Choosing a theme park around Seoul

A theme park day is half decided the moment you pick the park. Before price or size, look at how much of the day is left and what the sky is doing. The three below are sorted by exactly that.

The short version

There are really only three worth the trip. Lotte World sits on a subway station and stays open late, Everland is much bigger but takes a whole day including travel, and Seoul Land is cheaper and less crowded. Which one suits you is decided less by taste than by how much daylight you have left and what the sky is doing.

Last verified: 2026-08-16

Deadlines that matter

Last admission
By when: Usually one hour before closing
If you miss it: You cannot get in that day. Tickets are usually tied to a date, so check the refund terms if you bought in advance.

Right now

1Check the official site for that day's hours and price before you buy at the gate. All three change with the date and the season.
2Outdoor rides stop in strong wind or rain. If rain is forecast, Lotte World keeps more of the day because much of it is indoors.
3If you are only going in the afternoon, look for the afternoon pass. All three sell a cheaper late entry ticket.

Getting there

From Incheon Airport to Lotte World (Jamsil)
Take bus 6705A from the airport bus stops outside arrivals at Terminals 1 and 2. The stop is named 잠실 롯데월드(직통), Jamsil Lotte World (direct). If the bus times do not work, take the all stop train on the Airport Railroad to Seoul Station, ride line 1 one stop to City Hall, transfer to line 2, and get off at Jamsil.
Cost:
Airport bus 6705A is 18,000 won for adults and 12,000 won for children aged 6 to 12
It runs every 25 to 45 minutes. Toward Seoul the first bus is 05:00 from Terminal 2 and 05:20 from Terminal 1, and the last is 22:55 from Terminal 2 and 23:15 from Terminal 1.
From Hongik Univ. or Seoul Station to Lotte World (Jamsil)
From Hongik Univ. station, take line 2 in the inner loop direction, toward City Hall, and stay on it for twenty stops to Jamsil. From Seoul Station, ride line 1 one stop to City Hall, transfer to line 2, and get off fifteen stops later at Jamsil.
How long:
About 45 minutes from Hongik Univ., about 40 minutes from Seoul Station
On line 2, Jamsil sits between Jamsillaru 잠실나루 and Jamsilsaenae 잠실새내. The names look alike, so check that the sign reads Jamsil 잠실 before you step off.
From Seoul to Everland (Yongin, Gyeonggi Province)
Around Gangnam, take bus 5002 from Sinnonhyeon 신논현, Gangnam station, or Yangjae station. Around Jamsil, take bus 5700 from Gangbyeon station, Jamsil station, Songpa 송파, or Suseo station. From the city center, ride line 4 to Sadang station and change to bus 1500-2. All three run to Everland with no further transfer.
The subway also gets there, but it goes a long way around. No airport bus runs straight from Incheon Airport to Everland, and buses 8862 and 8839, which Everland lists, leave from Incheon Bus Terminal 인천종합터미널.
From Seoul to Seoul Land (Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province)
From Seoul Station, take line 4 toward Oido and Ansan and stay on it for eleven stops to Seoul Grand Park station 대공원. The same line 4 serves Sadang and Isu. Leave by exit 2, follow 만남의 길 to the information center, then take the elephant train or keep walking to the main gate.
How long:
About 30 minutes from Seoul Station to Seoul Grand Park station. The walk from the station to the main gate is not included
Cost:
Elephant train, one way: 2,000 won for adults, 1,500 won for teens and children
This is Seoul Grand Park station 대공원 on line 4, not Children's Grand Park 어린이대공원 on line 7. Taxis cannot enter the park, so from the station to the gate it is the walk or the elephant train.

What to have ready

Comfortable shoes: All three are a full day of walking, and Everland is hilly.
A rain jacket or folding umbrella: Some rides soak you, and the indoor sections stay open in the rain.
Passport or ID: You may be asked to prove age for teen and child prices or for a discount.

Phrases you can copy and paste

Step by step

1
Lotte World Adventure
Where:
Connected directly to Jamsil Station on subway lines 2 and 8
How long:
Sunday to Thursday 10:00 to 21:00, Friday and Saturday 10:00 to 22:00, with last admission one hour before closing
Cost:
Universal pass 64,000 won adult, 56,000 won teen, 48,000 won child. Park ticket 61,000 won adult, 54,000 won teen, 47,000 won child (Korea Tourism Organization official listing)
An indoor park joined to an outdoor section on the lake, which is the real advantage here: bad weather does not wipe out the whole day. It connects straight to the subway, so if you are staying in Seoul the travel time is close to zero. The trade off is that the indoor part gets crowded on weekends and school holidays. Hours can shift from day to day, so it is worth checking the official notice the same morning. Outdoor rides stop when the weather turns.
240 Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea
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2
Everland
Where:
Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. Take a direct bus from Seoul, or the subway to Jeondae Everland station and then the shuttle
How long:
With travel included, plan on the whole day
Cost:
Prices change by date under a season system. Check the season calendar on the official site for the day you are going
One of the largest parks in the country, with a zoo and seasonal gardens alongside the rides. Because it is outside Seoul, dropping in for a couple of hours does not really pay off. The price is not a fixed number: it depends on the season grade of the date you visit. That is why searching for the Everland entrance fee returns several different figures, all of them confidently stated. Opening the official site and clicking your date is the only reliable answer. A cheaper late entry pass is also sold.
199 Everland-ro, Pogok-eup, Cheoin-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
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3
Seoul Land
Where:
Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. Walk from Seoul Grand Park station on subway line 4
Cost:
Day pass 52,000 won adult, 46,000 won teen, 43,000 won child. Afternoon pass from 16:00 is 45,000 won adult, 39,000 won teen, 36,000 won child (Seoul Land official listing)
The cheapest of the three and usually the least crowded. The same station serves a large zoo and an art museum, so you can spend half a day on rides and fill the rest with the park. If you are expecting the newest and biggest rides you may be disappointed, but for a first Korean theme park, or a day with children, it does the job. Visitors with a disability plus one companion, and national merit recipients and their families, get 50 percent off the park pass. Some experience attractions are not included in the pass and are paid separately.
181 Gwangmyeong-ro, Gwacheon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
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Watch it happen

Videos other people made, picked because they show a part of this guide that words cannot. They are not our sources: the rules and figures above come from the official pages listed at the end.

WE BECAME KIDS IN KOREA (Everland, Seoul) | TAX-FREE SHOPPING FOR TOURISTS
Channel: MOUNTAIN TREKKER, English narration, English subtitles
A day at Everland from the gate inward, which gives you a sense of the walking distances and the queue lengths that a map of the park does not show.
Open on YouTube
Full Tour of LOTTE WORLD KOREA | The BIGGEST Indoor Theme Park in Asia! | Rides and Attractions
Channel: HG Virtual Tour, No narration and no subtitles. It is a walking tour
A walk through the whole of Lotte World with no commentary, which shows how much of it is indoors and how the indoor part connects to the outdoor island.
Open on YouTube

The Korean words

자유이용권jayu-iyonggwon, day pass: The ticket that lets you ride freely. Priced differently from entry only.
입장권ipjanggwon, entry ticket: Entry to the park only. Rides are paid separately.
오후권ohu-gwon, afternoon pass: A cheaper ticket for entering after a set time.
운휴unhyu, not running: The sign on a ride that has been stopped for weather or maintenance.
매표소maepyoso, ticket booth: Where you buy tickets on site.

Easy to miss

Some parks have fixed prices and one does not. Budgeting from a figure you saw in a search result will be off.
Rain stops the outdoor rides first. You can end up holding a ticket for a park that is running at half strength.
Many rides have height limits. If you are going with a child, check which rides they can actually board before you buy.
Experience attractions are sometimes excluded from the day pass. Look for the separate price posted at the entrance.

You can skip this if

If you only want animals or gardens and no rides, a zoo or garden ticket alone is far cheaper than a theme park pass.
If you only have two days in Seoul, Everland is hard to fit. Pick the one with the shorter journey.

When it is time for a person

If you are settling in Korea with children, someone who knows the seasonal local festivals and facility discounts can save you a lot.

Where this comes from

Rules, fees and deadlines change and depend on your exact case. Please confirm the details with the official sources before you act.