It really seems like a bit of a shame that such a large city with two great locations for panoramic views also happens to be a city with terrible air quality and low visibility. That’s not to say that there aren’t ‘good’ days, because there definitely are! But it seemed as though every time I found myself in Seoul, the weather would be less than ideal so I kept postponing my visits to Lotte Tower and Seoul Tower. 

That leads me to this post….It was my last weekend in Seoul so it was now or never! Even though the visibility wasn’t the best, it was sunny. I was in the Gangnam area the first day so I paid the $22 and rode the Seoul Sky elevator to the 117 floor. The observation area goes up the the 122nd floor,  and there are cafes and snack bars at different levels. The 123rd floor, the highest floor, was a swanky lounge and restaurant (I didn’t go there of course because I’m cheap and a basic beer was $13). Seoul Sky is located at the top of the Lotte World Tower which is the 5th tallest building in the world at 555 meters high. Even with less than perfect weather, at that height the views were impressive!

The next day, and my last day, the weather had improved. That led me to finally take the cable car up Namsan Mountain to visit Seoul Tower. This is the second highest point in Seoul. The tower is only 236 meters high and costs only about $10 to go up. (compared to Lotte Tower….I guess half the height is half the cost!) The visibility was much clearer this day than the day before, but the views were different as well. Seoul Tower has more space around it, so much more greenery and mountainous. The views from both locations were worth the trips, this one may have been my last, but it definitely wasn’t the least.