Before You Go Korea

Checked Oct 12, 2026 Namsan, Myeongdong and Namdaemun in one day, guide card. Photo: Korea Tourism Organization (KOGL Type 1), taken in June 2018 You can fit Namdaemun Market, Myeongdong and Namsan into one day, and the order I'd use is Namdaemun in the morning, Myeongdong at midday, Namsan in the afternoon and N Seoul Tower after dark. The reason is in the hours. Many Namdaemun shops are closed on Sundays and its food alleys close by 21:00, while the Namsan cable car runs until 23:00 and the tower's observatory stays open until 22:30 on weekdays and 23:00 on weekends. The order is my own plan; every hour, fare and distance below comes from the places' own pages, checked on Oct 12, 2026. For one adult, the tower plus a cable car round trip is 44,000 won, before the subway. I'm from Korea. I've changed money on the street in Namdaemun a few times, from older women who sit along the lanes, and as I remember the rate was better than a bank's. Years ago, in w...

Checked Oct 12, 2026 Namsan fall foliage guide card. Photo: Korea Tourism Organization (KOGL Type 1), taken in November 2010 Namsan's leaves are forecast to peak around Oct 31 to Nov 2, 2026, on the Korea National Arboretum's peak-date map (a model with about a 70% hit rate, looked up on Oct 12). Seoul city's own notices for 2021 and 2025 put Namsan's peak around Nov 10, so keep the whole span in mind. The classic walk is the North Ringway (북측순환로), 3.42 km of gentle, car-free path that Seoul says strollers and wheelchairs can use. The step-free Sky Forest Trail (1.45 km of deck) and a 0.5 km stair path both lead on to N Seoul Tower. I should say this up front: I really don't like crowds. The last time I went up Seoraksan, it was a little after the announced peak, and I climbed all the way to the top. That autumn, two years ago, stayed warm for a long time, and near the summit the leaves had already burned out and fallen. Namsan is a different kind of walk, ...

Checked Oct 12, 2026 N Seoul Tower at night guide card. Photo: Korea Tourism Organization (KOGL Type 1), taken in November 2017 The observatory at N Seoul Tower (N서울타워) is open every day until 22:30 on weekdays and until 23:00 on weekends and public holidays. It stops letting people in 30 minutes before closing, so the last entry is about 22:00 on weekdays and 22:30 on weekends; the subtraction is mine. An adult ticket is 29,000 won and needs no reservation. The cable car sells its last tickets at 22:30 for a round trip and 22:45 for one way, and its service runs until 23:00. Buses 01A and 01B are listed as running until 23:00, but I found no last departure time for the tower stop, so don't count on the last minutes. All of this comes from the tower's and the cable car's own pages, checked on Oct 12, 2026. I'm from Korea, and the Namsan I remember is a daytime climb. Years ago, in winter, I went up the stairs with my uncle, panting the whole way, and on the way d...

Checked Oct 12, 2026 Namsan Cable Car guide card. Photo: Korea Tourism Organization (KOGL Type 1), taken in May 2017 The Namsan Cable Car (남산케이블카) costs 15,000 won round trip for an adult (12,000 won one way) and runs every day from 10:00 to 23:00. Tickets are sold at the station only, so there is nothing to reserve. The ride takes about 3 minutes, but Korean press reports waits of one to two hours at weekends and in peak season. The station is at 83 Sopa-ro, a steep walk uphill from Myeongdong Station Exit 3, and a free incline elevator (Namsan Oreumi) shortens the climb. Fares, hours and directions below come from the cable car's own pages, checked on Oct 12, 2026. I'm from Korea. Years ago, before it was called N Seoul Tower and long before there was a wall of padlocks in front of it, I went up Namsan in winter with my uncle. We went for exercise, and we hurried up the stairs, panting the whole way. This guide answers the question that trip leaves you with: stairs, bu...