Gyeongui Line Forest Park, Yeonnam-dong: how to walk it and where to stop for coffee

Gyeongui Line Forest Park is what Seoul built after burying an old railway line underground: a roughly 6.3-kilometre green corridor running from Mapo-gu into Yongsan-gu. The Yeonnam-dong stretch near Hongdae is the most photographed section and carries the nickname "Yeontral Park," a play on Yeonnam-dong plus Central Park — a strip of lawn, small ponds and a walking path laid directly over the old tracks, with cafes and boutiques lining both sides.

What's there: the Yeonnam-dong section is about 1 kilometre long, easy to walk end to end in 20–30 minutes, though most people stop constantly. It's officially described as six connected sections opened over time (Daeheung-dong, Yeonnam-dong, Saechanggogae Pass, Changjeon-dong, Sinsu-dong, Wonhyo-ro), and the park was deliberately left "incomplete" so residents could fill it in with their own use — picnics on the lawn, small pop-up markets, buskers. A recent café round-up along this stretch names Seodangae 2-Year Roasters (a pet-friendly, four-floor roastery in Yeonnam-dong) and Records Coffee & Bar (tucked just off the path near Hongdae) as two current stops.

What visitors say: travel write-ups consistently call it a rest point rather than a single attraction — somewhere to sit on the grass between shopping runs, with the paired streets ("Ttaeng-ttaeng Street" runs alongside part of the old track) singled out for their density of small boutiques and workshops. A common complaint is that the lawn area fills up fast on weekend afternoons and good sitting spots go quickly; some note the ponds and stream sections are shallow and mainly ornamental rather than a spot to cool off in.

Practical info:

• Address (Yeonnam-dong section entrance): near 133 Donggyo-ro 51-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
• Subway: Exit 3, Hongik University Station (Line 2 / Gyeongui-Jungang / AREX) — both stations are within about 5 minutes on foot of the trail
• Hours: the park itself is open-air with no gate, so no fixed hours; individual cafes keep their own schedules
• Best time: late afternoon on a weekday, or early morning on weekends before the lawn fills up

Nearby: Hongdae's AK& mall and Olive Young Hongdae Town (both a short walk toward the station) · Mangwon Market and Mangwon Hangang Park if you keep walking the trail toward Mangwon Station.

Would you rather do the full walk end to end, or just park yourself at one cafe and people-watch?

Sources: Gyeongui Line Forest Park — Seoul Metropolitan Government · Gyeongui Line Forest Park (Yeontral Park) — VisitKorea · Gyeongui Line Forest Park cafe-hopping picks — Esquire Korea Checked: September 2026

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Photos: Christian Bolz (크리스티안 볼츠), CC BY-SA 4.0 · Brit in Seoul, CC BY-SA 4.0