Namhansanseong

Getting around Greater Seoul is efficient and cheap with public transport. A T-Money Card is highly recommended. One can easily reach Namhansanseong by Seoul Metro, transferring to bus - the latter are well-kept and provide excellent Wi-Fi. On weekends, get off at Sanseong metro station and transfer to bus 9-1. From Mondays to Fridays, either transfer to bus 9 there or transfer to bus 9 or 52 at Namhansanseong metro station. To beat the crowds, avoid the weekends! 

My visit was on a Wednesday in late March 2024 and was not crowded at all. I started at Haenggung/Namhansanseong Palace, then walked to Bukmun/North Gate and from there counterclockwise close to the outer walls. Just before reaching Seomun/West Gate, at the northernmost point of the wall, one can exit at "Secret Entrance No. 5" to reach "Yeonjubong Ongseong", the watchtower with the panorama that GabLabCebu shared. I agree with the fellow WHS traveller that this is the first highlight, followed by Sueojangdae/West Command Post [picture].

Overall, despite the leafy setting, I found this site to be less picturesque than the Suwon City Walls/Hwaseong Fortress. The distances to walk are very similar to Suwon and so are the ascents and descents. Please note that vending machines can only be found close to Haenggung/Namhansanseong Palace, so bring enough beverages. One does not need to walk the full loop but may shortcut by taking a bus 9 or 52 back to the metro stations from the bus stop closest to Nammun/South Gate.

Despite the low number of reviews, I would say Namhansanseong is covered pretty well by its earlier visitors, and I don't have all that much to add. In June 2023, I came the same way everyone seems to come (including all the elderly hikers that filled the bus to the brim) and walked the commonly covered stretch between the Northern Gate and Western Command Post, and short of a couple of highlights, the overall experience seems to be the same for everyone. This is a mountain fortress, nothing more and nothing less. It's honestly an impressive one at that; for its size and the terrain it covers, Namhansanseong was definitely no easy feat. That being said, you'll mostly be admiring the views and the nature much more often than the structures of the actual fortress. I found the gates and command posts in Hwaseong to be more impressive and better preserved. The Northern Gate seemed to be under renovation, sadly, but I did see the Western Gate, Cheongryangdan Shaman Shrine, the Western Command Post (probably the most impressive and important structure), and Gukcheongsa Temple, as well as the Emergency Palace. Most of my nearly 2-hour visit was walking, as the terrain definitely slows one down - the hike from the central roundabout up to the northwestern fortress walls is quite steep. To me, the best part of the visit was the Yeonjubong Outwork, culminating in the watchtower at Yeonjubong Peak (picture attached). From here, you have an incredible view of …

I visited this WHS in April 2017. Located on Mt. Namhansan mountain, this fortress seems to be the preferred inscribed fortress among locals mostly because of the nature trails and hikes in the provincial park. I spotted a couple of interesting birds plus several common and black squirrels along the way.

In Spring, the fortress wall and pavilions are hidden well in the thick acacias. The loop hike is a medium difficulty 7.5km hike but is less photogenic and striking overall than Hwaseong and has less impressive defensive structures. Apart from the gates, the Emergency Palace is worth visiting.

My personal highlight was visiting the serene Buddhist temples of Mangwolsa and Janggyeongsa built by Buddhist monk-soldiers. These are situated 500-800 metres from the East Gate on a very steep hill. Both temples were fully decorated with colourful lanterns for Buddha's birthday when I visited. The UNESCO inscription plaque is just next to the tourist information booth near the Emergency Palace (closed on Mondays) and there is another stone marker near the East Gate.

To get to Namhansanseong it takes around 90 minutes. First you have to get to Sanseong Station by subway (exit 2) and then catch bus number 9 (all buses accept T Money Cards but you can also pay the driver directly). The afternoon return buses are very frequent so wait for one with enough free seats to go down the several hairpins!

Overall I enjoyed my visit but I'd rank it only slightly better than the Ganghwa …

Namhansanseong was the ‘contingency capital’ for the Korean Joseon Dynasty, built as a mountain fortress in the early 17th century. I visited it on a day trip from Seoul – although it lies only some 25km outside of the capital, it took me 1.5 hours to get there by metro and bus. Looking at the number of large parking lots and restaurants, the site must see huge weekend crowds (over 3 million visitors already in the year 2010, before WH inscription!).

On a weekday though, the place is the domain of elderly hikers. Most of them actually got off one bus stop earlier than I did, for the start of the trails that run on and alongside the walls. I eventually found myself at the roundabout of a tourist village, wondering what to do. I noticed some more traditional-looking buildings a bit to the north. These turned out to be the newly restored Emergency Palace, plus ticket and information stalls. I first went to get a ticket, which I was given for free although there is a usual entry fee of 2,000 Won. Maybe it was a special day, or were they just happy to welcome a foreigner? The ticket is for the Emergency Palace only, the rest of the site is free of charge.

At the entrance of the Palace, an older man in a traditional costume was strategically posted to catch any innocent visitors. He turned out to be an official guide with good English. So …

When my plane landed on Incheon International Airport, a flight attendant informed me a shocking message that my connecting flight had been rescheduled for 8 hours and recommended me to spend time in airline lounge or take a city tour, I decided to combine both recommendations by had breakfast, took a shower in the lounge, gathered all transportation information by airport free Wi-Fi and then went to Namhansanseong, this year new World Heritage Site. Since this is not my first time in Seoul, I promptly took a comfortable airport rail to Seoul Station and directly took a metro system to Sanseong Station. From exit no.2, I just followed a group of hikers to a nearby bus stop and took bus no.9 and within 30 minutes I was arrived in my destination, Namhansanseong. The bus stop was located in the center of tourist village with many restaurants and cafes. I was confused and did not know where I should go. At first I planned to follow other tourists but they went to every direction! I saw a sign mentioned about a palace so I decided to visit the place, the palace turned out to be a very new rebuilt and still a construction site, and suddenly I saw an elderly hiker using a small lane behind the palace's shrubby garden so I decided to follow him. Unknowingly I entered one of the hiking routes to the Westgate, along the way I saw a nice traditional pavilion in the middle of beautiful …

The fortress is impressive, the gates certainly stand out, and the view of Seoul from the South is stunning on a clear day. The fortress today is primarily from 1624, but fortifications have been located here since Baekje and Silla in the 7th century.

The fortress played a major role during the Joseon dynasty, acting as the protective barrier of Southern Seoul, and more importantly as a temporary palace and headquarters for the king in times of peril. (In which purpose it was used on occasion) Namhansanseong itself is one of the better preserved fortresses in Korea. The walls are higher than most, while many of the gates are particularly formidable. The primary rebuilding phase is largely a response to the Japanese invasion of 1592, and the probability of Manchu incursions (which did occur in the 1630's).

I did notice one section of the wall was being almost completely rebuilt, but for the most part, the fortress is highly authentic. (Probably more 'original' than Hwaseong Fortress). The outer wall fortress, which was taken by the Manchu forces is largely in ruins.

There are a select few original wooden buildings, but most have been rebuilt or restored over the centuries. The Temporary Palace is the primary focus for restoration. Getting to the fortress is not particularly hard, there is a (somewhat) nearby subway. Buses also drop off visitors within the lower interior of the fortifications. This is one of the representative fortresses of Korea. If you enjoyed Hwaseong, you will surely …