Thursday, March 20, 2014

[Seoul, Korea] Spring Series : N Seoul Tower at Namsan


 A sense of carefree and freedom felt, from a location that sees the entire Seoul ~ That nowhere other than at N Seoul Tower, the symbol of Seoul.


Seriously, the place would have been excellent for some self-reflection, if it wasn't as crowded.  Constructed some 45 years back, the tower was ranked, by foreigners, the number 1 attraction in Seoul in 2012.  Being on top gave me an opportunity to appreciate the city at a bird's egg view, appreciating how different parts of the city had been developed at different times and the harmony of nostalgic and contemporary.  In the day, it is tower that stands proud, the pillar turns into media art piece in the night.


Arrived at the roof terrace, what I saw was hundreds and thousands of love pad-locks!  In this unique culture, couples "declare" their love through messages on these pad locks.  After that securing the padlock on the padlock wall or tree, they would then do a long-shot throw for the padlock keys, symbolising "locking" their love for each other forever.





Below the roof terrace is the N Terrace, a place for some snacks and cocktail.  During the freezy winter or the blazing summer, I suppose this place will be exceptionally crowded, for obvious reasons.


Magnificent and serene view of the cosmopolitan city.  Love the silhouette against the sunset.


Enjoy a meal at the café that serves a variety of local and western meals, while watching the sunset.


An hour into my meal, the sky turned almost totally dark.  The dazzling lights covering the city was amazingly pretty.



At 8pm, N Seoul Tower transforms into a colourful pillar, a total contrast from it's solemnness in the day.

A final note of advise - The Terrance is an open area and hence, it can get rather windy and chilly after sunset (from early to mid April even though winter is over).  Scarf, gloves and heatpad will come in handy if you plan to stay at the Terrace area to enjoy the scenery.


Getting there:
N Seoul Tower has dedicated bus services "Namsan Sunhwan Shuttle Bus" from subway stations such as Myeongdong Station, Chungmuro Station, Seoul Station, Itaewon Station and Hangangjin Station.  The bus frequency is about 15 to 20 mins.  It costs 950 won (if paid in cash) or 850 won (if paid using transportation card).

Details can be found here.


Related Posts:
- Hangang Yeouido Flower Festival (click here)
- Downtown Tax Refund (click here)
- Singapore to Korea Airfare Promotions (click here)
- Nostalgic Samcheong-dong (Click here)

2 comments:

  1. Hi! Beautiful post! Can I ask you which floor the place you ate at is? And the rooftop? Are they the same place? Do I have to pay to enter this floor?

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    Replies
    1. Hi, this is at the public area and no admission fee is needed =) You can check out N Seoul Tower's website on the shop locations. The place where I had my meal is like a foodcourt, or perhaps you can call it semi-restaurant. =)

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