Would you like to enjoy a picnic in Seoul? If you love city life, Seoul offers the ultimate experience. Nonetheless, you might need relaxed time after days of crazy city life in Seoul. Then, Olympic Park it is.
Olympic Park is my favorite place to picnic. Reasons are;
- It is easily accessible by public transportation and centrally located.
- The park is vast and has so much to offer visitors.
- There are great cultural resources.
Mongchontoseong Fortress – Amazing Walking Trail
Inside Olympic Park, there is Mongchontoseong Earthen Fortress which is the historic site of the Baekje Kingdom (18 BC – 660 AD). The modern-day Seoul area once served as the capital of Baekje and this fortress was built at that time. There is not much left today, but the 2.7km long fortress has an amazing walking trail with nice views since it is located in the rolling hills. There is a museum which features findings excavated from the site. It is free admission, so check it out if you have time.
Sports Activities
As you might have guessed from the name, Olympic Park is the legacy of the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Since the park was built to host the Olympics, there are various sports facilities. Some facilities are open to public and provide sports lessons including swimming, football, table tennis and golf. The most popular one is the Olympic Swimming Pool. It is possible for non-members to use the swimming pool with the price of 6,000 won (on specific times; 13:00~13:50, 18:00~19:50, 21:00~22:50 on weekdays; 09:00~12:50, 14:00~17:50 on weekends).
It is also nice to ride a bike inside the park. You can rent a bike from a Jamsil branch of Songpa Bike (spbike.songpa.go.kr; Tel: 02-3431-4380). It is run by Songpa-gu Office and the rent is free. The rental station is close to Jamsil Station (use the exit no. 2 and walk for about 200m toward Seokchon Lake).
Spot for Photography
It is a place where people take photos for various purposes. Every time I visit the park, I see amateur models and photographers. Many of them work for online clothes shops, but my favorite are soon-to-be married couples having their wedding photos taken by photographers. They dress many different styles. They wear a wedding dress and a tuxedo at one point and then they change clothes to cute outfits matched with one another.
Cultural Resources
SOMA Museum of Art is located in the center of the sculpture park. There are over 204 sculptures made by international and local artists in the open green space.
Olympic Park
Address : 426, Ollimpik-ro, Bangi-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul
Operating Hours : 06:00~22:00, 365 days a year
Transportation
Mongchon Toseong Station – Seoul Subway Line 8
Olympic Gongwon (Olympic Park)- Seoul Subway Line 5 Machon branch
