Suncheon Bay National Garden

Donghwan Seong · CC BY-SA 3.0

Korea's first national garden, built as a belt to stop the city creeping into the wetland.

Suncheon had a problem: its wetland is where hooded cranes winter, and the city was spreading towards it. Their answer was unusual — rather than simply ban building, they laid an enormous garden across the gap as a buffer, and moved a residential district out of the way. The garden covers nearly a hundred and ten hectares, opened in 2013, and holds gardens themed by country, an artificial hill shaped after Suncheon's own topography, and a small train running out to the wetland. In 2015 it became Korea's first national garden. It is a rare case of a city stepping back to leave room for birds.

Visitor information

When is the best time to visit Suncheon Bay National Garden?

April–June and October–November

How much does it cost to visit Suncheon Bay National Garden?

8,000 KRW; the Suncheon integrated ticket is 12,000 KRW (garden + wetland + Naganeupseong, valid 2 days)

How long do you need at Suncheon Bay National Garden?

Half a day

What are the opening hours of Suncheon Bay National Garden?

09:00–19:00 (until 18:00 in winter)

Did you know

Designated Korea's first National Garden in 2015.
About 110 hectares, opened in 2013.
Built as a buffer belt to stop urban sprawl reaching Suncheonman wetland.
A small train links the garden with the wetland.

Travel tips

Buy the combined garden and wetland ticket; it is cheaper than separate entries.
The garden is large — use the train or hire a bike.
October–November gives you chrysanthemums in the garden and ripe reeds in the bay.

Source: https://www.suncheonbaygarden.com/

Updated: 2026-08-04