Is N Seoul Tower free? What costs nothing, and what the ticket gates
What costs nothing
- The whole of Namsan Park. Trails, wooden staircases, benches, the lot. Lit at night on the main routes.
- The summit plaza. The open ground at the tower’s foot, which is where most of the photographs you have seen were actually taken.
- The love-lock terraces. Attaching a padlock costs you the price of a padlock and nothing else. How that works is on the love locks page.
- The Palgakjeong pavilion area and every outdoor viewpoint. No glass, no ticket, no queue.
What the ticket gates
Admission covers the enclosed observation levels at T4 and T5, the open-air deck at T6, and the roughly 130 metres of extra height that gets you there. Nothing else. The gate rate published by the Korea Tourism Organization is ₩29,000 for an adult of thirteen and over, and ₩23,000 for a child of three to twelve or a visitor aged 65 and over. That is the walk-up price at the ticket hall; what you pay online varies, and the comparison is on what a ticket costs.
Free, always
- Namsan Park, the trails and the staircases
- The summit plaza and its viewpoints
- The love-lock terraces and the key-deposit boxes
- The Palgakjeong pavilion area
- Looking at the tower, photographing it and walking round it
Costs money
- The T4 and T5 enclosed observation decks
- The T6 open-air deck
- The rotating restaurant at T7
- The cable car, at around ₩15,000 return for an adult
- The ₩1,100 circular bus, which is a public bus and charges a bus fare
Is the free version actually any good
It is better than people expect and, on the wrong day, better than the paid one. You are standing 243 m up with the city below and no window between the two of you. The paid deck adds height and takes away the open air, which is a trade that pays off when the atmosphere is clean and does not when it is hazy. I live on the south side of this hill and I walk up it several times a week; I buy admission perhaps twice a year, both times in winter, when the air is at its clearest. The full argument is on is it worth it.
The one free thing to be careful about
The plaza and the park do not close, but getting off the hill afterwards can. The circular bus runs to roughly 23:00 and the cable car has its own hours, so if you stay on the terraces late you may find your route down is a forty-minute walk in the dark. The main paths are lit and I have done it many times, but do it on purpose rather than by accident. Routes and times are on how to get there.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have to pay to go to N Seoul Tower?
Only to go up it. Namsan Park, the summit plaza, the love-lock terraces and every outdoor viewpoint are free and ungated. Admission covers the enclosed decks at T4 and T5, the open-air deck at T6, and the extra height.
Is the Namsan cable car free?
No. It is a paid ride, at the return fare listed above, and it does not include tower admission. The circular bus up the hill is a normal public bus at a normal bus fare, which makes it the cheapest way to the top — see the cable car page.
Can you take photos at the tower without a ticket?
Yes, and most of the photographs people recognise were taken from ground level at the plaza and the terraces rather than from inside the observatory. Nothing outside the paid levels is ticketed.
Are the love locks free?
Reaching them is. The terraces cost nothing to walk onto and there are key-deposit boxes at the plaza. You pay only for the padlock itself, which is sold on site and is a paid add-on on some tickets. Details on the love locks page.