Seokchon Lake

Seokchon Lake is a pair of man-made lakes left over from an old branch of the Han River, landscaped into a park in the early 1980s. Songpa-daero splits it into the West Lake and the East Lake, and a walking path of about 2.5 km loops around both, passing under the road between them. The West Lake is the livelier half: Lotte World's Magic Island sits on it, so you walk with the castle, the rides and the tower in view. The East Lake is calmer, with more benches and a quieter shoreline, and its south side backs onto the cafe streets of Songridan-gil. The soft rubber path is easy on the feet, and a slow loop with photo stops takes about 45 minutes to an hour. The lake changes a lot by season: more than a thousand cherry trees bloom along the path in early April, and late autumn brings red and yellow leaves. For photos, stand on the East Lake shore facing northwest at dusk, when the tower lights up and its reflection stretches across the water.