Hongdae and the Rail Forest
An indie arts hub and a park on old tracks
≈1.8 km · ≈25 min walking · Easy · Mapo-gu · Start: Hongik University station · End: Hongik University station
The university neighbourhood where Seoul's indie music scene grew up, then north along the Gyeongui Line Forest, a park built where trains used to run, to the cafés of Yeonnam-dong.
Stops
- KT&G Sangsangmadang (KT&G 상상마당(홍대))
An arts complex opened in 2007 with galleries, a live music hall and a small cinema behind a sculpted concrete facade. - Gyeongui Line Book Street (경의선책거리)
A row of small bookshops in converted rail carriages along the park, on the line of the old Gyeongui railway, which now runs underground. - Yeonnam-dong (연남동)
A low-rise neighbourhood of converted houses, cafés and small restaurants on both sides of the park's widest stretch, nicknamed 'Yeontral Park'.
Best time: Late afternoon into the evening, when the street performers come out.
Tips
- Hongik University Station exit 3 opens straight onto the park.
Access
Gyeongui Line Forest Park is a level, paved linear park. Side streets in Hongdae are busy at night.