Naksan eluded me on my first weekend trip to Seoul. Like many first-time visitors, my first hike in Korea’s capital took me up Namsan, located south of Myeongdong, where I was staying. I knew that on my next visit, I’d have to tackle Seoul’s “second” mountain to see how it held up against its more famous brother.
Like Namsan, the trail to the summit of Naksan runs right alongside the old city wall, a short hike from Dongdaemun. The views over Seoul from the 124-meter summit are just as rewarding, and the hiking trail is nowhere near as crowded. (And in a city as big and as busy as Seoul, that difference is golden.)
The full trail up Naksan runs 2.1km from Hyehwamun Gate south to Heunginjimun Gate, passing through one of Seoul’s more interesting postwar neighborhoods and the Ihwa Mural Village on the way down. Here’s how I’d hike it as a first-time visitor…
Hiking the Naksan Trail
To get up Naksan, we’ll need to start either at Hyehwamun Gate in the north or Heunginjimun Gate in the south. The 2.1-kilometer hike takes about an hour at a comfortable pace.
I’d recommend starting the trail from the north at Hyehwamaun Gate via Hansung University Station Exit 4. The southern approach, starting at Heunginjimun Gate, located close to Dongdaemun Market, is the steepest part of the trail.
Unless you’re trying to squeeze Naksan into a time-crunched Dongdaemun itinerary, there’s no good reason to tackle the trail from here when the gentler north-to-south approach gives hikers a better overall experience.
Jangsu Village
Most hikers walk straight past the Jangsu Village turnoff without realizing it’s there. I’d make a point of stopping.
From Hansung University Station Exit 4, the first part of the route follows a wooden stairway and a path behind the Catholic University of Korea before reaching the village.
Look for one of the ammun cut into the city wall. These small openings were originally built as emergency passages through the fortress. Now, they serve as the entry point between the trail and the village itself.
Jangsu Village is worth the detour for its story alone. After the Korean War, refugees from the North and returning residents built huts on this hillside. The city later designated it a redevelopment area. The residents fought it off, running their own regeneration project instead. It’s now considered one of Seoul’s better examples of community-led urban renewal.
Walking through Jangsu Village feels nothing like the rest of the Naksan Trail. The alleyways are quiet and residential in a way that’s different from Ihwa Mural Village, which gets considerably more attention from tourists. (And for less interesting reasons, in my opinion.)
Naksan Park and the summit
The panorama over central Seoul from the 124-meter summit of Naksan is one I’d put ahead of Namsan for most first-time visitors.
Yes, Namsan has N Seoul Tower and the cable car. But it’s also got the crowds that come with both.
Naksan gives you largely the same view without any of the fuss. If you’ve already gone hiking up Namsan and are wondering whether Naksan is worth the effort, my answer is simple: Yes, it is.
Located on the summit, Naksan Park is also one of the more extensively filmed locations in Seoul. The Heirs, Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon, and Boys Over Flowers are among the dramas shot here. There’s now even a signpost near the summit marking where the animation KPop Demon Hunters was filmed. It’s become its own small draw.
Naksan Park is also a well-known local proposal spot. (And I could totally see why once I was standing up there looking out over the city.)
The inner and outer trails up Naksan split at several points along the route. The inner path is well-paved and easy to follow. The outer path, reached through the ammun gates, puts you right alongside the fortress wall and gives you a much better sense of its scale.
I’d take the outer path if the weather is decent. The inner trail is the safer call in wet conditions.
Ihwa Mural Village
The descent from the summit drops you into Ihwa Mural Village, a hillside neighborhood that’s become one of the more visited spots on the trail.
The neighborhood was saved from demolition in 2006 when the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism launched the Art in the City initiative. It brought in around 70 artists, local volunteers, and university students to transform the alleyways and staircases over about six months.
It worked well enough that the resulting tourist attention eventually caused its own problems. Several of the murals that originally made Ihwa Mural Village famous, including its famous koi fish staircase, were removed after residents grew tired of the foot traffic.
Although I was a tad underwhelmed by the art on my visit, what’s left is still worth seeing. The neighborhood has a relaxed character that I found rare this close to central Seoul. Cats, laundry lines, small galleries, and hillside cafes make Ihwa Mural Village a pleasant place to wind down after a hike rather than a must-see Seoul destination in its own right.
There are two cafes I think are worth stopping at on the way down:
- Cafe Gaebbul (26 Naksanseonggwakseo 1-gil) is the slightly more interesting of these two options. It doubles as a small museum with Lock, Pottery, and Kitchen exhibits included with your order. The outdoor deck offers better views of the two.
- Reading Cat Cafe (18-2 Naksanseonggwakseo 1-gil) is the more casual option, with a cat-themed interior and a second-floor balcony overlooking the city wall.
At the bottom of the descent, the Seoul City Wall Museum sits just before Heunginjimun Gate and is free to enter. It covers the wall’s 600-year history from King Taejo’s original construction through to the modern restoration.
I’d suggest spending about 15 minutes at the Seoul City Wall Museum. It’ll give you a little context that’ll make everything you just walked past feel more interesting in retrospect.
Best time to visit Naksan Park
The best time to visit Naksan Park is at sunset. And I’d back that answer without hesitation.
Arrive at the summit about 30 minutes before golden hour, and you’ll catch the city in warm light before it transitions into something completely different after dark.
The fortress wall floodlights come on as the sun goes down, and the combination of the illuminated wall and the city lights spreading out below it is one of the better free spectacles I’ve come across in Seoul.
A weekday evening offers the best of both worlds. The Naksan Trail is noticeably quieter than on weekends, and the cafes I recommended in Ihwa Mural Village are easier to snag a seat at.
Here are a few seasonal things I should point out…
Spring looks beautiful on paper, but Seoul’s air quality between March and April can get horrifically bad due to yellow dust blowing in from the Gobi Desert. On a hazy day, the views lose a lot of their impact. I’d suggest checking the air quality forecast before committing to a hiking adventure.
Summer brings heat and humidity that make the climb less enjoyable, and the trail attracts mosquitoes as temperatures rise. Bring repellent if you’re visiting between June and August.
Winter is cold and windy at the summit, but the air tends to be cleaner and the views sharper on a clear day.
Morning visits are perfectly fine if that’s what your schedule allows. The trail is quiet in the wee hours of the morning, and the morning light on the city wall is still beautiful. But if you have any flexibility, I’d hold off on my hike for the evening.
Getting there
Both ends of the Naksan trail are served by Seoul Metro Line 4, making it straightforward to get here from most parts of the city.
For the northern start at Hyehwamun Gate, take Line 4 to Hansung University Station and use Exit 4. The trail entrance is about a 3-minute walk from there. This is the entry point I’d recommend for the reasons I mentioned above.
Hyehwa Station is the other alternative for the northern end. Exit 1 puts you about 5 minutes from Hyehwamun Gate on foot. Exit 2 routes you through Marronnier Park and the Daehak-ro theater district. It adds about 15 minutes to the hike, but delivers a more interesting walk-in to the trail.
For the southern end at Heunginjimun Gate, Dongdaemun Station on Lines 1 and 4 is the closest stop. The gate is right outside Exit 6 or 7.
The Naksan Trail is open 24 hours and is free to enter. I’d recommend wearing comfortable hiking shoes with good grip. Several sections of the trail are uneven, and the descent toward Heunginjimun in particular gets slippery in wet weather.
