5 Reasons Why You Should Visit Hanyang Doseong (Seoul City Wall)

During my 3 years in South Korea, I’ve traveled all over the country- from the border at DMZ to the mountains of Jeju-do and from the beach of Taean to the beautiful island of Dokdo. But if you ever ask me to list down my favorite places that every traveler should see, Seoul City Wall, aka Hanyang Doseong would definitely be among the top ones. Here is the reason why!

Seoul City Wall (Hanyang Doseong)

Seoul has been Korea’s capital for last 600+ years. In these years, it has changed a lot in both cultural and architectural aspects, but there is one thing that Seoul is proud to keep it the way it was: its guardian – Seoul City Wall. The wall was built in 1396 during the
 Joseon Dynasty to protect Seoul from the outside invadors and since then, the wall has stood strong protecting the city. The wall runs 18.6 kilometers around Seoul city along the ranges of four famous mountains – Bukaksan, Naksan, Namsan and Inwangsan.

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I have been to the wall in almost every season of the year. Here are “5 reasons why you should visit the Hanyang Doseong” and why I love coming back here again and again.

1) Travelling Back in Time

Remember the famous quote from the movie, The Hobbit, “The world is not in your books and maps, it’s out there“. You might have read a lot of stories in the history textbooks about different dynasties of Korea but once you actually see the temples and megastructures from those kingdoms, you really get the feeling of traveling back in time. Same is the case with the Seoul City Wall. It was built under the orders of King Taejo, the founder of Joseon dynasty, where people from every part of the country were brought.

It is said that around 197,000 people worked days and nights to complete the wall in just 98 days. Now if you actually go and see the beautiful wall, you will realize how hard it would be to build the walls on top of rocks mountains.

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Even though since 1396, the wall has been reconstructed a few times, (e.g in
1704 ) but as of 2014, 70% of the wall has been restored to its original shape. Seeing the different shapes of huge stones also gives you a clear idea of each particular phase of its reconstruction. You will dive into history and will appreciate the loyalty and strength of the people.

2) Bird-eye View of the City

Just like Taipei’s Elephant Mountain is famous for having a bird-eye view of the Taipei’s city, Hanyang Doseong offers the perfect spot to enjoy the panoramic view of the Seoul city. Hiking the 18km, you get to a have a closer look at the “ancient meeting the modern“. You can see the murals and the skyscrapers all from one spot.

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3) 50 Shades of Seoul City Wall

The beautiful thing about the Seoul City Wall is that it doesn’t matter what time of the year you come here to visit, you will always find unique scenery that will refresh your soul. You will be welcomed by cherry blossom flowers during the Spring, green leaves in Summer, stunning fall foliage in Autumn and white snow covered mountains in Winters, every season offers a unique experience.

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4) Quick break from busy life in bustling city

One of the reasons why I love coming back to Seoul City Wall is that it just refreshes my Soul. We all know that life in Soul is pretty busy and people hardly get time to relax and enjoy. This place is honestly the best to energize your soul and forget about the crowded streets. It feels so calm here that I sometime come here alone, and just sit on top of a view point, and see the city, spend time with myself and appreciate life. Trust me, people, you gotta try this one!

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Moreover, if you are lucky, you also get to take pictures with cute puppies and cats 🙂

5) Great workout

The wall stretches for 18.6km and hiking the whole trail can take upto 10 hours or more. Hiking its entire length is a great workout. There are a total of 6 hiking trails: Baegak Trail, Naksan Trail, Heunginjimun Trail, Namsan Trail, Sungnyemun Trail, & Inwangsan Trail and it doesn’t matter what trail you choose, you will have a fantastic hike.

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So what’s your plans for the coming weekend? How about hiking the Seoul’s guardian, the famous Hanyang Doseong – Seoul City Wall and take some Instagram-worthy shots. Let me know if you also fall in love with this beauty 🙂

Check out the post about ‘Korea’s Biggest Fireworks Festival‘
Go to VisitSeoul.net Official Website to know about top travel destinations in Seoul.

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I’d really like to thank “Funday Korea Networks” for always arranging educational and amazing trips for foreigners living in Korea. Do check their website if you also want to explore Korea and participate in different activities or meet new friends.