The N Seoul or Namsan Tower is the landmark of Seoul and along with countless historical sights, one of the main attractions for tourists in South Korea’s capital. I spent an afternoon at the nearby Namsangol Hanok Village and after a short walk at the foot of the mountain and a short ride on the Namsan Cable Car, enjoyed the sunset overlooking Seoul.
Namsangol Hanok Village
Namsangol Hanok Village is located right at the foot of Namsan Mountain in the Junggu neighbourhood. Hanok houses are Korean traditional houses and there are only a few of these well-preserved Jeonson Dynasty hanok villages left.
The most famous one is probably Bukcheon Hanok Village in the north of Seoul.
But if you’re planning a trip to N Seoul Tower, I’d definitely recommend stopping by this Hanok Village. The traditional garden invites you to take a leisurely stroll and the well-preserved grounds make you feel like you travelled back in time.
The best way to get there is to take the subway – line 4 or 3 – to Chungmuro Station and arrive at the village within 3-5 minutes. I spent about 1 hour there and enjoyed the view of the Namsan Tower and the old Hanok houses.
Namsan Cable Car
Walking through the gardens of Namsangol Hanok Village, you reach a path along the mountain that leads directly to the Namsan Cable Car. The walk takes about 20-30 minutes and offers some great views of the mountain and tower.
For 10,000 won you can get a one-way ticket up the mountain, which takes approximately 10 Minutes.
N Seoul Tower
Once again, I had perfect timing and arrived just in time for sunset. After only a few steps, you are already at the foot of the tower and can enjoy the view from the viewing platform, which is famous for its mass of love locks.
The ride to the top of the tower and a slightly better 360 degree view, costs 16,000 KRW. But since I want to save this view for spring, I didn’t go up to the tower this time. In my opinion, that was quite enough and the view of the city from the mountain was already wonderful.
I was particularly impressed about the view of Seoul at night. Walking down the mountain takes approximately 20-30 minutes. It was freezing but the views were great and definitely worth it. It was actually the moment when I realised how big the capital of Korea really is and how much I have already fallen in love with Seoul.
If you want to see more of my trip to Namsangol Hanok Village and Namsan Tour, check out my Video on YouTube:
