subway Line 3  ▶ Get off at Gyeongbokgung Station Exit 5 

2. Address : Gyeongbokgung Palace, 161 Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 

3. Opening Hours : Jan- Feb & Nov- Dec  09:00 - 17:00 / March - May & Sept - Oct 09:00 - 18:00 / June - Aug  9:00 - 18:30 / Closed on Tuesdays

4. Admission Fee : Adult( 25~ 64 y/o) KRW 3,000

5. Contact Number : +82-02-3700-3900

*Note: To prevent the spread of COVID-19, please remember to keep 2m social distancing, wash hands frequently, obey cough etiquette and wear a mask. Stay safe, everyone.

[Fall Foliage in Seoul] Beautiful Autumn Leaves in Deoksugung Palace

When you visit Korea in the late Autumn, you must be wondering where to find beautiful Autumn scenery in Korea. In this post, we will introduce Deoksugung Palace, one of the popular fall foliage attractions in Seoul.

Just in time to watch the Changing Ceremony of the Royal Guards in front of the Daehanmun Gate of Deoksugung Palace. The guard changing ceremony was held since 1996 after thorough historical research by leading historians. This event happens all year round with the performance times at 11:00, 14:00, 15:30 (3 times a day), except on Monday when Deoksugung Palace is closed (as well other circumstances such as rainy days, snowy days, and in extremely hot or cold weather).

After enjoying the royal guard changing ceremony, once you enter Deoksugung Palace through Daehanmun Gate, you will start to see the autumn leaves in the palace. We visited almost the end of Autumn, and there were autumn leaves that already fell, making a golden carpet on the floor. When you step on the ginkgo leaves, you can already feel the Autumn of Deoksugung Palace.

Seogeodang Hall

Junghwajeon Hall

Deoksugung Palace, a palace during Joseon Dynasty, is the historic site no. 124 that is located at Jeongdong. Deoksugung Palace originally belonged to Prince Wolsan, the older brother of King Seongjong of the Joseon dynasty. It was used as the temporary residence of King Seonjo after the Japanese invasion and was renamed to Gyeongungung Palace during the reign of King Gwanghaegun.

The autumn leaves blend in well with the quiet buildings, offering the best Autumn scenery.

Seokjojeon Hall

Seokjojeon Hall West Wing

Among the royal buildings of the Joseon Dynasty, there is a representative of European-style stone building located in Deoksugung Palace. After King Gojong moved from the Russian legation to Deoksugung Palace, a few Western-style buildings were built, and Seokjojeon Hall was used for meeting high officials and foreign envoys. Seokjojeon Hall is currently operated as the "Korean Empire History Museum" while Seokjojeon Hall West Wing is used as the the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Deoksugung Palace branch).

If you wish to join the guide tour of Korean Empire History Museum at Seokjojeon Hall, you must make a reservation on the website. Applications can be booked from 10 am, a week before the viewing date, and available for a maximum of 10 people per group, on a first-come first-served basis. You may reserve up to two tickets per person.

*Click here to go to the website*

The autumn leaves road spread throughout Deoksugung Palace is so beautiful. It was nice to see an international couple dressed up in hanbok taking pictures under the maple tree. You will definitely fall in love with the romantic walk in old palace.

As you walk along the Deoksugung Palace, you may feel abit weird seeing the modern architecture over the tile fence. It seems like Deoksugung Palace may be the only place where the old palace, European-style stone building, and modern buildings be in harmony.

Have an enjoyable walk along the road filled with the beautiful red autumn leaves. It makes people feel excited with the smell of autumn at Deoksugung Palace.

The rustling of leaves on the floor make the sound of autumn. We like the sound so much that we went to look for a path with fallen leaves and keep walking on it. It is such a good season to take a seat on the bench and watch the falling ginkgo leaves.

If you wish to enjoy Autumn even more, we recommend you to take a walk at the Deoksugung Palace Stone-wall road. Try walking from Deoksugung Palace following the stone-wall road to get to Jeongdong. You will definitely get attracted to the beautiful sight of Autumn.

Remember to check out Deoksugung Palace when you visit Korea in the next Autumn.

[Information about Deoksugung Palace]

1. Getting There : At AREX Hongik University Station, transfer to Subway Line 2  ▶ Get off at City Hall Station Exit 1, walk 2 mins 

2. Address : 99 Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul 

3. Operating Hours : 09:00 – 21:00 daily (Ticket and Admission 09:00-20:00) / Closed on Monday

4. Contact Number : +82-2-771-9953

5. Admission Fee : Adult KRW 1,000 / Free admission if you are wearing Hanbok

*Note: To prevent the spread of COVID-19, please remember to keep 2m social distancing, wash hands frequently, obey cough etiquette and wear a mask. Stay safe, everyone.

[Fall Foliage in Seoul] Hongneung Forest

 

We know many people couldn't fly to Korea last Autumn due to COVID-19. In this post, we are going to bring you back to Autumn 2020 and let you enjoy Autumn at Hongneung Forest with us.

From Tuesday to Friday, it is only possible to visit Hongneung Forest by joining the forest commentary guide program while on the weekends, you can tour around the place freely.

Forest commentary guide program is available on weekdays at 10:30, 13:30, 15:30. It is opened from 09:00- 18:00 (March to October), and 09:00- 17:090 (November to February). Hongneung Forest is closed on every Monday and public holiday.

 

To get to Hongneung Forest, you have to take the Subway Line 6 to Korea University and get off at Exit 3. 

During Spring, this road is also filled with cherry blossom trees.

Hongneung Forest belongs to National Institute of Forest Science. It was established in 1922 when the experimental forest was built on Hongneung Royal Tomb, where Queen Myeongseong was buried.

The admission to Hongneung Forest is free. If you wish to join the forest commentary guide program during weekdays, you need to make reservation on internet or by phone (at least 7 days before the visit date). If small group (1-9 person) is not full, it is possible to make the reservation a day before, via phone.

*Click here* for reservation (Korean)

During weekend, you may visit the forest and walk around freely by yourself. However, if you wish to join the forest commentary guide program, please take note that there are 2 sessions available - 10:30 and 14:00.

Hongneung Forest is surrounded by king cherry blossom, alder trees, Siberian alder trees, pitch pine trees, etc.  Besides that, there are also other trees such as pine trees, fir trees, etc, which forms a multi-layered forest.

In addition, there are benches all over the arboretum where you can take a short break when you feel tired. There are plenty of space for you to rest and just enjoy autumn.

You can find the trees showing off the beautiful Autumn at Hongneung Forest. King Sejong The Great Memorial Hall and Yeonghuiwon are also nearby the Hongneung Forest, so it is recommended for you to visit all 3 places together.

[Information about Hongneung Forest]

 1 Getting There : At AREX Gongdeok Station, transfer to Subway Line 6  ▶  Get off at Korea University Station Exit 3, walk 9 mins 

 2. Address : 57 Hoegi-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 

 3. Contact Number : +82-2-961-2777

*Note: To prevent the spread of COVID-19, please remember to keep 2m social distancing, wash hands frequently, obey cough etiquettes and wear a mask. Stay safe, everyone.