From the 'Deungbul Festival' to Hot Springs... Day Trips Near Seoul for the Lunar New Year Holiday

Attractions Near the Seoul Metropolitan Area Recommended by the Travel Industry
Triple Recommends Arboretums, Spas, and Night View Spots
Seoul Tourism Foundation Highlights Art Galleries and Performance Venues

The four-day Lunar New Year holiday is a perfect time to enjoy a meaningful and leisurely outing with family for the first time in the new year. For those who find overseas travel burdensome and the homecoming and return traffic exhausting, here are some recommended domestic day-trip destinations suggested by the travel industry on the 10th.

Namyangju 'Sandeul Sori' Arboretum

Triple, a hyper-personalized travel platform operated by Interpark Triple, recommends this eco-friendly arboretum. It features 15 themed gardens where visitors can see a variety of plants, and at night, the 'Romantic Lantern Festival' is held. The arboretum's caf? is also a highlight, where you can roast marshmallows or sausages over a campfire. Experience programs such as feeding animals and foot baths are also available, making it a popular family travel destination with children.

Paradise Spa Dogo Outdoor Lazy River Pool
[Photo by Paradise]

Asan 'Paradise Spa Dogo'

Paradise Hotel & Resort operates this spa in Asan, Chungnam, which is a great healing spot to visit in winter. The sulfur hot spring, recognized for its benefits since the Silla Dynasty, represents this place. It also offers various facilities such as a flowing pool, event spa, outdoor spa, kids' land, and open-air baths, making it a relaxing place for people of all ages. The 'Night Spa,' where you can warm your body in warm hot spring water and relieve stress and fatigue, operates every Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays from 5 p.m. onwards.

Pyeongchang 'Daegwallyeong Snow Flower Festival'

Daegwallyeong Snow Flower Festival/Pyeongchang Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

If you want to enjoy snowy scenery during the holiday, the Daegwallyeong Snow Flower Festival, held until the 11th, is a must-see. It is Korea's first snow flower festival, started in 1993, with a 30-year history. Attractions include a 100-meter-long large snow tunnel with ice sculptures, snow sledding, and ice sledding. You can also roast snacks like potatoes and corn outdoors.

Seoul 'Seokchon Lake'

Seokchon Lake Lotte World Tower

Seokchon Lake, one of Seoul's representative night view spots, is hosting a light festival called 'Seokchon Lake's Autumn and Winter, and Luminaria' until the 29th. The festival features luminaria gates, light tunnels, sculptures, photo zones, and media art installations. The photo spot is a sculpture in the middle of the lake shaped like a 'Bulgari' necklace. Additionally, it is a great place to take commemorative photos with Lotte World and Lotte World Tower in the background.

Enjoying Culture and Arts Indoors

National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Deoksugung Branch
[Photo by Seoul Tourism Organization]

The Seoul Tourism Foundation recommends indoor spaces where you can enjoy culture and arts during the Lunar New Year holiday. Representative venues include the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul Museum of Art, and Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art offers free admission to all its halls during the holiday. It is adjacent to major tourist spots where you can feel the old Seoul, such as Gyeongbokgung Palace, Insadong, and Bukchon Hanok Village, making it a great half-day outing course. This holiday, exhibitions such as 'Kim Ku-rim Exhibition,' 'Artist of the Year Award 2023,' and 'A Hundred-Year Journey' are on display.

The Seoul Museum of Art Seosomun Main Building is located on a sloping hill along Deoksugung-gil, starting with an outdoor garden surrounded by trees where you can enjoy a feast of art. During the Lunar New Year holiday, a retrospective exhibition titled 'The Voyage of Koo Bon-chang' by the internationally renowned photographer Koo Bon-chang, famous for his moon jar photographs, is held. The Seoul Museum of Art North Seoul Museum operates a children's gallery on the basement first floor. Various educational and public programs, as well as art history lectures, are conducted in the studio, allowing children to experience interactive art.

The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts is staging the Korean version of 'Notre-Dame de Paris,' one of the world's most beloved musicals, this month. Based on Victor Hugo's classic, it offers a solid story and beautiful melodies. Besides the performance hall, the center also operates various exhibitions and experience spaces. In the basement, there is a permanent exhibition called 'Sejong, the Story of Admiral Yi Sun-sin.' In the exhibition about Admiral Yi Sun-sin, visitors can enter a giant-sized turtle ship, make turtle ship models themselves, create Hangul badges, and try brush calligraphy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.