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| ▒ Walk under a Cascade of Spring Cherry Blossoms |
| Have you ever dreamed of walking on a flower carpet under a shower of blossoms? Then, we invite you to the April festivities in Korea. This is the month when the country is covered in white cherry blossom petals, its mountains are ablaze with yellow forsythias, and villages are blooming with sansuyu flowers. Here is a list of the best places across the nation to visit in springtime. All you need is some time to admire to the spring flowers. |
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 #1 Spring Flower Parades in the City – Places Easily Accessible by Subway |
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* Yunjungno Cherry Blossom Tunnel
 The best and most popular destination for cherry blossoms in Seoul is Yeouido. Yunjungno, the road that circles the National Assembly building, is lined with over 1,400 cherry trees, which are around 30 to 40 years old. In early to mid April, the 5.7 kilometer-long Yunjungno turns snowy-white with cherry blossoms, drawing over 2.5 million visitors every year. When the flowers are at their peak, some sections of the road are blocked off, making public transportation a more convenient choice than driving. Also, at the height of the cherry blossom season, the Cherry Blossom Big Festival will be held at the 63 Building. Major events on the festival program include a street art parade along Yunjungno, live performances by Korean and international teams, a flower decoration exhibition, and a culture & tourism photo exhibition. At the 63 City Building, you can participate in a competition of climbing the stairs all the way to the 63rd floor, get out a free cherry blossom tattoo, and there’s also a cherry blossom concert. |
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☞ Transportation :
To get to Yunjungno, take subway line 5 to Yeouinaru Station, it’s then a 5 minute walk / To get to the 63 Building, take subway line 5 to Yeouinaru station, and go out of exit 1 or 4, or go to Yeouido station and out exit 5. From there you can take a shuttle bus bound for the 63 Building for free.
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More Detailed Information on the Yeouido Spring Flowers Festival |
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Mt. Namsan’s Cherry Blossoms and Forsythias
 The Namsan Circular Road, which connects the Namsan Library to Palgakjeong Pavilion and then to the National Theater in Jangchung-dong, offers a beautiful scenic route lined with forsythias, azaleas and cherry blossoms. Despite its height of 262 meters above sea level, Mt. Namsan is a fairly easy walk.
There are a variety of ways up the mountain, with the most popular one starting from the Namsan Library along its walkway (takes 30-40 minutes to ‘Palgakjeong Pavillion,’ its summit). If you are interested in just seeing the mountain and its panoramic surroundings, take a cable car or a Namsan shuttle bus. Cable cars run from 10:00 to 23:00. If you take the cable car after dark, you can expect a splendid night view of downtown Seoul. A round trip is 7,000 won and a one-way trip is 5,500 won for adults / 5,000 won and 3,500 won for children.
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☞ Transportation : Take subway line 4 to Myeongdong station, and go out of exit 3. It’s a 10 to 15 minute walk. To take the cable car, walk about 10 minutes from exit 3 of Myeong-dong station towards the Pacific Hotel.
If you’d like to take a yellow Namsan shuttle bus, take a bus at exit no.2 (in front of Daehan Theater (대한극장)) of Chungmuro station (subway line 3, 4) or exit no.6 of Dongguk Univ. Station (subway line 3). Buses depart every 6-10 minutes and run from 07:30 to 24:00
☞ More Detailed Information on Mt. Namsan |
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* Kyunghee University’s Cherry Blossom Road
 With its stately old buildings and beautiful campus, Kyunghee University seems as much a tourist attraction as it does a university. In summer, the campus is nestled among thousands of lush trees and in spring, it is covered with cherry blossoms. The road connecting the main gate to the main building is famous for its 200 cherry blossom trees, which creates kind of a tunnel effect when they are in full bloom in April. The lake in front of the main building enhances the spring ambience, enticing young couples to come out and enjoy the greenery and spring flowers. To the right of the lake is a beautiful uphill promenade leading to the College of Education. Along the thick woodland path, there is a small bridge over a brook. |
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☞ Transportation : Take subway Line 1 to Hoegi Station. It’s a 10-minute walk to the university. |
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* Changgyeonggung Palace’s Cherry Blossoms
 Among the major royal palaces in Seoul, like Gyeongbokgung and Gyeonghuigung, Changgyeonggung palace is famous for its beautiful cherry blossoms. In fact, it is said that the cherry trees were originally planted so that they could be used to build a new royal palace. Luckily the tress were never cut down, and now visitors from all over the world enjoy the sight of the traditional palace buildings surrounded by a sea of cherry blossoms. During April and May, Changgyeonggung is graced by other flowers such as azaleas, apricot tree blossoms and forsythias, which bloom at the “flower stairs” situated on the northern hill of Tongmyeongjeon, and at Chundangji. |
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☞ Transportation : Take subway line 4 to Hyehwa Station and go out of exit #4. Go straight until you reach the intersection. Cross the street, turn left and proceed straight for about 300 meters. It is approximately a 20~25 minute walk.
