South Korea

15 Best Landmarks in South Korea

N Seoul Tower leads, and the rest of South Korea's best landmarks follow, ranked by real visits.

Order reflects review volume from real travelers in South Korea. Refreshed monthly.

  1. N Seoul Tower

    Landmark · Seoul

    N Seoul Tower, also known as Namsan Tower, stands 236 meters tall on Namsan Mountain in the heart of Seoul.

    Read our full guide →
  2. Gyeongbokgung Palace

    Landmark · Seoul

    Gyeongbokgung Palace, also known as Gyeongbokgung, is the largest of the Five Grand Palaces built during the Joseon dynasty in Seoul.

    Read our full guide →
  3. Myeongdong Shopping Street

    Landmark · SeoulFree entry

    Myeongdong Shopping Street is a premier shopping destination in Seoul, South Korea, famous for its dense concentration of fashion boutiques, cosmetic stores, and street food stalls.

    Read our full guide →
  4. Deoksugung Palace

    Landmark · Seoul

    Deoksugung Palace is a unique royal palace in central Seoul that seamlessly blends traditional Korean wooden structures with early 20th-century Western-style buildings.

    Read our full guide →
  5. Insa-dong Culture Street

    Landmark · SeoulFree entry

    Insa-dong Culture Street is a must-visit destination in Seoul, offering a glimpse into Korea's rich cultural heritage.

    Read our full guide →
  6. Namsangol Hanok Village

    Landmark · SeoulFree entry

    Namsangol Hanok Village is a cultural oasis nestled at the foot of Namsan Mountain in the heart of Seoul.

    Read our full guide →
  7. Namsan Seoul Tower

    Landmark · SeoulFree entry

    Namsan Seoul Tower is a 236-meter-tall communication and observation tower on the summit of Namsan in central Seoul.

    Read our full guide →
  8. Seoul Sky

    Landmark · Seoul

    Seoul Sky is a spectacular observation deck located on floors 117-123 of the Lotte World Tower, the tallest building in South Korea and the fifth tallest in the world.

    Read our full guide →
  9. Ihwa-dong Mural Village

    Landmark · SeoulFree entry

    Ihwa-dong Mural Village is a charming residential area on the slopes of Naksan Mountain, where local artists and residents collaborated to revitalize the aging neighborhood with vibrant murals, sculptures, and whimsical staircases.

    Read our full guide →
  10. Dongdaemun Design Plaza

    Landmark · Seoul

    Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) is a neofuturistic landmark in Seoul's fashion hub, designed by Zaha Hadid.

    Read our full guide →
  11. Gyeonghuigung Palace

    Landmark · SeoulFree entry

    Gyeonghuigung Palace, one of Seoul's five grand palaces, served as a secondary palace for the Joseon dynasty.

    Read our full guide →
  12. Deoksugung

    Landmark · Seoul

    Deoksugung is a unique palace in central Seoul that combines traditional Korean wooden buildings with Western-style stone structures, reflecting Korea's early modernization period.

    Read our full guide →
  13. Seoul Grand Park Skylift

    Landmark · Seoul

    The Seoul Grand Park Skylift is a cable car that provides a quick and scenic ride over the expansive Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon, just south of Seoul.

    Read our full guide →
  14. Love Lock of Seoul Tower

    Landmark · SeoulFree entry

    Perched on Namsan Mountain, the Love Lock of Seoul Tower is a beloved spot where visitors attach padlocks to railings and fences, often leaving them as tokens of affection or friendship.

    Read our full guide →
  15. The Blue House

    Landmark · SeoulFree entry

    The Blue House, or Cheong Wa Dae, is a significant landmark in Seoul, serving as the executive office and official residence of South Korea's presidents from 1948 until 2022.

    Read our full guide →

Good to know

What is the best-known of the landmarks in South Korea?

N Seoul Tower in Seoul is the most reviewed, with 67,293 traveler reviews and a 4.5 rating. That makes it the safe choice if you are only fitting in one.

Which of South Korea's landmarks is worth going out of your way for?

Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul rates highest at 4.6 out of 5 across 46,460 reviews. Smaller crowds than the headline entry usually explain the gap.

Are any of these landmarks free to visit?

Yes, 8: Myeongdong Shopping Street, Insa-dong Culture Street, Namsangol Hanok Village and others. That is based on each place's own visiting information, not an assumption about the category.

How is this list of landmarks ranked?

By how many travelers reviewed each place, filtered to those rated well enough to be worth your time, drawn from 357 tracked places in South Korea. No one pays to appear on it, and the order is refreshed monthly as new reviews land.

More of South Korea: best things to do overall · visa rules · build an itinerary

Rather have a human do the planning? A Local Friend can build this trip for you, at local prices.