Korea: Cheonggyecheon river in Seoul

When I travelled to Korea for the first time in 2011, ma favorit place in Seoul was the Cheonggyecheon river. If you are lucky to go to Seoul during summer or warm temperatures, this must be one of the best place in Seoul for having a short walk.

Going there is very convenient as the river is located just behind the city hall (Gwanghwamun station line 5, or city hall station line 1). The river is also located between two beautiful palaces, Gyeongbokgung and Deoksugunk). Finally, if you walk along this river, you can reach other interesting places, such as:

• Insa-dong 
• Jongmyo Shrine (Unesco!)
• Dongdaemun gate and market

But Cheonggyecheon river is really beautiful by night. Lights, special effect, fountains, and even automatics shows make this place friendly and not common. If you finished your dinner, or before going to a bar at night, you can take the time to walk along this small river, you can be surprised by what you will see :)

As you can see, the river is modern and dedicated to walkers! However, it has not been always like this. Some years ago, the river was covered by buildings and old houses. The city decided to launch an ambitious project to create a more friendly area and succeed to destroy every building to create this river (it's said that this has not been easy to do, and some families were forced to leave without real agreement). If you want more information about the place, you can go there, and there.