Seoul Tower, at the top of Namsan Mountain, is the highest point in Seoul, offering 360-degree views of the entire city. It was also the very first general radio wave tower in South Korea and continues to broadcast signals for media outlets such as SBS, MBC, KBS, and FM. 

We hoped to reach by taking the Namsan Cable Car, which offers the most unique and picturesque way to get up Namsan Mountain to the tower. The queue and wait were so long, howerver, that we decided to drive up to the parking area and walk from there to the base of the tower.

Aside from a visit to the observation deck, one of the top activities for couples at Seoul Tower is to hang a padlock from the fence around the plaza. Couples inscribe their names, initials, or even a short message onto the locks before attaching them to the fence as a symbol of their eternal love. The activity is commonly known as “love padlocks” and is popular among both locals and tourists. Padlocks can be purchased in the souvenir shop.

The main draw of Seoul Tower is its observatory. We were able to observe the city below from the height of the clouds by making our way up to the tower’s observation deck. The deck featured large, floor-to-ceiling windows the whole way around the tower, allowing us to experience the full 360-degree views. 

There are a number of floor levels and plenty of dining options available at the Tower. We passed through the Sweet Bar that sold drinks and sweet or salty snacks on our way to the Hancock sit-down Korean buffet.  Food was good and the giant windows around the dining room offered great photo ops.