N Seoul Tower, now get there by bus!

N Seoul Tower /  Photo by  henribergius

As you might be aware, Namsan Tower (or N Seoul Tower )is the top of Namsan (Mt.Nam and we also call it to Namsan park) which is located in the center of Seoul. As it is one of the most visited spots in our capital, local people as well as tourists go there to experience a various cultural events, to relax and enjoy the scenery. 

Namsan park overview.

Last month, it was reported during the nine o'clock news that a lot of taxi drivers had been ripping off foreign tourists who wanted to go to a peak of Nam mountain and this news took me by surprise twice.

First, I had thought we can not use taxi to go to the N tower. We had to take yellow bus, cable car or shank's pony. Secondly it was surprising that there still were taxi drivers overcharging foreign travelers in Seoul.

After this incidence, I saw an article on the newspaper that the Seoul government is prohibiting taxi from taking passengers to the Namsan from1st May 2012. It means that all people including tourists have to use yellow bus, cable cars or your own feet from May!!

 

Among three options available, I would like to show you how to go to the peak of Mt. Nam by bus because it is easier way than the others. 

Map of  yellow bus route © 공원녹지국 공원녹지정책과

For reaching there, you can use three shuttle lines like number 02, 03 and 05. They are stopping at a lot of bus stops in main streets and some subway stations like  Chungmuro station (no. 3 or 4 Subway line. at Daehan Cinema) or  Dongguk University station (no.3 Subway line), which will take you to the parking lot of N tower. The bus runs regularly so you can take it from wherever is most convenient for you. After the tour, take the same bus at the bus stop where you got off. The bus runs every 6 minutes from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m.

Fare: 550 won / Hours: 08:00~24:00 / Bus interval: 5~6 min.

For more information on N Seoul Tower, see the Official  Site of Korea Tourism Org