Cafe Pokpo is located in the northwestern end of Seoul, just outside walking distance from Hongdae Station. It’s famous for being the only cafe with a view of a waterfall in Seoul, but it’s barely just. It’s about 15 minutes by bus from the nearest subway station and much longer by foot. But while getting there may be a bit of a hassle, it’s worth getting away from the busy city center to enjoy a bit of nature.
The main attraction at Cafe Pokpo is the Hongjecheon Ingong Waterfall. The waterfall is 60 m high and provides a beautiful view while you sip on a coffee from one of many cafes in the area including Cafe Pokpo. While Cafe Pokpo is the closest to the attraction, all the outdoor seating (including the rooftop seating) are part of the public Hongjecheon park.
While there’s plenty of seating on the terrace overlooking the waterfall and running track, you can make your way down to ground level and find even more seating. If you’re especially lucky (or just patient), you can score seats with tables right in front of the waterfall for some amazing photos.
While you’re here, you might be tempted to snap a few photos before heading off back to Hongdae, but we have a different thought. The full path back to Hongdae can be traversed through the Hongjecheon trail which’ll lead you to Yeontral Park. The Hongjecheon trail is a nice break from the crowded streets of Seoul while Yeontral is flanked by trendy cafes, restaurants and bars. If you’ve got the time for it, there are treasures to be found.
What Else To Do Near Cafe Pokpo
Check Out Yeonnam-dong
Located between the cafe and Hongdae Station is Yeonnam-dong. This is a trendy area with bars, cafes and restaurants that gets incredibly busy during the weekends. Our favorite samgyeopsal restaurant can be found here along with Midopa Coffee House (the location for BTS V’s Layover photoshoot).
Hike through Ansan Mountain or Inwangsan Mountain
The Hongjecheon Waterfall is actually located on the edge of Yeonhui Forest and Ansan Mountain. The mountain isn’t terribly high at less than 300 m which makes it an easy hike. And, one of the biggest features of the mountain, is the Ansan Cherry Blossom trail which is covered in pink petals during the spring. The trail is easily found by heading just south of the waterfall to the old wooden wheel-house. To the right of the wheel-house is a trail that cuts up the mountain and up into the Ansan Herb Garden.
Inwangsan, located 10 minutes away, offers slightly tougher trails in exchange for an unbeatable view of Seoul. Inwang Temple, located on the slopes of the mountain, is also home to South Korea’s oldest shaman shrine. On most weekends, you’ll find the cafe’s outdoor seating populated with an odd mix of patients from the nearby hospital and hiking groups taking a break from Inwangsan.
Where is Cafe Pokpo?
Cafe Pokpo is in the Seodaemun-gu disctrict which can be easily accessed from Hongdae Station.
- Address: 262-29 Yeonhui-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul (Naver Map, Google Maps)
How to Get to Cafe Pokpo
- Starting at Hondae Station, take exit #5 and make a left at the first street.
- Walk straight until you reach a large street and turn left to walk half a block to the crosswalk.
- Cross the street and find the bus stop to your immediate right (동교동 삼거리, Donggyo-dong Samgeori).
- Take the 100A or the 163 bus for about 12 min (depending on traffic) to the IBK Hongeun-dong Branch (서대문구 보건서별관).
- From there, you’ll have to backtrack the way the bus came and cross the street.
- Take the next left and you’ll see the cafe and the waterfall directly ahead.
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