Budget · 3-hour walk · Seoul
Namsan and Myeongdong in three hours
The old south gate, the shopping district, a preserved hanok village and the tower on the mountain.
The six-hour route walks the palaces. This one goes up: Namsan is 270 metres in the middle of the city and the tower on top is the thing you see from everywhere else. The cable car saves the climb and is the right call in summer. Myeongdong first, because the street food carts do not properly start until late afternoon and you want them on the way out, not in.
The route, stop by stop
-
Sungnyemun Gate
The great south gate of the old city wall, from 1398. It burned down in a 2008 arson and was rebuilt by hand with traditional tools over five years.
20 min here Walk here → -
Myeongdong
The densest shopping street in the country and the centre of Korean skincare retail. The food carts down the middle are the reason to come back in the evening.
35 min here Walk here → -
Namsangol Hanok Village
Five Joseon-era houses moved here and reassembled, with a time capsule in the grounds due to be opened in 2394. Free.
30 min here Walk here → -
N Seoul Tower
Arrive by funicular from the previous stop
The cable car from Myeongdong side saves a 40-minute climb. The observation deck marks the distance to cities in every direction, and the fence below it is solid padlocks.
More in Seoul
Every walking route in Seoul, or the full Seoul guide for where to stay and what a day costs.