Parks and leisure

There are plenty of places to rest without spending. Start with your neighbourhood park.

What's available

• Neighbourhood parks — in every district, free, with exercise equipment, paths and playgrounds.
• Riverside parks — the Han River and local streams, with good cycle and walking paths.
• Arboretums and botanical gardens — some charge, but cheaply.
• Urban forests and trails — easy hiking routes. See hiking.
• Campsites — those run by local authorities are inexpensive.
• Free cultural events — councils and community centres hold performances and festivals.

When you go

1. Take your rubbish home or use the designated bins. See garbage-rules.
2. Cooking and drinking are banned in many parks — check the signs.
3. Pets need a lead and waste bags. See pet-ownership.
4. Bicycles and scooters must stay on designated paths. See bicycle-kickboard.
5. At night, stick to lit paths.

Through the seasons

• Spring — cherry blossom festivals, extremely crowded.
• Summer — avoid midday outdoors. See heat-illness. Some parks open water play areas.
• Autumn — autumn leaves, with many hikers.
• Winter — some run sledding hills and ice rinks.

Where to go

• Community centre and district office websites (local parks and events)
• 1330 tourist information (multilingual)
• Korea Tourism Organization visitkorea.or.kr
• Family centres (outings for multicultural families)
• 112 / 119 accidents and emergencies

Questions people ask

I'm looking for somewhere to take my child. Check the parks and cultural events pages on your district website. Family centres also run family programmes.

Can I barbecue in a park? Mostly not. Use a designated campsite or barbecue area.

I want a weekend that costs nothing. Parks, libraries, free exhibitions and performances, and local festivals. See library-use.

Where do I find free event listings? On district and city websites, community centre noticeboards and local community groups.

Take care

Streams and valleys can rise suddenly in summer. Don't go if rain is forecast. Hiking at night is dangerous — come down before dark. If you go alone, tell someone where you are. See my-location.

Related

hiking · library-use · community-center · bicycle-kickboard · pet-ownership

Source

Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism www.mcst.go.kr / As of 2026-08