Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
exit walk up to the
cable car station
; just before you reach here you'll see steps leading up the mountain-
side to the pedestrian- only Namsan Northern Circuit.
Walk left for five minutes, and pause to look around the shrine
Waryongmyo
, before following the road as
it undulates gently around the mountain, past routes down to Namsangol Hanok Village and Dongguk
University, until you reach the
outdoor gym
, uphill from the National Theatre of Korea.
You can cut out the next bit by hopping on one of the buses that go to the peak from the
bus stop
near here.
Otherwise turn right at the start of the Namsan Southern Circuit road and you'll soon see the
Fortress
Walls
. A steep set of steps shadows the wall for part of the way to the summit; at the fork continue on the steps
over the wall and follow the path to
N Seoul Tower
and the
Bongoodae
(signal beacons).
Grab some refreshments to enjoy at the geological centre of Seoul, before picking up the Fortress Wall trail
down to pretty
Joongang Park
. On the left is
Ahn Junggeun Museum
and on the right the tower
block housing Seoul Education Research Institute.
A newly created continuation of the park over a road tunnel leads via
Baekbeom Square
and
Adong
Square
down towards the Hilton Hotel; along the way you'll see reconstructed sections of the wall. Finish up
taking a look at the reconstruction of
Sungnyemun (Namdaemun)
, then browsing
Namdaemun Mar-
ket
.
MUSEUM
SEOUL MUSEUM OF ART
(
http://seoulmoa.seoul.go.kr
;
Jeong-dong; 10am-8pm Tue-Sun Mar-Oct, until 7pm Nov-Feb; Line 1 or 2 to
City Hall, Exit 2)
Hosting top-notch exhibitions that are always worth a visit, this museum has
ultra-modern, bright galleries inside the handsome brick-and-stone facade of the 1927 Su-
preme Court building. For some special exhibitions an entrance fee is charged.
CITY HALL
(
http://english.seoul.go.kr
;
Line 1 or 2 to City Hall, Exit 5)
Looking like a tsunami made of glass
and steel, the new City Hall is set for completion in early 2013. It is a modern re-interpret-
ation of traditional Korean design; the cresting wave providing shade (like eaves found on
palaces and temple roofs) over the handsome old City Hall which was built from stone in
1926.
ARCHITECTURE
Seoul Plaza fronting City Hall is the scene for events and free performances most
nights during the summer as well as an outdoor ice-skating rink for a couple of months
each winter.
