Where is the best observatory to view Seoul at a glance?
I would pick the summit of Inwangsan Mountain without hesitation. No matter how tall the Lotte World Tower observatory is, it cannot capture the central scenery of downtown Seoul, and Namsan Tower is more of a sculpture that must be viewed from somewhere else rather than an observatory that must be visited. Therefore, most of the famous observatories are actually nothing compared to the summit of Inwangsan Mountain. Moreover, the summit of Inwangsan Mountain, which has the best scenery, is free.
Once you stand at the top and look down on downtown Seoul, you can see the entire area from Gyeongbokgung Palace to Jongno at a glance. If you turn your view a little, you can see a forest of high-ise buildings, led by Yeouido Parc1 Building, on the right, and Lotte World Tower, Korea's tallest building, on the left. Of course, you can't see all the scenery at a glance, so you can't help but look around.
This place seems to be quite popular among foreigners visiting Korea. In fact, just a few years ago, if I came across a foreigner while hiking, I would say hello to them, wondering how they came to this place... But these days, so many foreigners are visiting Inwangsan Mountain... To add a little bit of exaggeration, it sometimes feels like I've come to a foreign country.
Inwangsan Mountain is a low rocky mountain (338.2m) that straddles Jongno-gu and Seodaemun-gu in Seoul. Inwangsan Mountain is located at ‘Right Baekho’ in Gyeongbokgung Palace’s feng shui geography (Left Blue Dragon, Right Baekho, Namjujak, Bukhyeonmu). This is because it is located on the right when looking south from the main gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace. Maybe that's why it was a mountain where tigers often appeared during the Joseon Dynasty. According to history, tigers were common until the reign of King Jeongjo, and they sometimes came down to the palace and created chaos. For reference, in 1868, all tigers within the city disappeared, including the five tigers captured on Mt. Bukak.
Inwangsan Mountain has been a mountain facing sunsets and sunsets since the Joseon Dynasty. The appearance of Inwangsan Mountain as depicted in the 'Inwang Jesaekdo' of 'Jeongseon', which is designated as a national treasure, is not much different from the current one. Centered around the towering 'Chima Rock' in the center, you can find 'Hanyang Fortress Wall' and 'Train Rock' painted in black on the right, and 'Elephant Rock' and 'Bum Rock' on the left. It would also be fun to actually hike and find the peaks of ‘Inwangjesaekdo’.
Many people prefer the course starting from 'Gyeongbokgung Palace', but the course I would like to recommend is the 'Hongje (subway - orange line)' course. First of all, the best advantage is that the road up is well-maintained and it is not crowded, so you can enjoy the trekking leisurely. Above all, the hiking course to ‘Train Rock’ is short, so you can reach the top without getting bored.
However, one thing that is a bit disappointing is that many pine trees were burned in the Inwang Mountain fire that occurred not long ago, making the once dense forest a bit bare. However, in some ways, this is also an amazing place where you can see the process of nature recovering. This is because the scene of mushrooms growing between burnt and dry old trees and the scene of green sprouts sprouting from empty old trees, whose origins are unknown, coexist.
After passing the traces of the fire, you will come to a rock wall leading up to Train Rock. It is no exaggeration to say that the scenery of Seoul seen from Inwangsan Mountain begins from here. And, although it is a short and easy hike, the experience of climbing on the rock wall is more exciting than you might think. Seeing is worth hearing. How about an outing to Mt. Inwang on a nice spring day?
finally,
No matter how well- maintained the Inwangsan Mountain hiking course is, you must prepare sneakers. If I may be a bit greedy, it would be best to wear hiking shoes if possible. The Hongje course is especially recommended for beginners. It takes 30 minutes to reach Train Rock and about an hour to the summit.
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