Seoul names 175 spring flower routes across 251 kilometers

Seorae Island in Banpo Han River Park / Yonhap

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Friday named 175 spring flower routes spanning a total of 251 kilometers across the city.

The routes, branded “Seoul Spring Flower Paths,” are divided into urban street paths (74 routes), park paths (55 routes), waterway paths (37 routes) and neighborhood greenway paths (9 routes).

Featured locations include Yeouido's cherry blossom boulevard along Yeouido Dong-Seo-ro, Eungbongsan hill in Seongdong-gu for forsythia, Songnaru Park at Seokchon Lake and the Anyang Stream embankment.

According to weather forecaster Weatheri, forsythia and azaleas are expected to bloom in late March, with cherry blossoms reaching full bloom around April 10.

In addition to familiar spring flowers such as cherry blossoms, ireum tree flowers and royal azaleas, the city said this year's routes incorporate plants from its “Seoul's 400 Attractive Plants” list.

The city also noted that 424 new gardens have been added this year, bringing the total number of “Attractive Gardens” and “Companion Gardens” citywide to approximately 1,500 — up from 1,076 installed through last year.

Residents can search all 175 routes by theme or district through the city's “Story in Seoul” webpage (seoul.go.kr/story/springflowerway) and the Smart Seoul Map (map.seoul.go.kr). The city said the flower path map will be featured in the Smart Seoul Map's Top 10 city life map category throughout April.

“The city selected the routes so residents would not need to travel far to enjoy spring,” said a Seoul’s Garden City Bureau official.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.