Hike to Namsan Tower: Easy trail with views of Seoul

One morning during our trip to Seoul, we woke up particularly excited, with a certain plan for the day — to take a cable car to the Namsan Tower. But when we actually reached the base of the hill the Tower sits atop of, we saw dozens of people following the hiking route from the Namsan Baekbeom Square Park and decided to partake in the activity ourselves, since it looked very fun and promising (and most importantly, easy).

Were our assumptions true? What are the things you need to know if you decide to embark on a hike to Seoul Tower? Pay close attention, as I’m about to share the wisdom we collected straight from the source, through trial and error, and with lots of pictures to prove it!

Article contents

1. Overview of the Namsan Tower Hike
2. Our route and photos
3. Hiking from Seoul Tower to Itaewon
4. Other ways to get to Namsan Tower

Overview of the Namsan Tower hike

Located on the Nam Hill smack dab in the middle of Seoul, Namsan Tower (also known as N Seoul Tower, or simply Seoul Tower) is one of Seoul’s most famous tourist attractions. The structure is simply iconic: It bears the same significance to South Korea’s national image as the Eiffel Tower does to France and the Colosseum to Italy.

Being self-proclaimed visual learners ourselves, I will not bore you with an expansive list of details about the Tower’s history and construction. I believe the pictures will inspire you to come here and learn the enchanting tales about the area yourself.

• However, it’s important to note that the Tower’s original purpose wasn’t essentially to amass hordes of tourists, as the structure was built with the intention to become South Korea’s first general radio wave tower, which it did. The Tower currently broadcasts multiple Korean media channels and hosts thousands of visitors a day.

The Namsan Tower itself looks like any other telecommunications tower in the world. If you’ve seen Sky Tower in Auckland or Berlin TV Tower, you must have the right idea of what it might look like.

Now let’s get to the deets on the walking trail to the Tower since it is what I’ve set out to present to you in the first place.

How long is the hike to Seoul Tower? The trek takes about 40 minutes to complete and you can take quite a leisurely pace without worrying about spending hours on the path.

How difficult is the hike to Seoul Tower? The hike is moderately challenging, although expect to brave lots of steps on your way up. The path is extremely well-maintained though, and there are plenty of resting stops along the way. The age range of hikers we’ve met while walking was pretty wide: We saw both young couples with toddlers running merrily up and down the stairs and elderly groups of tourists. My point is, everybody can enjoy the hike to Seoul Tower.

The Nam Hill that the Tower sits upon boasts quite a few different walking paths, but we decided to stick with the “classic” one: I am here to tell you all about the Myeongdong to Namsan Tower Walk.

What does this specific route entail? You will start in the Myeongdong area (which is famous in and of itself for being Seoul’s shopping and eating hub), moving through Hanyangdoseong Historic Site Museum on your way up to the Namsan Baekbeom Square. From here, you’re ready to start the part of the walk with most elevation gain.

Not to toot our own horn, but we found what I think is the best course of action for the way back: You should take the route on the other side of the hill, which will ultimately lead you to the Namsan Outdoor Botanical Garden. Not only it’s a beautiful spot to explore (they say it looks amazing in every season), but it’s also a great jumping off point to start your acquaintance with Itaewon — the most international-leaning district of Seoul (it’s sometimes referred to as the American area, as it used to be adjacent to the largest American army base in South Korea), which is home to dozens of entertainment options.

Our trip fell upon the end of March, and I can say with confidence that it’s a wonderful time to do this hike: The weather is nice, it’s not too hot, and some cherry blossoms already pop here and there in the general area. Of course, if you want to have the best chances for the blooming, you should come a little later, in early April, as the cherry trees here bloom later than usual due to elevation. Another point for doing the trek at the time we did is the lesser chance of crowds, as the cherry blossoms attract a LOT of travelers to the hill.

✨Don’t miss my “get ready for your Seoul trip” article series which includes:✨

• 19 fundamental things you should know to navigate the city
• Which neighborhood out of Seoul’s endless options is right for you?
• How much did our trip to Seoul cost (and how much should you budget as a tourist)?

Seoul Tower Hike: Our route and photos

Choosing just a few pics out of what seems like thousands of snippets of our walk proved to be an impossible task, and I caved into the sheer quantity of visuals I simply MUST share.

