Buramsan Butterfly Garden: A Beautiful Hillside of Azaleas To See In Seoul
There are beautiful places to see flowers all around Seoul, well all around Korea for that matter. The cherry blossoms burst into bloom all around Korea in April and then it’s just flower after flower from azaleas to tulips and daffodils saying hello. There are so many beautiful places to find flowers in Korea. I think azaleas are an underrated spring bloom.
When these bushy flowers cover a hillside though, they are gorgeous! Here is one of the most beautiful places in Seoul to find those lovely light purple azaleas. Don’t miss Buramsan Butterfly Garden (불암산나비정원) in northern Seoul in the spring if you’re a flower lover like me.
Here’s what you need to know to visit Buramsan Butterfly Garden:
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How To Get There
Address: 51-27 Hangeulbiseok-ro 12-gil, Nowon-gu, Seoul (서울 노원구 한글비석로12길 51-27)
By Subway: Go to Sanggye Subway Station, exit 3. Cross the street and find bus 1124. The bus goes just two stops and then you’ll get off at Junggyejugong 3-danji stop. Walk in the same direction the bus was going to the cross walk and cross and follow the signs toward the park.
When do azaleas bloom in Seoul?
What to know about the park
At the entrance to the Buramsan Mountain and trails in Nowon-gu, this park and greenhouse was opened in 2018 to be a nature experience and learning center. The outdoor hillside is gorgeous when in full bloom which usually happens in early May.
You’ll find azaleas all over Seoul and Korea come spring, but this is one spot where they’re all in one place and with the mountain landscape in the background, it’s just breathtaking. I usually try to visit this and Wonmisan azalea hillside if I can. The sheer number of azaleas all in one place is reason enough to visit these two places.
There is a greenhouse there but, I’ve always headed here too early in the day to take advantage of it so as we can miss the crowds and have the hillside to ourselves. Do go in to take advantage of the learning opportunities inside if you can though. On the first floor is an audiovisual room, an aquatic cave, a nocturnal hall, a breeding and cultivation room, and a butterfly greenhouse. The second floor houses an insect learning hall and a butterfly greenhouse. The greenhouse is kept at a warm 25 degrees Celsius so that visitors can actually enjoy the butterflies year round.
By the way, if you are looking for warm indoor spaces with nature in the winter, also check out the Seoul Botanic Park greenhouse which is also a very balmy spot even in mid winter. Greenhouses are a wonderful place to visit in the cold winter months when all you want to do is warm up with nature.
Inside of the Buramsan Butterfly Garden greenhouse you can see hundreds of butterflies including the swallowtail butterfly, Indian fritillary, and common tiger butterfly. Of course, outside in the spring, you can find a lot of beautiful insects and butterflies too if you’re looking for them.
While I wasn’t looking for them, my daughter sure was and she found plenty of fun things in the beautiful garden. At the foot of this hillside near the greenhouse is also a little garden area with butterfly and bug sculptures that your little ones tagging along will enjoy.
Follow the meandering wooden boardwalk through the flowers. You can also take a path straight up on either side if you want to bypass the flowers, but I’m sure you won’t want to when you see them. From the top, you can get a birds eye view out over the hillside which is beautiful too.
From here you can continue to hike along the ridge and follow the forested trails if you want, or just take a seat on the benches and enjoy the spring weather. This park is set back a bit from the main road with cafes and restaurants so if you want to spend time there, be sure to take some snacks and waters with you.
This is a gorgeous place to check out in the spring in Korea. Keep the azaleas on your radar when the weather starts warming up!
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