Visiting the N Seoul Tower for amazing city views
What is the N Seoul Tower?
For the best views of Seoul, it is hard to go past visiting the N Seoul Tower which offers up incomparable views of the incredible sprawl of the city. Also known as the Namsan Seoul Tower for its location on Namsan Mountain, this TV tower is the second tallest point in Seoul. A visit to the tower’s observation deck provides panoramic views over Seoul and the tower even boasts a revolving restaurant on the top floor.
The tower stands out against the Seoul city skyline with a beautiful backdrop of rugged mountains behind. In my opinion, it truly does have the best views of Seoul.
How to visit the N Seoul Tower
Take the Namsan Cable Car
Part of the fun of getting to the N Seoul Tower is to take the Namsan Cable Car from the base of the mountain up to the tower complex.
The closest subway station to the cable car is Myeong-dong Station and you’ll need to walk up a bit of a hill for 10-15 mins to get to the ticket office and departure platform. To get to the cable car ticket office, definitely download Naver Map or Kakao Maps to help navigate the Seoul transport system.
Tickets for the cable car cost 9,500 KRW for an adult return ticket (around $12 AUD) and 7,000 KRW for a one-way. I’d definitely recommend the return ticket – it would be a long walk back down the mountain! Plus, you get to enjoy the fantastic view twice if you do the return journey.
Whilst it may be the most expensive way to get to the tower, it is absolutely the most scenic.
Bus
It is possible to get the bus from Seoul Station up to the tower (with a little walk at the end). Get the 402 bus to Huam Mineral Spring stop and then walk for just under ten minutes to the tower. The bus will only set you back 1,200 KRW ($1.50 AUD).
Taxi
A taxi from Seoul Station area to the N Seoul Tower should set you back less than 5000 KRW ($6 AUD) and will take around 15 minutes.
Visiting the N Seoul Tower – Tickets
Tickets to the N Seoul Tower can be purchased from the tower itself. There’s a ticket office before you enter the tower in the courtyard and an adult ticket will cost you 11,000 KRW (around 14 AUD). If you are going to splash out and visit the revolving restaurant for a meal, however, you won’t have to pay any additional admission fees.
You can also buy a Seoul Go City Pass, which provides entry to N Seoul Tower and Seoul’s other main attractions such as Lotte World, the DMZ, Nami Island and a Han River Cruise. If you’re planning on doing a few of these activities (especially good for travel with kids) then you could save some money from purchasing one of these passes.
The official N Seoul Tower website doesn’t offer online ticket sales at the time of publishing, however when I visited there was no issue in getting a ticket quickly.
What to expect visiting the N Seoul Tower?
The N Seoul Tower may not be the cheapest day out, but it is absolutely a great experience. The tower complex itself has plenty to do and see outside of just the observation deck.
As soon as you alight the cable car, a shock of coloured padlocks will greet you fastened to fences, benches and barriers with little love notes written on them. They’re quite fun to read and very photogenic.
When I visited, there were also ceremonial guards dressed up in traditional Korean armour in the courtyard, giving tourists a glimpse of the Korea of old.
The views down over Seoul are visible from the courtyard, too, and with a bit more space available, this area is actually really nice for photos without any glare from the windows on the observation deck or crowds in the background.
When you’re actually inside the N Seoul Tower, don’t miss the amazing digital display (before you get to the observation deck). You’ll be led into a dark, wide room with swirling, moving AV effects and it is very cool.
On the observation deck itself, be conscious that the Tower is often very busy, and you may need to be patient to get to the front of the windows to take in the view. That said, I visited in low season in January and I had plenty of space to move around and take in the view at my own pace.
When you’ve had your fill of the best views of Seoul, then head back down Namsan Mountain for your next South Korean adventure!
Location of N Seoul Tower
105 Namsangongwon-gil,
Yongsan 2(i)ga-dong,
Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Where to stay in Seoul
Even though the N Seoul Tower is located a little way from Insa-dong and Ikseon-dong, I do recommend staying in these areas and making your way to N Seoul Tower on a day trip across town. Insa-dong and Ikseon-dong are both fantastic areas to stay as they are full of eating places, great little laneways to wander around in and are lively both day and night. If you wanted to be a little closer to N Seoul Tower, then Myeong-dong is a great option.
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