N'Seoul Tower

Lonely Planet review

The peak of Mt Namsan used to be crowned with fortifications, but they are long gone and have since been replaced by the Seoul Tower. The entire tower has a modern look, feel and name thanks to renovations completed in 2005 that dropped in speedy elevators, a spiffy lobby and the urbane handle, N'Seoul Tower. The tower stretches 480m (1574ft) above sea level and houses several cafes and restaurants (one of which is revolving) and an observation deck. The views are marvellous, especially at night.

Be sure to run your ticket through the scanner beside the elevator to activate a reservation number for the lift; it's a great system to preserve order on days when the lobby is filled with impatient crowds. The view from the T3 observation deck is worth the entrance fee; it's even better upstairs on T5 in the revolving restaurant. The easiest and most picturesque route to N'Seoul Tower is to take a taxi from Insa Dong to the Namsan cable car. From the cable car it's a short walk to the base of the tower.