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More Detailed Information on Changgyeonggung Palace |
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| #2 Regional Spring Flower Hot Spots – Best in the Nation |
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* Jinhae Cherry Blossom Tunnel
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When its 220,000 cherry trees bloom, the whole city of Jinhae is covered in white. While every corner of the city is considered a cherry blossom hot spot, the greatest attractions are Anmin Road, the Naval Headquarters, and Jehwangsan Park. Anmin Road, 5.6 kilometers in distance, is a long stretch of cherry trees and makes a perfect promenade since few cars are usually on the road.
The headquarters of the naval base is especially popular for its stately old cherry trees and is opened to the public only during the Jinhae Gunhangje Festival (Naval Port Festival). During the festival, a life-sized Geobukseon, or Turtle Ship, is on display. The naval base is quite large, so shuttle buses provide a 10 to 15-minute tour of the base. A walking tour takes 20 minutes and will take you only to limited areas of the base. Meanwhile, Jehwangsan Park offers a splendid view of both the cherry blossoms and the sea adjacent to it. A walk up the 365 stairs, known as Ilnyeon Gyedan, (one year stairway), is a great way to enjoy the cherry blossoms and forsythias that flank the stairway.
The Jinhae Gunhang Festival is a major festival in Jinhae that draws hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. This year it will be held from March 27 to April 5, 2009 (The dates may vary according to the weather conditions.) |
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☞ Transportation : It takes about 10 to 15 minutes on foot from Jinhae’s Train Station to Anmin Road, the Naval Headquarters, and Jehwangsan Park. By taxi, it takes 5 minutes. During the Gunhangje Festival, it is better to walk than to take a taxi to avoid heavy traffic. / Its website is www.jinhae.go.kr (Korean/English/Japanese)
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More Detailed Information on the Jinhae Gunhangje Festival |
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* Hadong’s Ssanggyesa Temple Simni Cherry Blossom Path
The Simni Cherry Blossom Road is the 6-km road from Hwagae Marketplace to Ssanggyesa Temple in Hadong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do. Cherry blossom trees over 60 years old are in full bloom throughout the winding valley. The road is also called the ‘wedding path’ because numerous young couples walk down this way to take their vows of matrimony.
After taking a stroll among cherry blossoms, you can enjoy the ambience of Hwagae Market, a local market place. While this one is not like it used to be in the olden days, this market is open periodically every five days and has a lively atmosphere. You will also find numerous traditional teahouses on the road between the market and the temple, offering a delightful end to your trip. In April every year, the Hwagae Marketplace Cherry Blossom Festival is held on the banks of the Seomjingang River and this year it will take place from April 3 to April 5. |
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* Icheon Sansuyu Flowers
 Icheon is home to a huge number of sansuyu (giant dogwood) trees. These wild-growing trees, many over 100 years old, turn the city every shade of yellow during the months of March and April. Baeksa-myeon is often referred to as Sansuyu village for its abundant sansuyu trees. In particular, at the village in Dorip-ri in Baeksa-myeon visitors can take a wonderful, leisurely stroll amongst traditional Korean houses, past a small stream, and with the glorious sansuyu blossoms in the background.
There is a promenade in the center of the village, and you can catch a view of the whole village from the top of the mountain behind it. Sansuyu trees turn vibrant yellow with early spring blossoms and a striking red with berries in Autumn. The Sansuyu Flower Festival will be held at Dorip-ri Sansuyu Town in Baeksa-myeon from April 3 to April 5, 2009 |
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* Jeju’s Canola Flowers
Due to its southern location Jeju Island is the first place in Korea where the spring flowers bloom. In late February, many people fly to Jeju specially to see the bright yellow canola flowers that literally cover the island. Some canola fields feature heart-shaped benches to help create a romantic ambience, donkey rides, and mounted statues, where you can take pictures for an admission of 1,000 won.
