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Spirited Garden

Spirited Garden

Spirited Garden
4.5
Speciality MuseumsParksCoffee ShopsGardens
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
In 1968, Director Sung set on his project to turn a piece of deserted 'wasteland' at Jeoji-ri, Hanyoung-myon into something else. Thanks to his strenuous efforts and strong will, we now have the beautiful garden that represents the quintessence of Jeju. Consisting of 7 small gardens and auxiliary facilities, this Spirited Garden provides spaces where you can find peace of mind surrounded by waterfall, ponds, stone bridges as well as trees. All the garden trees, bunjaes, and stones allows you to relieve yourself from any everyday life burden and to take a respite to enjoy the beauty of the nature. High walls built in order to protect trees from strong winds became castles and the architectures built to house exhibitions and to serve convenience purposes now represent the beauty of the nature in Jeju. They are sure to provide people from around the world with chances to think of a new paradigm of life
Duration: 1-2 hours
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  • Ki V
    8 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    You should go to the see the spirited garden!
    The garden is wonderful and sets everybody in a special and peaceful state of mind. It is impressive to see and to imagine how much passion was needed to build this up and grow the trees, especially by knowing how hard the beginning was for the builder. It is not just a garden, there ist also a nice waterfall and koi’s and a cafe and a restaurant. The stuff is very helpful and want everyone to feel the peace in the garden. Even after closing the garden they helped us to get a taxi back to the city and made sure that everything went well. We also got very good food in the restaurant we really liked. It was not full of people, so it was possible to be just by yourself. More people need to see and feel this.
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 21 October 2023
  • Paolo D
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Unique and enriching experience!
    An immersive yet peaceful haven, that symbolizes tranquillity and inner peace that displicine and dedication can bring. Can be enjoyed at every level: from a mere walk a unique park to a historical trip in the culture and tradition of Korean Bunjae. Highly recommended!
    Visited July 2023
    Travelled with friends
    Written 22 October 2023
  • Clare Y
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful garden- must visit!
    I had the privilege of visiting the Spirited Garden last year during my visit to Jeju, and highly recommend it. There is a great sense of peace and serenity at the garden, and many beautiful bunjae to admire. It is even beautiful in the wintertime. We were also lucky to meet Mr Bum-young Sung, who was a very pleasant, kind man. We had a lovely chat with him and he gifted us a copy of his book, which goes into greater depth on his story and bunjae, and reading it added an extra layer onto my appreciation for the garden.
    Visited December 2022
    Travelled with family
    Written 9 November 2023
  • Bruno
    Los Angeles, California2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Find some peace
    At the gate you will read “best garden in the world” and “3rd best coffee in the world”. At a first glance it sounds arrogant. But after finishing the visit you realize they were humble. There are no words or reviews, not even pictures that can describe the beauty, peace and slowness this garden brings. Beauty and details everywhere. In the middle of the trail, We stopped for some coffee and Mr Sung was there. It was an honor to meet him and shake his hand. From the moment my 60 min visit ended, I’m already planning my next trip to JEJU, I will go back to the Spirited Gardens and spend the entire day
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 18 November 2023
  • Jung-Mi L
    Plainview, New York1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    도움의 손길이 필요하네요,
    개인이 했다고는 믿겨지지 않을만큼 너무도 놀라웠다 아마도 일생을 이곳에서 나무와 돌과 함께 사셨을거 같다, 누군가 함께 했으면 좋겠네 하는 아쉬움을 머금고 정말 멋진 곳을 다녀왔다 I went there without much expectation, but it was like a miracle, there was a garden of trees and a garden that thought like a book. As the name of the book suggests. Thinking Garden was a story about a farmer's love for stones, trees and life..
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 2 January 2024
  • Roving14796939439
    6 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A wonderful experience!
    The Spirited Garden is incredible! It is so beautiful and peaceful, filled with amazing trees and gardens. The story and journey of the place is incredible, and we even got to meet the founder of the garden! He was so sweet and shared so much with us! It was a really wonderful experience.
    Visited January 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written 27 January 2024
  • CSmart005
    Mwanza, Tanzania20 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful gardens by an amazing man
    We loved our visit here, seeing all the amazing plants and learning the story of how the gardens came about through the vision, hard work, and dedication of Mr. Sung. And then we met him, pruning a tree while sitting astride a ladder! He was gracious and kind, and is still working hard on his life’s work at age 86. We also enjoyed the cafe and the hat shop, featuring some high quality (not cheap!) Korean-made hats. We took our time and spent over 3 hours enjoying this amazing spot.
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 19 April 2024
  • Alan W
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    An art installation with nature in mind
    I am not really a garden enthusiast but I've "had to" visit gardens all over the world when travelling with friends. I'd expected an indoor bonsai display, I was wrong. I've never seen such old, artistic and large bonsai trees. The whole garden is an art installation with written commentary on trees and on bonsai techniques which also have insights into the parallels with the human condition. I highly recommend a visit.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written 15 May 2024
