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Pandemic Travel Update: After two years of being largely closed to foreign nationals, South Korea finally has reopened to vaccinated and even unvaccinated travelers. However, pre-departure and arrival testing as well as other conditions apply. If you are not in Seoul already, be sure to check this helpful guide from Korean Air for up-to-the-minute details related to your specific departure location. Double check to make sure that specific attractions of interest are open for the dates of your visit, too.

Among all the areas where tourists congregate in Seoul, Myeongdong (명동) — which literally means "Bright Cave" when translated into English — typically is the most popular of all. Because Myeongdong has been a base for foreigners in Seoul for centuries, it perhaps should not be surprising that foreign tourists still flock to the area.

The Best of Myeongdong

Although travelgasm.com humbly would suggest that Bukchon (북촌) has more distinctive architecture, Insadong (인사동) has more unique shopping, and Hongdae (홍대) is more fun; Myeongdong, with its abundance of bright lights and collection of famous Korean brands — and increasingly, famous mid-market international brands, as well — is the number one destination for tourists who come to Korea mostly to buy products they already know and trust but at lower prices than back home. These Korean products often are tax free after some paperwork for tourists, too.

For example, famous Korean cosmetics and skincare brands like Etude House, Innisfree, Laneige, Nature Republic, Too Cool for School, Tony Moly, and Skin Food all have locations in Myeongdong. With Chinese shoppers away for years, though, the pandemic severely altered the usage pattern of this district and it will be interesting to see how it evolves in the coming years.

Although much of Myeongdong is dissected by large, unpleasant thoroughfares, its core shopping area is connected directly to the metro and it has a lovely grid of streets that are people-only during peak times and enjoyable on foot. English — as well as Chinese and Japanese — proficiency is much higher than average in this district, also, which tends to make foreign visitors feel more comfortable than they might feel elsewhere in the city.

Given the concentration of foreigners in the neighborhood, it perhaps shouldn't be surprising that some of the favorite restaurants in Myeongdong include places like a branch of Taipei's famous Din Tai Fung for Taiwanese, Ranju Kalmyeon for Chinese, and Vicolo for Italian. If you want to stick with Korean food, the inexpensive, Michelin-recommended Hadongkwan (하동관) is a great choice. It has been popping out Korean beef bone soup in brass bowls since 1939 and provides a classic contrast to the more modern offerings in the district.

How to Go Up Namsan

Additionally, Myeongdong is a convenient gateway to Namsan (남산공원), literally South Mountain. When the air is clean enough, particularly after a heavy rain, Namsan provides beautiful panoramic views of Seoul. Myeongdong would be well worth a visit by itself, but with easy access to Namsan as a proverbial cherry on top, it definitely shouldn't be missed.

The easy way up Namsan is to take the cable car, but it is possible to hike if you would prefer. In multiple treks, we always have been too lazy to hike up Namsan, but we have hiked down a couple times, and it is roughly 1.5 km (1 mile) or so with stairs effectively the entire way. If you're an avid hiker, it's barely a hike in either direction. If you're on a tighter budget — or you would enjoy the easier hike down — the ticket for the cable car up is slightly cheaper than roundtrip, as well. Note that the cable car operates until 11 PM.

The view from the top of Namsan already is beautiful, but if you want to go even higher, you also can see the view from the 236.7 meter (777 foot) observation structure known as N Seoul Tower. If you know that N Seoul Tower is a definite must see for you, you additionally might want to buy a Discover Seoul Pass Card in advance of your visit to Seoul.

In addition to access to N Seoul Tower, the Discover Seoul Pass Card includes dozens of other attractions, including all of the palaces, the Lotte World Adventure amusement park, the AREX train from Incheon Airport, a hop on-hop off tour bus, a Ttareungi bike share pass, and more. You even can load the Discover Seoul Pass Card with money and use it as a T-Money pass for the metro, public buses, and taxis rather than having to buy a separate T-Money card. In a sure sign that the Discover Seoul Pass Card is a good deal, it is valid only for non-South Korean passport holders.

Other than admiring the view from the mountain or the observation tower, either one; the other major activity at the top of Namsan is for couples — or perhaps a particularly self-absorbed individual — to lock a signed padlock to one of dozens of defined railings to profess their love.

In a clever bit of promotion from Korean media producer SBS, which also has an antenna atop N Seoul Tower, their 2004 television drama Lovers in Paris (파리의연인) made this padlock activity famous. People always need to do whatever they have seen on television. If you wish to indulge, you can buy a lock at the gift shop, or you can buy one before heading up the mountain to save some won.

At the top of Namsan, there are a variety of inexpensive casual restaurants in the mall at the base of N Seoul Tower, formally the Seoul Tower Plaza (서울타워 플라자). There also is the expensive n.GRILL at the top of N Seoul Tower with its legendary view. However, there literally are hundreds of other restaurants and plenty of street food back down the hill in Myeongdong, as well.

Below, we have mapped out the walking streets in Myeongdong, the mentioned restaurants, and the quickest route up the hill to the Namsan Cable Car as well as a convenient point to start or end a Namsan hike.

How to Get Here: Take the Royal Blue Line (Line 4) to Myeongdong Station. Exit 6 connects directly into Myeongdong 8-gil, the primary shopping street. Turn left after leaving the exit. Exit 3 is the best for Namsan. Take the right staircase for Exit 3 and turn left to start walking up the hill to the Namsan Cable Car.

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