Of course, there are other places where you can take pictures for free. Seopjikoji, the film location of the drama “All In”, is also filled with canola flowers, and is particularly picturesque. |
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☞ Transportation : From Jeju International Airport → Take bus 100 or 200 at the bus stop in front of the airport (Buses comes every 7 to 8 minutes from 06:00 to 22:50 / The ride takes 15 mins.) → Get off at Jeju Intercity Bus Terminal → Take a Donghaeseon (East) bus which comes every 20 minutes / the ride takes 45 mins.) → Get off at Sinyang-ri and take a taxi to Seopjikoji
☞ More Detailed Information on the Jeju Canola Flowers Festival |
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| #3 Amusement Park’s Spring Flowers Festival- where the flowers are more famous than the amusement rides |
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* Seokchon Lake Cherry Blossom Festival, opening Nearby Lotte World,
Every year when the cherry blossoms bloom, a Cherry Blossom Festival is held on Seokchon Lake, which surrounds Lotte World Magic Island. Not only can visitors enjoy the beautiful flowers and festival events, but they can also try out the amusement rides at Lotte World. This year the festival is to be held in mid-April, and visitors can walk along the blossom-lined road, enjoy a street concert, have their face painted or even a caricature drawn. |
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* Enjoy Spring Flowers at Seoul Land
Set against the backdrop of the graceful Cheongyesan Mountain, Seoul Land presents a beautiful landscape of spring flowers, which includes exotic tulips, azaleas, rapes, royal azaleas, and more. When mid-April comes to the areas of Seoul Land, Cheonggyesan Mountain, and the Seoul Grand Park Lake, the area is filled with gorgeous white cherry blossom flowers. The Cherry Blossom Road that begins from the Seoul Grand Park Station and extends 4 kilometers to the nearby Cheonggyesan Mountain is an extraordinary sight. The avenue leading to the entrance of Seoul Land is a hot spot for photography since from late March it is decorated with beautiful flowers like tulips, roses and cherry blossoms. At nighttime the flowers are illuminated, which is a magical sight. |
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* Everland Flower Carnival Festival
From late March 2009 to early June, Everland will be holding the Flower Carnival Festival. As well as Everland’s tulip garden and rose gardens, the whole park will be decorated with azaleas, forsythias, camellias and freesias, and guests will also be able to enjoy events such as parades and circuses celebrating spring.
Everland will stay open until nighttime when the park will be lit with stunning and colorful illuminations. |
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Hot Spots for Photography
If you don't have a state-of-the-art camera or great photography skills, but still want to take great pictures, then now is the time to journey to Boseong or Damyang. Wherever you direct your camera angle, you are sure to get artistic photos. Even in the rain or snow, these destinations are always beautiful, but of course, they are at their best in spring when they are covered in flowers and lush greenery. |
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* Boseong Green Tea Fields
 A stroll along a winding road will take you through an endless stretch of green tea fields at the foot of a mountain. Next to the winding road, tall, overhanging cedar trees create a tunnel, and when you reach the summit, you can see 700 acres of green tea fields stretching down to the clear blue sea. The beauty of the scenery is so magnificent that regardless of your camera angle or the quality of your camera, you are bound to take splendid pictures. The scenic beauty here has made it a favorite film location for numerous TV commercials, movies and dramas. The green tea fields can give a mystical impression, especially when it rains or is foggy. |
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* Damyang’s Bamboo Park
 With its tall, thick bamboo trees, the bamboo groves of Damyang are reminiscent of martial art movies. Damyang has long been known for its bamboos and is also popular for its bamboo cuisine and craftwork. The city has numerous interesting tourist sites, but it is difficult to make all the necessary arrangements without help. Therefore, an easy and convenient option is to take a tour bus that leaves from Gwangju Station every Saturday. This bus will take you to the 10 best spots in Damyang including the Damyang Bamboo museum, the Metasequoia Road, Damyangho lake, and Soswaewon garden. |
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