MrsMommyHolic: N Seoul Tower & Locks of Love

The place I was definitely most excited about visiting in Korea was the N Seoul Tower. Also known as the Namsan Tower, it is a communication and observation tower located on Namsan Mountain and marks the highest point in Seoul. It is a very popular landmark where you can see great panoramic views of the city.

We went there first thing in the morning and took the train to Myeongdong station. From there, it was about a 20 minute walk to the cable car platform which will take you to the tower. Warning though, it was an uphill climb with a couple of steep stairs. It was also hot that day (it was in the first week of September) so if you're like me who doesn't exercise, it was definitely tiring and I had to take a couple of breaks in between hehe. ;p

check HERE for more detailed directions on how to get to the cable car

We got the round-trip cable car tickets for 8,500 won each. There were quite a number of people in line and they really try to fit everyone inside the cable car. It would be ideal if you get to stay by the windows to really see the view, but we were unfortunately stuck somewhere in the middle. It was a bit claustrophobic since the car was really jam-packed and there was hardly even space to move. Good thing it was just for a few minutes...

And finally we were here! It was again more stairs and uphill walking to get to the actual tower, but it wasn't as bad anymore since we were just excited to finally get there. ;p

The first thing that we saw before getting to the tower was the Beacon Lighthouse. We actually caught a short program, which was sort of a changing of the guards ceremony.

We then noticed a small booth right across where you could wear traditional Korean outfits for free. Of course, we just had to try this out since it was one of my goals to do this on our trip. Luckily, there was a short line, but we had to wait a bit for hubby to get suited up since they only had 2 costumes for guys (and ang tagal mag picture nun mga lalaking nauna samin!). It was so fun playing dress up and I really loved wearing the hanbok which was so pretty. :)

We then quickly checked out the Pavilion and then the park grounds before finally entering the Seoul Tower.

Pavilion

park grounds right outside the tower

We got the Observation Deck Combo Package A which was 20,000 won for 2 adults and included a large bucket of popcorn and drinks. I think this was a good deal since price per person is 9,000 won so we would have paid 18,000 won anyway, which is just a small difference from the combo with snacks already. Plus, we were already starving since this was just about lunch time and the popcorn (which if I remember correctly was onion flavored) was soooo good!

We then took an elevator ride and within a few moments, we had finally reached the Observation Deck!

It was really breathtaking to see a 360-degree view of the city all the way from the top of the tower.

Each window panel had different world cities on them too. Of course, we had to find Manila! :)

souvenir shop where we bought some magnets

They also give you these tags where you can write messages and hang them on one side of the wall as a remembrance of your visit.

After leaving the tower, we headed to the Locks of Love area right outside, which was another place I was super excited to visit.

thousands of locks everywhere!

We actually forgot to bring a padlock from home, but good thing we bought one in the Daiso near our hotel for just 1,000 won. The locks they were selling at the tower were so much more expensive!