Get Lit Up at the Lighting Festival in Seoul
If you’re one of those people who enjoy admiring Christmas lights and get sad when everyone takes their decorations down a week after the holidays are over, then you need to make a trip to the Lighting Festival at the Garden of Morning Calm.
The lighting festival Seoul lasts from December to March, so you can enjoy the fantastical lights all winter long!We decided we had to see what this is all about with some of our friends. The lighting festival in Seoul is off of Cheongpyeong so it’s fairly easy to get to. Took us about 2 hours from Hwajeong but it’s more comfortable than a bus. Once you
We decided we had to see what this is all about with some of our friends. The lighting festival in Seoul is off of Cheongpyeong so it’s fairly easy to get to. Took us about 2 hours from Hwajeong but it’s more comfortable than a bus. Once you arrive at Cheongpyeong the Garden of Morning Calm is a short bus or a $15 taxi ride away.
The area of Cheongpyeong seems to run down and does not look like much happens there. We were a little nervous about what the garden was going to look like judging by the nearby town.
See Also: A relaxing day at the Asan Spavis Hot Springs
To our surprise, the Garden of Morning Calm is quite beautiful. The admission was 8,000 won per person. We would like to travel back when all the flowers are in full bloom in the warmer months. There are little shops and stands to buy some snack foods at the entrance. There is even a café inside the garden.
They will turn on the lights at right around dusk, so they were turned on at 5:50 pm in March. The garden is only open until 8:30 p.m., so be sure to plan accordingly. Here are some photos from the Cheongpyeong Lighting Festival in Seoul that we took to show the difference of day and night.
Daytime
Night
There was still daylight when the lights were turned on. We were in awe at how many colorful lights there were. We were all pretty surprised how well the photos turned out during daylight!
We wandered through the gardens waiting for it to turn completely dark. Once it was dark the illuminating colors were vivid and truly breathtaking. We felt like we were in fairy tale land or some awesome candy land filled with lights.
Our Thoughts on Cheongpyong Lighting Festival in Seoul
You may have to push your way through the gardens a little to capture the perfect photo, but it is well worth the small frustrations you may encounter.
After about an hour of snapping photos in the dark and deciding we were all freezing cold, the festival was about to close. There are frequent shuttles that run to the Cheongpyeong subway station from the festival that are 5,000 won per person. If you are able to speak Korean and have patience, then you can call a taxi.
We were really impressed with the light display. It is definitely worth seeing if you are in Korea in the winter.
You can get to the Lighting Festival Cheongpyong Garden of Morning Calm pretty easily by getting off the subway at Cheongpyong. If you’re in a group we recommend the taxi, it’s right outside. Otherwise, a bus comes every hour.
We plan on going back to Cheongpyong Garden of Morning Calm when in the spring so check back for more photos then! Have you been to Cheongpyong Garden of Morning Calm for the lighting festival? If so let us know your thoughts in the comments below. If you have another lighting festival to recommend please let us know.
