South Korea
Seoulful Sunsets
Every city has that place. That special mountain peak or skyscraper deck that will give you the best sunset lookout in town. In Seoul it is on top of Namsan Mountain.
Namsan translates to south mountain, so if you graduated from kindergarten you can probably make the deduction that it is South of Seouls vibrant city centre.
Namsan is a beautiful park that features well-maintained jogging paths, a library, a botanical garden and a swimming pool. At the park’s northeast side there’s the Namsangol Hanok Village (남산골한옥마을) . The traditional village setting resembles a Korean folk village, and free traditional wedding ceremonies and cultural performances can be enjoyed there in the summer and fall
On top of Namsan mountain you will find N Seoul tower, which was built in 1969 as Korea’s first integrated transmission tower, bringing the city to life through the power of 20th century television and radio. It was opened to the public in 1980, and it has become an adored landmark of Korea’s capital.
The main attractions on deck include a colourful digital art project that projects onto the tower, a digital observatory, a roof terrace, the HanCook restaurant, a Grill restaurant and an impressive sky-high restroom. But don’t ask me about these attractions because I stayed below, admiring the sunset from the park below.
The sunset was truly spectacular, even if my fingers nearly froze off.
Each year, 8.4 million people visit Namsan Park and N Seoul Tower, which is about 30,000 a day in the high season. It is an extremely popular corner of the city for locals and tourists alike.
To reach the top of the mountain you can catch a bus, or do what I did and take a ride in South Korea’s first cable car that whisks people from the outskirts of the Myeong-dong Shopping District to the mountaintop.
If you are in Seoul, making your way to the peak of Namsan is a must. There will be stunning scenery, spectacular sunsets and selfie sticks. (Don’t say I didn’t warn you)
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Observatory: 10:00-23:00 (Sun-Thu), until 24:00 (Fri-Sat); Restaurant: 11:00-23:00; Exhibition Hall: 10:00-22:00 | Observatory Admission: ₩9,000 (adults), ₩7,000 (youth), ₩5,000 (children) | 02-3455-9277, 88 | |||
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Yongsan-gu Yongsan-dong 2(i)-ga San 1-3 | Myeong-dong Station (#424) on Line 4, Exit 3 |