What Are the Best Things to Do in Songpa-gu on Weekends?

What are the best outdoor walks around Seokchon Lake?

Seokchon Lake offers one of southeastern Seoul's most pleasant waterfront walking circuits, open all day and night. Officially named Songpa Naru Park (송파나루공원 (석촌호수)), the site covers 217,850 square meters and was originally formed by a branch of the Han River before being separated into two distinct basins by Songpa-daero Boulevard. Both the western and eastern basins feature jogging and walking trails that stay open 24 hours a day.

The western basin circles Lotte World's outdoor Magic Island, where you can watch visitors taking out leisure craft like Moonboats and UFO Boats on the water. Across the boulevard, the eastern basin offers a calmer, greener path that connects directly to the neighborhood streets behind it. Exiting on the eastern bank brings you right to Songnidan-gil (송리단길), clustered around Baekjegobun-ro 43-gil and 45-gil near Songpanaru Station on Line 9. This low-rise residential district has evolved into an alleyway of bakeries, brunch rooms, and casual restaurants. Long-term visitors staying nearby often pick up morning pastries here before sitting on the lake benches.

For those who enjoy staying on the water, the Han River shoreline sits just to the north. At the Jamsil dock on Baekjegobun-ro, the Jamsil E-land Cruise operates on Saturdays and Sundays between 14:00 and 21:00, running themed river cruises that catch the evening breeze.

How can you visit Lotte World and Seoul Sky without long lines?

You can avoid the heaviest weekend crowds at Jamsil's major commercial landmarks by arriving right at opening time or scheduling your visit for later in the evening. Songpa-gu is an autonomous district in southeastern Seoul known for blending dense commercial centers around Jamsil Station with quiet residential and recreational pockets. The area around the station is home to Lotte World (롯데월드 어드벤처), which includes one of the world's largest indoor amusement parks alongside its outdoor island, folk museum, and ice rink.

Lotte World Adventure opens at 10:00 every day and runs until 21:00 from Sunday to Thursday, extending to 22:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. General park admission costs 64,000 won for adults, while a Universal Pass that includes the Folk Museum costs 67,000 won. To make the most of your visit when crowds build, advice suggests arriving early enough to enter right when the park opens and heading to popular rides like Atlantis Adventure or French Revolution first thing in the morning. Solo travellers can take advantage of designated single rider lines on select attractions to fill empty seats quickly. Visitors looking to skip regular queues can purchase a Magic Pass, available in limited allotments for between 54,000 and 80,000 won depending on ride eligibility. Parades take place daily at 14:00 and 20:00 around the central indoor rink.

Right next door, Lotte World Tower SEOUL SKY (롯데월드타워 서울스카이) rises 555 meters across 123 stories, offering observation decks 500 meters up on floors 117 through 123. General adult tickets cost 31,000 won, and the Sky Shuttle double-deck elevator whisks passengers from basement level 1 to floor 118 in a single minute. Operating hours run from 10:30 to 22:00 Sunday through Thursday, and from 10:30 to 23:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

Where should you look for food and expansive green spaces in Songpa?

You will find Songpa's most impressive open grounds at Olympic Park, paired with traditional wholesale dining down the road at Garak Market. Located at 424 Olympic-ro, Olympic Park (올림픽공원) covers roughly 1.45 million square meters. Built around the legacy of the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics, the park preserves the earthen ramparts of Mongchontoseong Fortress from the ancient Baekje kingdom alongside modern sports arenas and outdoor sculpture gardens.

Pedestrians and cyclists can access Olympic Park freely from 05:00 to 22:00 daily, with plaza areas remaining accessible until midnight. Because exploring the park takes over three hours, visitors can ride the Road Train located next to Peace Square to save time. Expansive lawns make it an easy choice for an unhurried Saturday morning picnic under the trees.

When lunchtime or dinner arrives, head south to Garak Market (가락시장) at 932 Yangjae-daero. Established in 1985 as Korea's premier public wholesale facility, the site spans more than 500,000 square meters across 17 market halls dedicated to seafood, fruits, vegetables, and meat. While wholesale auctions run throughout the night, the modern retail complex known as Garak Mall connects directly to Garak Market Station. Visitors can browse fresh seafood and produce, or select seasonal fish on the ground level to be prepared and served at the dining halls upstairs. The main market halls operate 24 hours, though wholesale sections close on Sundays, New Year's Day, and the traditional holidays of Seollal and Chuseok.

For guests spending several weeks in the capital, exploring the quiet residential roads and generous parks of southeastern Seoul provides a restful contrast to the dense central quarters around Myeongdong, Bukchon, or Hongdae. You can settle into a comfortable base across town through our long-stay apartments at /en/stays/seoul/ and plan easy weekend day trips out to Songpa's lakeside trails and markets on the local metro line.