Yeouido 6 pm sunset yacht tour, limited to 8: Sailing Paradise

I wanted to see the sunset on the Han River in Yeouido in a slightly different way, so I tried Sailing Paradise's Han River limited yacht tour. I boarded at 6 pm, right when the sunset was starting, so the sky was still bright when we left and I got to watch it slowly darken during the ride!

Unlike walking along the riverbank, you look at downtown Seoul straight from the water, so the view feels wide open. There was plenty to look at: the 63 Building in the sunset light, flocks of birds over the river, even airplanes. Best of all, this isn't a tour where lots of people pile on per departure. It's a small group, so it wasn't crowded and I could enjoy the view in comfort.

Sailing Paradise location, parking and limited yacht tour price

Sailing Paradise (세일링파라다이스) is inside Hangang Paradise at 252 Yeouidong-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, and is open daily from 10:00 to 22:00. You can park at Yeouido Hangang Park Parking Lot 1 (paid). It runs on reservations, and they say there's Wi-Fi, separate men's and women's restrooms, a waiting area, and group bookings are possible.

By public transport, it's about a 15-minute walk from Yeouinaru Station Exit 3, or you can walk toward the Han River park from the 63 Building bus stop.

The product I used was the Han River Limited Yacht Tour for 8 people max, ₩70,000 per person. The booking page listed it as a 50-minute tour, but on my day I was told on site that it would sail for about 30 minutes, so I'd check the exact duration with the booking page or the company before you go.

Boarding the yacht at the Yeouido Hangang Paradise dock

Head down toward Hangang Paradise and you'll see a dock with several boats moored. You go further inside to board the yacht. The inside of my yacht was mostly white, with windows facing several directions, so you could see the Han River even from indoors.

There were tables and seats, but during the sail I spent far more time outside than inside. The picnic basket in the photos below isn't part of the product I used, but I wanted to introduce the picnic option too, so I took pictures.

The other passengers seemed to be on a separate yacht picnic package. Sailing Paradise actually runs several other programs, like a yacht picnic timed to the Nodeul Island light festival and private tours~ We only did the limited yacht tour this time.

Can you see the sunset on the Han River with a 6 pm departure?

Yes, on Sailing Paradise's limited yacht tour departing at 6 pm, I could watch the whole sunset unfold from the Han River. The sun was already starting to sink, and at first plenty of blue sky remained, but as the yacht moved the yellow and orange tones grew stronger.

The clouds were pretty that day too, so I kept taking photos on the river, haha. The buildings across the water caught the sunset light one by one, and long orange reflections spread over the water. Seeing it from right on the Han River made the scenery feel much closer.

The 63 Building is golden to begin with, but with the sunset on it, it looked an even deeper orange than usual. The river surface below it was tinted orange too, and I thought, glad I picked this time, haha

While I was taking photos, flocks of birds passed overhead several times. I watched them fly in groups, changing direction, and planes passed now and then too, so there was a lot more to look at than just buildings.

Han River limited yacht tour route: Wonhyo Bridge to Mapo Bridge and Nodeul Island

The Sailing Paradise limited yacht tour went past Wonhyo Bridge toward Mapo Bridge. Before going all the way up to Mapo Bridge, the yacht turned around and headed back down toward Nodeul Island and Hangang Bridge.

The scenery on both banks kept changing, so even sitting in one spot there was plenty to see. I could look at the Yeouido side with its cluster of tall buildings, and passing under the bridges gave me angles on Hangang Bridge and the surrounding buildings that are hard to get normally.

When the sun was almost down, the buildings turned into dark silhouettes and only the sky behind stayed orange and pink, which was pretty too. The sky darkened so quickly that the photos from departure and from the return have completely different colors!

Seeing the Han River up close from the cushion seats at the bow

My favorite thing about the Sailing Paradise yacht was being able to go out to the front of the boat. You lay down a cushion in the front area, sit, and watch the water flow right in front of you. It's definitely better than looking through a window indoors.

You feel the river breeze directly and get an open view in the direction the yacht is moving, so if you do a Han River yacht tour in Seoul, I'd recommend trying a seat here~! With so few people, going to the front wasn't chaotic, and I could take photos and relax.

So it looked good as a Han River yacht date with a partner too. There were couples on my trip, and instead of staying indoors they could watch the sunset and take photos, which seemed like a nice way to spend the time.

Nodeul Island light festival lights seen from the yacht

My ride happened to fall during the Seoul Light Han River light festival on Nodeul Island. As we got closer to Nodeul Island, I could see the lit-up displays from far away.

After it got fully dark, the lights on the Nodeul Island side were quite clear even from the river, so while enjoying the night view from the yacht I could naturally see the festival scenery too. I got off the yacht and walked around the light festival separately, and I posted about that in my previous post.

What time should you book a Han River yacht tour?

Personally, a slot just before sunset seemed better than daytime. We started out watching the sunset, and by the time we came back, the lights of downtown Seoul were coming on one by one.

Building lights reflected long across the river and the bridges lit up, making a very different scene from when we left. So personally I'd book just before sunset rather than during the day, haha

Sunset time changes with weather and season, but if you board just before sunset like I did, you get a bit of both the sunset and the Seoul night view. A Seoul night-view yacht tour after it's fully dark would be pretty too, but I liked watching the sky go from blue through orange and pink to dark.

Verdict: who is the Sailing Paradise limited yacht tour for?

The Sailing Paradise Han River limited yacht tour cost ₩70,000 per person, and what I liked most was that it's a small-group tour rather than one with lots of people per departure, so I could see the Han River without any crowding. The 6 pm departure overlapped with the sunset, and the 63 Building seen up close from the river and the orange-tinted water were especially pretty.

Going past Wonhyo Bridge toward Mapo Bridge and then back to Nodeul Island and Hangang Bridge, I saw downtown Seoul, several bridges, the sunset, flocks of birds and even airplanes! Sitting on a cushion at the bow with the Han River right in front of me is another thing I'll remember.

I think it suits people who want to quietly enjoy the view while taking photos, or who are looking for a Han River yacht date that's a little different from usual. For me, boarding right as the sunset began, and seeing everything from the bright river to the sun going down and the lights coming on, made it a great Seoul Han River yacht experience :)