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Hi, I’m SeoulAslanSeoul Garden Show 2026: Free English Tour, Ends Oct 27
Checked Oct 11, 2026
The 2026 Seoul International Garden Show ends on Tue, Oct 27, and it now has two sites: Seoul Forest (since May 1, free, no booking, 167 gardens) and Maehyeon Citizens' Forest in Seocho (Oct 1–27, 51 gardens). For foreign visitors the best part is a free English garden tour at Seoul Forest on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 15:00 and 17:00. Booking is on Naver Booking, the tour runs only if at least 3 people sign up, and the weekends left are Oct 16–18 and Oct 23–25.
I walked the Seoul Forest part on Oct 1. I got off at Ttukseom Station (Line 2) instead of Seongsu and went to the park first. LEGO flowers greeted us at the entrance, and from the lawn you can see all the way to N Seoul Tower. I did not join a docent tour and I have not been to the Maehyeon site, so those parts come from the show's official pages and Seoul city's notices. My own Seoul Forest day, with the streets of Seongsu, is in the Seongsu-dong walk.
Jump to: What it is · Two sites · English tour · Maehyeon · Getting there · Evenings · FAQ
What is the Seoul Garden Show, and why is it famous?
It is Seoul city's garden festival; the official site lists past shows back to 2015. Koreans shorten the name to 국정박 (gukjeongbak); the show's own site has a "Today's Gukjeongbak" page. This year's main site is billed as the biggest so far: about 150,000 pyeong (roughly 0.5 sq km) around Seoul Forest, Seongsu and the Han River, against 60,000 pyeong at Ttukseom in 2024 and 120,000 at Boramae in 2025, according to the official overview. The theme is "Seoul, Green Culture". The Seoul Forest side has 167 gardens, designed by artists, companies, districts, students and citizens, plus character pop-up gardens, LEGO's among them.
Where is it, and what does it cost?
| Site | Dates | Address | Gardens | Entry | Nearest station |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seoul Forest (서울숲) main site | May 1 – Oct 27 | 273 Ttukseom-ro, Seongdong-gu | 167 | Free, no booking · some experiences cost money | Seoul Forest Station (Suin-Bundang Line) exits 3, 4, 5 · 2 min on foot |
| Maehyeon Citizens' Forest (매헌시민의숲) autumn site, 40th anniversary of the park | Oct 1 – Oct 27 | 99 Maehyeon-ro, Seocho-gu | 51 | Not stated in the pages I read | Yangjae Citizen's Forest (Maehyeon) Station (Sinbundang Line) exits 1 or 5 · 150 m |
Programs and information booths run from about 12:00 to 19:00 at both sites, according to Seoul city's press releases. Seoul Forest park itself can be visited outside those hours, but the booths and garden programs only run during them. Both sites ask visitors to use public transport.
How do you join the free English garden tour?
The Seoul Forest Garden Docent Tour (English) is a free, guided walk of about an hour that introduces the show and explains the gardens in English. The show's official page gives the rules, which I have kept to the facts it states:
- When. September and October: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 15:00–16:00 and 17:00–18:00. The Fridays to Sundays still to come are Oct 16–18 and Oct 23–25.
- Cost and size. Free, open to all visitors, up to about 20 per session.
- Booking. Naver Booking only. One Naver account can book for several people. Bookings for a month open on the 25th of the month before, so October opened on Sept 25. Confirmed sessions can still be booked up to 10 minutes before the start.
- It needs 3 people. If fewer than 3 are registered two hours before the start, that session is cancelled and the people who signed up are told individually. If you are on your own or a pair, you depend on others signing up, so check the session again that morning.
- Meeting point. The Information Center (종합안내소), within 200 m of Seoul Forest Station Exit 4 or in front of Gate 2. Tours leave on the hour and the show asks you to be there 10 minutes early.
- If Naver Booking does not work for you. The page says to email 2026sigs@gmail.com, or come to the Information Center, where staff will help. Walk-ins can be turned away if the session is already full.
Can foreigners book it? The page says "open to all visitors" and the tour is written up in English, but I could not open the Naver Booking page itself, so I cannot tell you which languages it shows or whether a foreign card or phone is needed. Naver announced on June 9, 2026 that foreign users with a passport issued outside Korea can verify on a smartphone without a Korean mobile number and use Naver Booking (Naver press release). Whether that works for this tour is not stated. Set it up before you need it; the map comparison covers the Naver app.
The Korean-language docent tour at Seoul Forest runs at 14:00, 16:00 and 18:00. I do not know whether English speakers can join it.
What is at the Maehyeon Citizens' Forest site?
The Maehyeon site is a second, smaller edition for the park's 40th anniversary. Seoul's press release counts 51 gardens: 14 from open calls (4 artist, 5 student and 5 citizen gardens) and 37 participating gardens, including 25 from Seoul's districts. It also lists 20 garden markets, a Welcome Garden with a free gardening consultation, and activities such as forest yoga and singing-bowl meditation.
- Docent tours. Daily at 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00, about an hour, free, up to about 20 people per round, from the Information Center next to the Haechi Welcome Garden. Sign-up is on a Naver Form that closes two hours before. Same 3-person minimum. Same-day sign-up is possible if seats remain. The pages do not give a tour language, so ask by email at landscape@lak.co.kr if you need English.
