Hongjecheon Artificial Waterfall

Seoul in spring is made for wandering around with no real plan. The cherry blossoms had already finished when I went, but the tulips were out, and that was reason enough to head over to the Hongjecheon artificial waterfall in Seodaemun-gu. I'll be honest about the waterfall. It isn't spectacular. It's a man-made fall in the middle of a city, built in 2011, and if you're expecting something wild you'll be a bit let down. What I liked more was Ansan, the park right next to it. The blossoms had dropped by then, but someone had planted tulips along the slope. Not a huge patch. Still really pretty, and I wasn't expecting it at all. Getting there is easy enough. Put Hongjecheon Waterfall into Naver Map and it'll sort out the route. I took the subway to Hongje Station on Line 3 and came out of exit 4, then walked a few steps to the bus stop. Some guides list exit 3 instead, so just follow the map once you're above ground. The ride is short, and after getting off you cross the road and walk down to the bridge. The waterfall is right there. It's about 1.1 km from the station on foot if you'd rather skip the bus. The first thing you see is the fall itself, and just beside it is Cafe Pokpo. The cafe opened in 2023 and it's become one of the most photographed spots in the area, so expect a queue on weekends and clear days. Downstairs there's a whole wall of mirrors that people use for photos. If you want a seat facing the water, go early. From the waterfall you've got a few options, and I did a bit of all of them. Cross the bridge and you're in Ansan. You can stop halfway up the slope for the tulips, or keep climbing, since the park is big and there's plenty of trail to explore. Or just stay down by the water and walk under the bridge. That stretch shows up in the Korean drama Encounter, the one with Song Hye-kyo, where the two leads look at paintings together. There aren't any paintings there now, but it's a nice place to walk around anyway. If you've still got energy, you can walk to Yonsei University from here, which took us about 40 minutes. We went in through the back gate and wandered through to the front, then had dinner around Sinchon. A good way to finish a spring day out. One thing worth checking before you go. The waterfall doesn't run all year. From what I found, the season is roughly mid-March to late October, so look up the current schedule if you're visiting near either end of that window.