  • NorthStar07372726320
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A place to go again and again …
    While in Jeju my friend and I we able to visit and it was the best part of our trip. There were not a lot of people the day we went so we were able to really enjoy the gardens and koi ponds. We got the chance to also meet Sung Beom-young who spent a large portion of his life creating this garden for the world to see.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written 12 June 2024
  • bkwk
    Chicago, Illinois12 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A lovely place to include on any trip to Jeju.
    Beautiful and serene. Meaningful mission and generous creative gardeners. We were lucky to visit on a very quiet day and even met Mr Sung while he was pruning Bunjae. A lovely place to include on any trip to Jeju.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 15 June 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles619 reviews
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Ruzana
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Couples
My 'poetic' side has always loved gardens. Used to dream and draw secret gardens all the time. My heart and gut was somehow curious about this place, especially after reading reviews from travellers all over the world. Was made to understand that not many young people from our country like myself come to visit which intrigued the caretaker enough to see someone such as myself wandering around the garden and I was therefore approached with such warmth. Even had the pleasure of sipping tea and being in the company of the very welcoming founder owner himself Mr. Bum-Young Sung, who transformed, built and developed this garden over 40 years ago with his own bare hands when nobody but his wife believed that he could turn a wasteland into what is known and recognised now to be "The most beautiful garden in the world". Like a poetic art carefully, passionately, calmly and beautifully crafted, Spirited Garden indeed does justice to its name. Even in winter where the trees and plants don't bloom as much, I could still feel the garden's spirit that it's almost like nature is speaking to you which gives you a sense of serenity. For a moment, Felt like I was in Edward Scissorhands's world ❤️ Learned so much about the bonsai tree, as well as the philosophical and wisdom in gardening. Thank you Spirited Garden for the beautiful inspiration.
Written 5 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Vinod
Busan, South Korea65 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020
It is no wonder why Spirited Garden is one of the top-rated tourist attractions on Jeju Island. I found it one of the best garden I have visited so far. It is basically a Bonsai tree-themed Garden decorated with many waterfalls and beautiful ponds full of colorful koi carps. Hundreds of artistic bonsai trees can be seen planted on small to large flower pots and on the ground. The bonsai trees of fruits, especially Jeju mandarin (or orange), apples are very impressive. It has seven small gardens with beautiful exotic gates, one of which is called Secret Garden and exclusively use for national and international MICE events (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions). It appears that the garden is very famous in China and other neighboring countries. The information boards show that the garden has been visited by many honored public figures notably former premiers of China, Japan, Indonesia, and others. Also, the garden has been awarded many decorations such as “KOREA Unique Venue”, “Green MICE Venue”, etc.
Written 4 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Maziyar Farbod
South Korea34 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020
Spirited Garden is the #1 place to visit in Jeju in my opinion. I strongly recommend paying a visit. the garden was actually bigger than I thought, and it took about an hour to see all the places. It definitely made me relaxed and laid back! Everything was well preserved and clean.
There is also a cafe with a great view of the garden. You can buy different souvenirs related to Jeju and the garden on the floor below the cafe.
Feeding the fish is 1000W and you can buy it freely (you just have to put the money in the box) and it's pretty amusing.
Written 9 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Alua
29 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020
When I first entered Spirited Garden, I could not express my emotions fully because I was so amazed by the beauty of that place. Every spot was so deliberate and historically explained. You can feed the fish and take great pictures there.
Written 7 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Brian Kim
Sydney, Australia1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
Totally unexpected.
A unique place where Bonsai trees are beautifully and elegantly presented.
A big thank for Mr Sung for warm welcome and gift about this outstanding garden.
Inspirational lessons from Mr Sung on how he has been developing the garden in last few decades against all obstacles. The garden seems his beautiful masterpieces…
Written 23 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dakota T
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Family
Amazing place! The owner is usually always at the garden and he's very nice and welcoming. He is very proud of his work and granted it's a beautiful place that many government officials have visited. Highly recommend to come during the Summer time as during Fall or Winter it may not be as beautiful due to the weather but still feel free to go. The signs along the way are very deep and motivational and in multiple languages. There is a long history with the development of the garden and every single stone placed on the property is placed by the owner. You can feel the love and care put into every single bonsai or bunjae tree. The owner is very funny if you can speak Korean but he still tries to communicate the best he can with foreigners.
Written 17 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

