As I have written about before, when I visit a new town, I immediately look for a place from which I could get a great view. In my recent visit to Seoul, South Korea, I did some research and very quickly realized there was one clear place I had to go to get the best views of Seoul from up high: the Namsan Seoul Tower.
Most major cities abroad tend to have one of those imposing communications towers that stand out in any city’s skyline. Seoul’s does it one better: the communications tower sits atop a mountain right in the heart of the city!
The tower opened back in 1980 and boasts having had 30 millions visitors to date. Not bad.
How to get to the Namsan Seoul Tower
The good news is that, though it sits on top of a mountain, the Namsan Seoul Tower can be reached by car, bus, cable car, or on foot. If I had had more time, I would have turned the whole thing into a hike up. But, having walked part of the mountain a day earlier, on the day of my visit to the tower, I decided to speed things up. I took the cable car.
The best time for the best views of Seoul from the tower
I wanted to get up before the crowds started arriving and the tower opened at 10 AM. A second reason for getting there as early as possible is that the sun would rise opposite the side of the tower with the best views. That is, the stuff I wanted to photograph would face me while the sun would be behind me. I didn’t want the sun to be up high (say, around noon) and diminish the quality of the colors of the views.
While this is a good photo, it is almost facing in the direction of the sun, so not as vivid
The cable car
The cable car, luckily as I did not plan this, was just two blocks from my hotel near the Myeongdong subway station. To get to the cable car lower station, one either climbs a series of staircases (quite steep), or one takes a short tram. However, the tram had weekly maintenance that morning so it was not an option. So up the stairs I went! Good workout…
The tram on the right and the cable car station on the left
A little portion of the stairs!
Even from the stairs, there is a view
Once you get to the cable car station, just buy the ticket (you get a better deal if you buy the round-trip up front). The cable car opens at 10 AM and I got there just a couple of minutes past that time. The line was 10 deep and I was able to move quickly from it to the platform in little time. The next car was full and I was one of the last ones in but I made it.
The cable car station
Going up the tower
The tower complex boasts “attractions” and other neat spots (the love lock handrails in the main plaza after you exit the cable car station). Its website provides a glimpse of all they offer.
Locks galore; other handrails were completely covered up
Once up at the plaza at the other end of the cable car, I went straight to the ticket office though it is a big enough space to explore and walk around.
Entrance to take the elevator up
There was no line to take the elevator up and it was waiting for me. The ride was fairly quick in an enclosed (not panoramic) elevator car which was OK since the best views were about to come. The ticket to go to the viewing platform cost 10,000 Korean Won for an adult (around US $10) so not bad at all for such a unique attraction.
The best views of Seoul from up high – finally!
Once you get up, the viewing platform is quite large, not terribly crowded at that time. There are shops for souvenirs or candy. There is a restaurant, a bar and restrooms in the other levels up there. I was tempted to come at sunset and enjoy those views but my time in Seoul was limited (5 days) and I wanted to see and experience other things. I imagine it would be really neat to go up, have a drink, and enjoy a spectacular sunset lighting up the city with some good golden colors (perfect for photos!).
Facing NW or so
Moving further towards the north
Towards the Gyeongbukgung Palace in the distance (not really visible here)
Close up shows at the base of the mountain the Blue House – the home of the President of the ROK
Continuing eastward, the vast green space is Jongmyo Shrine in the front and another palace in the back
One cool thing is that there was free wi-fi up there so I video-called family members to show them the view live.
As you walk around the view platform, you can look 360 at Seoul all around you. And you can walk around to find your favorite city around the world on the glass windows so you know you are looking out in its direction.
Atlanta did not show up on the glass but D.C. is close enough!
A restroom to remember!
Ah… not to say that the best was for last but… it may have been the best surprise… I decided to run to the restroom before leaving and went to the men’s room in the floor below the viewing platform. I was in for a surprise indeed. Can’t speak to the setup of the women’s restroom but get a look at this!
I think the urinals would point towards North Korea…
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I would definitely give the Namsan Seoul Tower a thumbs-up in the must-see spots in the South Korean capital! The best views of Seoul for sure.
The shadow of the tower on the Namsan mountain
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Other “best views” spots around the world from past travels:
Pin this to your bucket list board!
I was last in Korea in 1984 and I can see it has changed a lot. I remember in my trip report writing how Korea had impressed me by the industriousness of their people and it was a country we should be doing business with. The rest is history. Did not have time for much sightseeing but i did go to the DMZ border
The DMZ must have felt so different then! And, I can see why Korea has become so successful: lots of ingenuity, hard work, and no whining (I am sure!).
Seoul is indeed a beautiful place, I visited couple of time… and still excited to visit again 🙂