- Events. Weekend and holiday busking at 13:00 and 14:00 on the forest stage, and a park photo exhibition through Oct 27.
- Night films. "Forest Theater" screenings on the forest stage on Oct 16–17 and Oct 23–24, 18:00–20:00. The film list and subtitles are not given.
How do you get there from central Seoul?
| # | Place | How to use it | Naver Map |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seoul Forest (서울숲) | The main site · gates 1, 2 and 3 | Open |
| 2 | Seoul Forest Station (서울숲역) | Suin-Bundang Line, exits 3, 4, 5 · 2 min to the park, 4 is the Information Center side | Open |
| 3 | Ttukseom Station (뚝섬역) | Line 2, exits 7 or 8 · about 11 min on foot | Open |
| 4 | Maehyeon Citizens' Forest (매헌시민의숲) | The Oct 1–27 site | Open |
| 5 | Yangjae Citizen's Forest Station (양재시민의숲역) | Sinbundang Line, exits 1 or 5 · 150 m, within 5 min | Open |
- Seoul Forest by subway. Seoul Forest Station is the shortest walk. Ttukseom Station on Line 2 is a bit farther. I used Ttukseom and walked in; a sign inside the station shows the route. Line 2 and the Suin-Bundang Line are explained in the subway basics guide.
- Seoul Forest by bus. Bus 121 stops at gate 1, Seongdong 13 at gate 2, and buses 121, 2014, 2224 and 2413 at gate 3, according to the show's directions page.
- By Han River Bus. The show promotes the Seoul Forest pier: get off and you land beside the River View Garden at the start of the show. See the Han River Bus guide. For Maehyeon, the directions say to get off at Apgujeong pier and take bus 441, within 37 minutes.
- Maehyeon by bus. Trunk buses 140, 400, 405 and 421 and branch buses 0411 and 4432 stop at Maehyeon Citizens' Forest. Several more stop at a second stop nearby. Route and timings are in Naver Map.
- Parking. Not recommended by the organizers. Seoul Forest's lot has 211 spaces at 200 won per 5 minutes (2,400 won per hour), and Maehyeon's lots charge 500 won per 10 minutes (3,000 won per hour).
What can you do in the evening?
Seoul Forest runs a free outdoor film night, "Garden Theater", about once a week on a Friday or Saturday from 19:00 to 21:00 on the Family Meadow lawn, in September and October. It is first come, first served, and you bring your own mat. The notice lists the films in a table I could not read, so I do not know the titles or whether they have English subtitles. Check the notice board before you go.
Seongsu's streets are a ten-minute walk away, and Seoul Forest Station is on the same line you came on, so you can stay on for dinner. For the history behind the area, see the Seongsu-dong history.
FAQ
When does the Seoul Garden Show end?
Both sites close on Oct 27, 2026. The Seoul Forest site has been open since May 1 and Maehyeon Citizens' Forest since Oct 1. Maehyeon's end date is marked "planned" on the official overview, so check the notices.
Is the Seoul Garden Show free?
At Seoul Forest, yes: Seoul city says viewing is free with no advance booking, and some experiences cost money. For Maehyeon, I could not find an entry fee in the official pages or the press releases I read.
Is there an English tour?
Yes, at Seoul Forest only, as far as the pages say. It runs Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 15:00 and 17:00 and is free. It needs at least 3 registered people.
Do I need to book the Seoul Forest part?
No, not for entry. You book only for tours, and the English tour uses Naver Booking.
What is the best time of day?
The show's programs run from about 12:00 to 19:00, so arrive by early afternoon. The English tour at 15:00 leaves time to walk the rest of the park before the 17:00 tour or before closing.
Closing dates and the English tour
I'll check whether the official notices change the closing date, the English tour or the Garden Theater schedule in the last two weeks, and whether the Maehyeon entry fee and tour language get stated. If they do, I'll update this guide.
More ways to explore Seoul
- Tourist-Trap Food in Seoul and How to Avoid It (2026)
- Where Do Foreigners Actually Go in Korea? (2025 Survey)
- Seongsu-dong History: From Factories to Cafés (Old Photos)
- What to Do in Seongsu-dong: A Walk From Seoul Forest (2026)
- Sesilmaru: Free Rooftop View Over Deoksugung, Seoul (2026)
- N Seoul Tower: History, Hours, Tickets, How to Get There (2026)
Sources
- 2026 Seoul International Garden Show, official site (Seoul Metropolitan Government), checked Oct 11, 2026 (Korean with English in the program pages): overview · Seoul Forest directions and parking · English docent tour · all docent tours · Maehyeon Citizens' Forest · Maehyeon directions and parking · autumn Garden Theater notice · Han River pier tip
- Seoul Media Hub: opening article, Apr 30, 2026 (167 gardens, free entry, hours) · Maehyeon article, Oct 2, 2026 (51 gardens, hours, tours) · first-weekend roundup, Oct 1, 2026 (Maehyeon dates) (all Korean)
- Naver press release, passport verification for foreign users, Jun 9, 2026
- Photos: Korea Tourism Organization photo gallery, Korea Open Government License Type 1 (credited; cropped to size)
— SeoulAslan
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