N Seoul Tower / Namsan Park

N Seoul Tower can be seen pretty much anywhere in the downtown area, and it’s actually not that difficult to get to. Close to Myeongdong, there is a tram that goes up to the cable car station. From there, you can either hike or take the cable car up the mountain. We wanted to save our legs from tiring out too early, so we took the shortcut. It’s a nice view going up – if you can see anything at all. Most of the time, there will probably be too many heads in the way.

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Seoul Forest

I almost talked us out of visiting Seoul Forest because I thought it might’ve been too far – so glad Tie changed my mind. It was definitely the highlight of our trip. Seoul was full of beautiful fall foliage when we visited, and Seoul Forest was the epitome of it. Just check out the photos.

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Gyeongbokgung Palace

When we first visited Gyeongbokgung Palace, we realized that it’s closed on Tuesdays. So please don’t make the same mistake! I should’ve checked beforehand. Newbie mistake ^^;; We took either the 402 or 405 bus there. It’s very accessible and close to Insadong and Bukchon Village as well. Admission price is only ₩3,000 for adults. The palace opens at 9am, but closing time varies according to when you visit. Double check the web site to make sure.

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Bukchon Village

While Tie is working on a post about our First Class Korean Air flight experience, let’s start blogging about our latest trip to Korea before I forget everything. The first leg of our Asia trip was in Seoul. When people think of Seoul, they probably imagine tall buildings and a very metropolitan area. True, but if you want to take a break from the city, Bokchon Village is within walking distance from Gyeongbokgung Palace. There you can find some beautiful hanok (traditional Korean houses). Just remember to keep your voices down, as this is also a residential area. There are signs reminding you of that everywhere. The paths are pretty well-marked – just be on the lookout for maps. There’s an observatory as well as several small shops. At the very end there is also some street food and places you can pick up souvenirs.

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