Seoul, South Korea, has joined the ranks of New York City, Paris, and other cities by transforming a disused parcel of infrastructure into an elevated garden. The Seoullo 7017 Skygarden, a more than $71 million project that opened last spring is Seoul ’s answer to NYC’s High Line or the Promenade Plantée in Paris. MVRDV , the ultracreative Rotterdam, Netherlands–based architectural firm responsible for the design, also created the Markthal , Holland’s first indoor food market, and one that’s anything but traditional. (The walls and ceilings of this expansive, glass, airplane-hangar-like space are splashed with a fruit and vegetable mural so eye-poppingly bold it evokes an Alice In Wonderland moment.)

So, it’s no surprise that the half-mile-long Skygarden, as it’s known, delivers an innovative and whimsical repurposing of an abandoned highway viaduct hovering above Seoul’s main railroad station. Embracing the country’s reverence for nature, this elongated park has essentially become Seoul’s highest botanical garden, where the various shapes and hues of 24,000 blooming flowers, trees, and shrubs take center stage. And not only do the plantings change seasonally, but this linear park also provides visitors with a botanical education: Each plant is labeled in Latin, English, and Korean alongside a scannable QR code for additional information. Beyond the greenery, the Skygarden is dotted with myriad entertainment offerings: trampolines for kids, pavilions housing cafés for a toasted sandwich or tea, and a circular, tiled pool to soak tired feet. At night, the landscape takes on a sci-fi quality when it’s bathed in sapphire blue, thanks to the network of lights.

Though the Skygarden may be the newest and most spectacular of Seoul’s diverse green spaces, below are a handful of other verdant oases that also offer a respite from the capital’s urban chaos.

The sprawling property that commemorates the 2002 Korea-Japan Games is home to a handful of parks. One of these, the Peace Park (Pyeonghwa), is peppered with avant-garde art installations, including fuchsia-painted trees and whitewashed wind chimes. A lake fronted by amphitheater-like steps that descend to a wooden platform is especially popular with families.

Set smack in the middle of the city and surrounded by skyscrapers, this elongated park is coated with colorful flower beds and expansive lawns that are a magnet for picnickers. Joggers and cyclists make good use of the paths, even at night. The more botanically inclined wander the boardwalk coursing through the Ecological Forest, or the dense woodland planted with indigenous trees.

A necklace of green spaces is strung along the banks of the Han River that flows through Seoul. Activities, such as bike rental, walking paths, and skateboarding, are central to each of these individual parks. At one, Yeouido Hangang Park, shallow water basins with adjoining terraces and a water wall are well attended during the sweltering summer months.

A former water treatment plant was repurposed as this eco-park that occupies an entire island in the Han River and is accessed via a graceful arch-shaped footbridge. A network of paths provides 360-degree views of the river and Seoul. Among the many artifacts from the aging hardscape are the columns of the clean-water reservoir now vine-draped, and the filtration plant turned into a native aquatic plants garden.

Sitting atop 300-some-foot-high Mount Naksan, this park offers a secluded escape from Seoul's hustle and bustle, especially during the workweek. Speckled with colorful cherry blossoms, forsythias, and other flowering plants, and offering panoramic views of the city, Naksan Park is a picturesque locale for strolling, including along a path that follows the centuries-old stone fortress wall.