YipFam
Wellington, New Zealand4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2022
It was winter in South Korea and we were fortunate to arrive in Jeju the day after a heavy snowfall (which caused the airports to close). One of our planned stops was Spirited Garden. While it was wintery and perhaps not the most ideal time to visit it was nonetheless such a peaceful and serene experience. We were the only ones there at that time and had the luxury of roaming freely an taking in the sights and snapping pics of the beautifully cultivated and trimmed gardens while reading about the history. As we were approaching the end of our visit we were met by a kindly looking gentleman who offered to take a group pic for us. We assumed he was a casual worker but later realised that he was Director Seong himself!! He was humble and unassuming and took us into the cafeteria (which was actually closed) and shared with us a bit more about his personal love and dedication to Spirited Garden. We were so fortunate indeed to have his extra insights.
Written 28 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Earl M
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2024 • Couples
The garden is incredibly beautiful, and the story of its creation is also very touching. Walking through the garden, there is a high probability of meeting its founder, who carefully trims the branches of trees. For a minute, the man is in his ninth decade. Take the time to come here, enjoy the beauty of nature, feed the carp and reflect on balance and balance
Google
Written 11 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Astrid N
8 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Couples
This garden is definitely worth a visit to walk around, enjoy the beautiful trees and bonsai and of course to make nice pictures in a beautiful surrounding. You can really see how much love and effort they put into this garden. We were also lucky to meet the creator and owner of the garden, Seong Beom Yeong. He told us about the hard work it was to create this beautiful garden out of nothing. When you go there don't forget to make nice pictures at the ponds with the waterfalls. They provide umbrellas at the entrance for free to protect from sun and heat while you are in the garden. We really enjoyed the time here.
Written 12 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Damien A
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Family
I wasn't sure what to expect when we arrived at the Spirited Garden. All I knew was that one man had devoted the greater part of his life to developing and nurturing a garden in a rather harsh landscape of volcanic rocks.

Wow, the structures created with the black volcanic rocks were remarkable. The plantings showed a remarkable insight into selective plant placement and the bonsai examples were sublime. Water also played a key role in the garden's design.

Then, we walked upstairs in the tower building and behold....there was the man himself, Bum-young Sung with a big grin on his face and those wonderful eyebrows. We conversed via both our phone's translators (Papago) and I've never felt such a calmness when meeting someone before. Maybe it was the simple fact that we were both were gardeners.

Do yourself a favour and don't miss the Spirited Garden when you visit Jeju Island. And if you're very lucky, you might event meet the man himself and if you do, I can guarantee you won't forget it!

Damien Adams, Rutherglen, Australia
Written 11 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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SPIRITED GARDEN (2024) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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