15 Exciting Activities in Seoul Along the Han River – Seoulistic

15 Exciting Activities in Seoul Along the Han River

Seoul has an extremely vibrant and thrilling nightlife for people from all walks of life, but after a while it can get rather tedious. Fret not, for those of you looking for some outdoor activities and exercise outside of the clubs, head down to the popular Han River that is readily accessible from many different parts of Seoul. If you don’t know what the Han River is, let this guide be your beacon.

1) Basketball

Playing some pickup ball in Seoul is very easy for those of you bball heads out there. There are basketball courts scattered all along the beautiful and scenic Han River and one of the more popular spots is by Banpo Park. Strap on those Jordans in the closet collecting dust and take exit 4 out of Apgujeong Station (line 3). Head straight until you see an elementary school then turn right. There’s always people walking towards the river, and eventually you will see a tunnel. Pass through it, and it’s on your left. There are about 6 full courts and the area is usually crowded, unfortunately there are no lights so chug some water to suppress that Saturday hangover and head over during the daytime. Don’t forget to bring your A game, and if you’re lucky enough you may just run into yours truly. Literally.

2) Bike Riding (rentals)

There’s nothing quite like breathing in the spectacular landscape surrounding the Han River while cruising comfortably tucked in on a bike while attempting to avoid slamming into one of the random pedestrians or bikers that litter the road. As bicycles are rampant around Seoul, the city has appropriately placed several bike rental stations along the river. Prices are typically a reasonable 3,000 won an hour, and if you’re with a significant other tandem bikes are also available for that leisurely yet still romantic day out. Head over to Yeoinaru Station (line 5) exit 3 which will take you to one of the prime spots along the Han River and get your Lance Armstrong on.

3) Banpo Rainbow Fountain

Featuring limited time showings during certain months, the Banpo Rainbow Fountain is the country’s premier light show extravaganza along the river. For a 15 minute spectacular during the hours of 12, 8pm, and 9pm on weekdays. Weekend hours for July and August are 12, 5, 7:30, 8, 8:30, 9, and 9:30. Day and night shows incorporate a different style, so if you’re going to spend a whole day by the river don’t miss out. Head over to Dongjak Station (Line 4) and get out of exit 1 or 2 and head down to the River for an aesthetic feast for the eyes.

4) Picnics

Grab a few friends and maybe a guitar or two and head down to Yeoinaru Exit 3 for a prime spot along the Han River for a good old fashioned picnic. Enjoy some chicken and beer as one of Korea’s fortes is their willingness to deliver to any spot in Korea without as much as a meager tip. That’s right; they will deliver straight to where you and your group are chilling as well as provide bottles of beer to wash it down. You can always head to the store nearby and pick up a bottle of Cass or a mat for everyone to relax on. Take in the summer breeze and indulge in some crowd watching or get a game of football going on. Good times guaranteed for all.

5) Date at On River Station

If you haven’t noticed by now cafés are extremely popular in Korea and serve as an alternate hangout spot or a haven to relax after a long night of partying. A popular and classy spot is the On River Station that you will eventually run into during your adventures on the Han River. This particular location is well known as a date spot and has made appearances in dramas and movies as well due to its pristine location along the river. During night, the brightly lit sign is easily viewable and doesn’t seem to have a closing time for those of you owls out there. Enjoy an iced Americano or your favorite glass of wine with a beautiful view of the Han River for a leisure getaway. To find the On River Station, get off Apgujeong Station (line 3) exit 6.

Looking for more date spots in Seoul? We’ve got 25 awesome places to take your date in Seoul!

Keith
Keith
Keith Kim is a Korean-American who has been living in Korea for almost a decade. Being in a unique position as both a Korean and a non-Korean, he's put all his experience and knowledge for surviving in Korea in Survival Korean . Read it to learn how you can survive in Korea. Follow him on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.

17 Comments

  1. Anya says:

    hi Daniel! congrats for being a Seoulistic’s blogger! 😉
    nice first post! ^^

  2. Justine says:

    축하해요 Daniel 오빠. I look forward to more blogs from you.

  3. Gina Simmons says:

    Hi Daniel! You’re off to a good start! Look forward to your next post.

  4. Catherine says:

    Hi Daniel 🙂 great post 🙂 looking forward to the next one 😀

  5. Mara says:

    I recognized the On River Station. It was on an episode of Running Man. Im definitely a night owl and more than likely will check this place out… whenever I get to Seoul.

  6. Faleh says:

    Your comment…

  7. Faleh says:

    Oh I don’t know how thank you guys I was just looking for it yesterday. By the way does anyone know where can I find some water entertainment sports and stuff like water skiing and jet ski or others and how much is the prices for them ? i heard there’s some sort of activities all around Hangang parks.

  8. Jon says:

    Is the archery entrance fee really 300,000 원? Any chance there’s an extra 0 in there?

  9. Mélody says:

    Thank you for sharing so many great ideas and congrats for your first post. I looove bicycling at the Han River and the ferry on the river!! Oh and what about the rainbow fountain on the bridge? That’s also a lovely place ^^

  10. Anni says:

    Good first job!! 🙂

    Seoulistic is just a great website and it always makes me wanna go to Seoul soooooo bad!
    I can’t wait to come in August!

  11. Lílian says:

    Great post. It`s very useful to help me plan my trip to Seoul 🙂

  12. Daniel K. says:

    What’s up everyone, just want to stop by and say hello and thank you for the kind comments.

    Fateh, off the top of my head if you follow the directions for the basketball post you’ll see a large boat that actually rents out gear. Don’t remember exactly how much it was but I’ve saw a few people windsurfing and boating around there. If you just head to the river there are a ton of places that are easy to find and rent out equipment.

    Jon, I thought the same thing when I first saw it. Maybe it’s 300,000 won to rent out the whole place? Haha that’s what the website says but chance are it’s a typo. I doubt it would be that expensive.

    • Trish says:

      Hi ! We are in Seoul at the moment resting on Han River apartment. . Just on question.. all the cafe you listed on your blog is it walkable from Dangsan station cause thats where we are staying. We are running out to things to do and cant found anything to do on Han River hehe. Cheers!

  13. YJ says:

    Hey man, Nice job haha. This is actually the first time I saw your article.
    keep it up with good work 🙂

  14. Faleh says:

    Thanks Daniel, that helped me a lot I was looking for it the whole past week with my friend I appreciate your help. Have a good one !

  15. Alex says:

    Your directions for the Rainbow River Light Show are wrong, the bridge at Dongjak station is miles away from the correct bridge ( Banpo) and even at that point the show happens on the opposite side of Banpo bridge so you still can’t see it from that side of the river.

    The closest station is Jamwon or the Seoul Bus Terminal.

    You wasted our evening with these directions please update your post.

  16. mallory says:

    ttukseom resort is on line 7 man…

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