Visiting Seoul Tower in Seoul, South Korea.
When I started backpacking I used to have a fettish for going up the highest buildings in every city I was in (Hamburg, Paris, New York, Auckland, Toronto etc.) but these days I’m less bothered. However in Seoul, I felt the need to head to the top of Seoul Tower for a meal with a view, so here are my thoughts on visiting Seoul Tower in South Korea.
Sunset view from Namsam Park on the walk up to Seoul Tower.
How to get to Seoul Tower in South Korea
We walked it from Myeong Dong station, and you can also walk it from Seoul station on the Metro. It’s a bit of a walk, but worth it to save the pennies. We also walked up to the foot of Seoul Tower through Namsan Park. Great for views and a leisurely stroll, though there are lots of steps as you near the top. If you want to cut all that out and don’t have a budget, get the cable car!! But you’ll save a lot by walking.
Walking from Myoeng Dong to Seoul Tower.
How much does it cost to go to the top of Seoul Tower in South Korea?
Quite a bit…9,000 Won. That’s about £5 or $8 US so hardly on a backpacker’s budget. However we broke our budget even more as were hungry and it was Christmas Day!!
In the cold walking up to the top of Seoul Tower.
So we found out about an offer that gives you FREE entry to the top if you buy your meal in the observatory, so that’s what we did. I’m not sure if the offer is still on but it was an ALL YOU CAN EAT meal and entry to the top of Seoul Tower on Christmas Day for around $30 US each. Not normal for me to spend so much on a meal, but it was the view, we were hungry, a window table and it was a Christmas treat.
The view of Seoul by night from the top of Seoul Tower in South Korea.
How High is Seoul Tower?
Good question, as it sits on a mountain, so do you cheat and include the Namsan Mountains as well? Here’s all three stats you’ll need…
– Seoul Tower sits 479 metres above sea level
– Namsan Mountain takes up 243 metres of this
– Seoul Tower itself is 236 metres high
Full statistics on Seoul Tower are detailed here.
What’s the view like from the top of Seoul Tower?
Of course it’s fantastic – Seoul is a wonderful city and it stretches far and wide. I spent 8 days in and around Seoul so I knew a few parts of the city and was able to pick them out from the top of the Tower.
Enjoying the bright lights of Seoul from the top of Seoul Tower, South Korea.
What was the food like at the top of Seoul Tower?
Eclectic – a massive range. We had pumpkin porridge, noodles, kimchi, egg, sauteed onions, potato pancake, salad. It was an amazing buffet at the Han Cook South Korean restaurant at the top. I recommend it for a special occasion – as ours was – our first Christmas Dinner together. But probably not worth the money if you’re on a tight budget – we sometimes stretch ours a bit 😉
Loving our all you can eat buffet with a view at the top of Seoul Tower on Christmas Day.
Here are a few other posts I wrote on Towers of the World I went up:
Auckland Sky Tower, New Zealand
Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Empire State Building, New York, USA
My Videos from visiting Seoul Tower in South Korea:
Walking through Namsan Park:
Sunset view of Seoul:
The Elevator/Lift in Seoul Tower:
View from the top of Seoul Tower, Christmas Day 2011:
All you can eat Christmas Buffet on Seoul Tower:
Yeah, Namsan Tower is great, even though very touristy… If you would like to try something less touristy in Seoul one day, I’d recommend climbing the Inwangsan mountain. The view is better than the one from Namsan, because from there you can actually see how Seoul Tower dominates the skyline of the city. The only way to get there is to climb. Great exercise. There are soldiers every few hundred meters watching over you and you may not point your camera in the wrong direction, or you will get into trouble.
Hi Tom, thanks for the comment. It was years ago this article and I have very little memory of Seoul Tower now! Safe travels. Jonny