Our hike to Namsan Tower started from the Namsan Baekbeom Square, most widely referred to as simply 📍Namsan Park. If you’ve been planning your trip to Seoul for a while now, you’ve probably already heard the name — it’s the biggest park in Seoul and the ultimate city destination for tourists who want to combine learning history with walking amongst the amazing natural scenery. Don’t worry about not finding this starting point: On a nice day, you will see crowds of people form in the area, pointing you towards the right path.

The path boasts stunning views from the very beginning, but you should save your admiration for later sights. It is pretty straightforward, with constant (yet manageable) elevation gain, since the biggest chunk of the trail is reserved to hundreds of stairs (the size of which I found pretty comfortable to climb on). This fact means that the walkway is, sadly, not wheelchair accessible. However, there is an alternative: A cable car can get you to the top. The Tower itself is wheelchair-friendly.

What are some other notable curiosities you will encounter on your way up? At the beginning of your journey, particularly in the area close to Namsan Public Library, you will be lucky to witness a couple of remarkably significant tourist attractions:

• 📍 Seoul City Wall — built to protect Seoul from its invaders, some parts of the wall withstood the test of time, while others, like the segment that runs through Namsan Park, have been reconstructed from ruin to its original glory. It’s kind of neat that you can walk alongside this section of the wall: After all, it’s the beloved background of countless of Korean dramas (Itaewon Class and Love Alarm, to name a few).
• 📍 Hanyangdoseong Museum (literally, Seoul’s City Wall Museum) — best visited first, before the climb, so that you can have sufficient knowledge to duly appreciate the craftsmanship that went into the wall’s construction.

Coming back onto the trail, let’s talk views. No, not the number of views that you got on your latest Instagram reel or YouTube video. The views I’m going to bring up here are much more profound, leaving you with a memory that will last a lifetime, and not be forgotten in a couple of days. Unless, of course, you combine the two and get the TripWis YouTube channel as a result. By the way, shameless plug here, follow on us on YouTube for putting more of a multimedia experience to our writings!

Phew, somehow I went completely off track there. The actual trek to the Namsan Tower is a doozy one, and very visually appealing: I most enjoyed the plentiful lookout points that possess cute informational signs with fascinating facts about the things you’re supposed to be looking at. And let me tell you, you’re looking at sheer beauty! As you go up, the views constantly change: First you look at the international bustling district of Itaewon, and then some of the other mountains that Seoul has been built around — Ansan, Bugaksan, Bukhansan (which, to be fully transparent, was a surprise for me, as I had no idea there were so many tall mountains in the city!). You can actually hike on these three mountains, but they’re much further away from the city center and the trails are longer and more challenging.

As for when the views of Seoul from the hike are at their prime, summer and fall seem to have more chances for a clear day and nice visibility. They say that on a good day you can actually see the North Korea border in the distance, but I cannot confirm or deny the fact, since our visit was in late March (if you want to explore the bordering area up close and personal with a knowledgeable guide, I recommend this tour).

Why do winter and spring get such a bad rap in these parts? Well, the iconic Seoul’s haze falls upon the city during these times, making the information stands’ pictures much more vibrant and overall discernible than the views you see in real life.

As you finally reach the top, don’t even think for a second that the fun part of the adventure is over! The best attractions are only starting to emerge before your eyes: And I’m not talking about the Namsan Tower itself, but about more aspirational and constantly changing work of art made by the people for the people. Railings with hundreds, if not thousands, padlocks hanging on them is what draws young people to the Tower’s premises. They’re usually called love locks, and you can purchase one for yourself at one of the many souvenir shops scattered around the grounds.

The space around the Tower’s base is filled with everything you might need after completing the hike — cafes to satisfy your hunger, lounge areas where you can relax a little, free Wi-Fi, and even water fountains (a rare sight for the streets of Seoul). Of course, the main two things that will catch all of your attention are the Tower itself and the stunning views of Seoul all around.

To get inside the Tower, you will need to purchase tickets: Adult ticket costs 26,000 won ($19) and child’s ticket costs 20,000 won ($15). There are no guided tours inside the Tower, only because the layout is quite simple, and, apart from the observation deck, the only things that are worthy of your interest are cafes, restaurants, and a gift shop.

