Everland or Lotte World? Choosing a Seoul theme park
Seoul has two big theme parks and they are very different days. Everland is a huge outdoor resort in the hills of Yongin, an hour out of the city, with Korea’s best roller coaster and a safari. Lotte World is mostly indoors, under a glass roof in the middle of Seoul, with a subway station at the door. Most visitors only have time for one.
- Everland if you want big rides, animals and a full day out, and the weather is good.
- Lotte World if it is raining, freezing or very hot, if you have half a day, or if you want to add the Seoul Sky observatory next door.
- Buy tickets online in advance. Resellers such as Klook usually sell below the gate price, with QR entry.
Side by side
| Where | Everland: Yongin, Gyeonggi, about an hour south-east of central Seoul. Lotte World: Jamsil, south-east Seoul, directly off Jamsil Station on subway Lines 2 and 8. |
|---|---|
| Indoor or outdoor | Everland is almost entirely outdoors and hilly. Lotte World’s main park, Adventure, is indoors; Magic Island is the outdoor section on the lake, reached by a bridge, and some of its rides close in bad weather. |
| Best for | Everland: T Express, one of the steepest wooden coasters in the world, the bus safari, and the pandas. Lotte World: a compact day of mid-sized rides, parades and the castle, easy with children and in any weather. |
| Time needed | Everland is a full day once you count the journey. Lotte World works as an afternoon and evening, and a cheaper after-4pm ticket is sold for exactly that. |
| Ticket price | Both charge roughly ₩60,000–70,000 for an adult one-day ticket at the gate, varying by date. Online resellers are usually cheaper, and both parks sell discounted evening tickets. |
| Queue passes | Everland sells a limited paid express pass and runs free virtual queuing for some rides through its app. Lotte World sells the Magic Pass, which reserves ride times. Both sell out on busy days, so decide early. |
Everland: getting there and the day
The simplest way from central Seoul is a direct shuttle bus from Hongdae, Myeongdong or Dongdaemun, which must be booked ahead. By public transport, take the Suin–Bundang Line to Giheung, change to the Everland Line light rail to Jeondae–Everland, and ride the free shuttle bus up to the gate. That takes about 90 minutes from Gangnam.
Go straight to T Express and the Safari World bus at opening, before the queues build, then spend the middle of the day in the garden and the smaller zones. The panda house is included in the ticket; timed entry applies on busy days. The park is famous for its seasonal gardens, with tulips in spring and roses in early summer. In summer the water park next door, Caribbean Bay, needs its own ticket.
Lotte World: getting there and the day
Take subway Line 2 or 8 to Jamsil and follow the signs underground. The indoor park is on several floors around a central ice rink, and the parades run through it in the afternoon and evening. Magic Island, the outdoor part with the tallest drops, sits on Seokchon Lake and is prettiest at night.
Lotte World is part of a larger complex. The aquarium and the Seoul Sky observatory in Lotte World Tower are a five-minute walk away, and many visitors do the park in the afternoon and the tower after dark. The lake walk around Seokchon is free and lovely in cherry blossom season.
When to go
- Weekdays in term time are quietest, with one catch. In April–May and September–October, school trips fill both parks on weekday mornings. They thin out after about 3pm.
- Weekends and public holidays are the busiest days. Chuseok and Children’s Day on 5 May are the worst.
- Halloween season, from September into early November, is when both parks are at their most fun and most crowded. See the Halloween in Seoul guide.
- Winter belongs to Lotte World. Everland stays open and runs Christmas events, but its outdoor queues are bitterly cold in January.
- The rainy season from late June to July also favours Lotte World.
The other parks
| Legoland Korea | On an island in Chuncheon, Gangwon, for families with children under about 12. It pairs with a Nami Island day in the same area. |
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| Seoul Land | An older, smaller and cheaper park in Gwacheon, next to Seoul Grand Park and its zoo, on subway Line 4. |
| Lotte World Adventure Busan | An outdoor sister park on the coast north of Haeundae, if you are in Busan rather than Seoul. |
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