Yeouido: Parliament to the River
A domed assembly, a long park, a daylit department store and the riverbank
≈4.5 km · ≈65 min walking · Moderate · Yeongdeungpo-gu · Start: National Assembly station · End: Yeouinaru station
Seoul's island of politics and money: start under the green dome of the National Assembly, cross the long Yeouido Park, look inside The Hyundai Seoul's daylit atrium and take a short bus ride to the riverbank for a picnic at sunset.
Stops
- National Assembly (국회의사당)
Completed in 1975, with 24 square columns and a green copper dome. The grounds are open, and the cherry trees along its back road, Yunjung-ro, are Seoul's best-known spring walk. - Yeouido Park (여의도공원)
Once an asphalt plaza used for military parades and rallies, turned into a 1.3 km long park in 1999, with a Korean-style woodland at one end. - The Hyundai Seoul (더현대 서울)
A department store opened in 2021 in the Parc.1 complex, built around a tall atrium under a glass roof with an indoor garden. Lots of the space is given to planting and seating rather than shops. - Yeouido Hangang Park (여의도한강공원)
Seoul's busiest riverside park: open lawns, chicken-and-beer picnics delivered to your mat, river cruises and, in early October, the Seoul International Fireworks Festival.
Best time: Late afternoon in spring or autumn, ending on the river at sunset. Cherry blossoms line Yunjung-ro in early April.
Tips
- Food delivery to the park works: order to the delivery zone signs by the lawn.
- The fireworks festival in October draws over a million people; arrive by mid-afternoon or skip that day.
- The gold 63 Building is a 15-minute walk east along the river from the park if you want a closer look.
Access
Flat, wide paths across Yeouido. The Hangang Park can be reached at street level from Yeouinaru Station.