To be completely honest, while the entry fee is quite affordable if compared to the other large cities’ viewpoints, I don’t think that visiting the Namsan Tower itself is worth it. The views up there don’t differ much from those at the base of the Tower.

Generally, I believe that during the winter and spring months you can enjoy the best views at mid- to low elevation. If you get any higher, the thick haze will cover the surroundings, muddling the things that could be considered notable into one unrecognizable mush. Trust me, we got as high as we could in Seoul (by visiting the iconic Lotte Tower), and the experience was subpar at best during the haze-cursed months.

Plus, it’s good to know that Seoul’s bird’s-eye view isn’t that exciting at daytime, even with great visibility. Closely stacked apartment complexes make up the biggest chunk of the panorama. The view gets a little more zhuzh come sunset: The sky plays with colors and shadows on the backdrop of tall buildings, which slowly turn into twinkling palaces at nightfall. For this reason alone, the majority of tourists embark on the hike later on in the day, to get the best of both worlds! If you’re more introvert-leaning, plan your hike on the early morning hours, when you will have the grounds almost all to yourself.

Hiking from Seoul Tower to Itaewon

After successfully completing your hike to Seoul Tower and taking in all that it has to offer, it’s time to head back down. It’s good to know that you have a wide range of options:
✔️ You can either retrace your steps by walking back to Namsan Park,
✔️ take a cable car down,
✔️ or walk over to the other side of the hill and follow the path down to the aforementioned hub of Yankee life of Korea — Itaewon.

We chose the last route for a few reasons:

• We haven’t yet seen the other side of the city, only caught glimpses of it from the very top
• The walk down here is ten times easier, as there are no stairs, just a nicely paved road
• There is a shuttle bus service and the most travel-attractive bus stop where you can hop on the yellow circulation bus №1, which makes frequent stops at the favored Seoul landmarks

We personally opted out of doing our walk in reverse, as the Itaewon to Namsan Tower route seemed counterintuitive to our biological clocks. The vibes here are much more chill, and the lush green forests of this side of the hill let you process all the beauty and new experiences you’ve just had at the top.

However, if you’re starting off from Itaewon and don’t want to take a bunch of unnecessary detours to follow our plan to a T, you can totally look at the route we’ve laid out backwards. I even have an idea how to spice up your experience a little: Cycling to the top is a one-of-a-kind activity (at least here, in Seoul) that will take you through thick verdant Pine Trail forest. Or, alternatively, through equally as spectacularly green Botanical Garden. Cool views of Itaewon will keep you good company during your fun ascent! Since this route is longer, bikes make sure that you’ll cover more ground in the same amount of time it usually takes to get to the Tower from Namsan Park.

Other ways to get to Namsan Tower

As I’ve hinted at the beginning of the article, we weren’t actually planning on hiking to Namsan Tower. We’re glad we did though, but if you aren’t the kind of person who is particularly fond of climbing stairs, you’re in luck — no need to feverishly google “Namsan Tower how to get there”, I’m here to help.

Ascending to the base of Namsan Tower by foot is a moderately challenging feat, so we suggest you stick to one of the following alternatives that require less energetic output directly from your body:

• Cable car — the first cable car in Korea and the reason we came to the area in the first place, getting sidetracked by the possibility of a nice walk. A cable car ride is entertaining in and of itself, and with the views that slowly open up out of the car window make the experience that much more fascinating! The ride will cost you 15,000 KRW ($11) one way. You can easily find the starting off point of your cable car adventure, as it’s located a mere 10 minute walk away from Exit 3 of Myeongdong Station.

• Shuttle bus — the free (!) shuttle bus to the top of the hill is a less exciting, but trustworthy alternative to a cable car ride. It operates under the circumstances that might derange the work of the cable car (like high winds, for example), and you still get to take in the lush surroundings you drive through. The buses run every thirty minutes from Exit 1 of Myeongdong Station and from Seoul Square bus stop. Pro tip: Look out for the yellow-green bus that has Namsan cable car written on it!

I hope that I’ve covered all the necessary information you need to know to have the best experience of a hike to Namsan Tower. Have the pics we took managed to inspire you to climb the many stairs to the top of the hill, (hopefully) enjoying the magnificent views of Seoul along the way? Answer down in the comments, where you can also ask us any additional questions that you might have concerning the topic of traveling to Seoul. Annyeonghi gaseyo!