The Seoul City Wall (Hanyangdoseong) trail is an 18.6 km loop that follows the old fortress wall around central Seoul. The official Seoul City Wall website divides it into four trails, Baegak, Naksan, Namsan (Mongmyeoksan) and Inwangsan, and the shortest, the Naksan Mountain Trail, is 3.2 km and takes about 1 hour 30 minutes. Naksan is open 24 hours, which makes it the natural choice for an evening walk with sunset and night views.
Even the steepest stretch, the Baegak Mountain Trail, is open 24 hours a day, all year, on a self-guided basis, so there is nothing to book and no entry permit to apply for. Walk all four trails and take photos at four set spots, and you can apply for the City of Seoul’s completion certificate. The four-gate stamp tour badge is a separate program run by the district offices.
How many trails are there, and how long does each one take?
The official Seoul City Wall website splits the route into four trails: Baegak, Naksan, Namsan (Mongmyeoksan) and Inwangsan. They measure 4.7 km, 3.2 km, 6.7 km and 4.0 km, for a total of 18.6 km. Naksan is the quickest at about 1 hour 30 minutes, and Namsan is the longest at about 3 hours 30 minutes.
| Trail | From – to | Distance | Walking time | Easiest station to start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baegak Mountain Trail | Changuimun Gate – Hyehwamun Gate | 4.7 km | about 3 hours | Gyeongbokgung Station (Line 3) Exit 3, then green bus 7212, 1020 or 7022 (Changuimun side) |
| Naksan Mountain Trail | Hyehwamun Gate – Gwanghuimun, via Heunginjimun Gate | 3.2 km | about 1 hour 30 minutes | Hansung Univ. Station (Line 4) Exit 4, 3-minute walk |
| Namsan (Mongmyeoksan) Mountain Trail | Gwanghuimun – Site of Donuimun Gate | 6.7 km | about 3 hours 30 minutes | Dongguk Univ. Station (Line 3) Exit 5, 1-minute walk (Jangchung Gymnasium side) |
| Inwangsan Mountain Trail | Site of Donuimun Gate – Changuimun Gate | 4.0 km | about 2 hours 30 minutes | Seodaemun Station (Line 5) Exit 4, 5-minute walk (Kangbuk Samsung Hospital side) |
| Full loop | All four trails | 18.6 km | — | — |
Difficulty follows the height of each mountain. According to the official site, Baegaksan is 342 m and Inwangsan is 339 m, and both trails get the top five-star difficulty rating. Namsan (Mongmyeoksan) is 270 m with three stars, and Naksan is only 124 m with two stars, so first-timers should start with Naksan. Because the wall forms a ring, the end of one trail is the start of the next: Changuimun, Hyehwamun, Gwanghuimun, the Site of Donuimun Gate, and back to Changuimun.
The Naksan trail path running along the outside of the wall, with a rocky ridge in the distance. Photo: Rtflakfizer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Which trail are Heunginjimun and Sungnyemun on?
Some travel guides treat the Heunginjimun or Sungnyemun area as a trail of its own, but on the official website today neither gate is a separate trail. Heunginjimun Gate sits inside the Naksan Mountain Trail, which runs from Hyehwamun to Gwanghuimun, and Sungnyemun Gate comes in the second half of the Namsan trail on the way from Gwanghuimun to the Site of Donuimun Gate. If you want to see both gates, plan them into a Naksan or Namsan walk.
Which part of the wall is best for a sunset or night walk?
For an evening walk, the Naksan Mountain Trail is the easy pick. It is open 24 hours, the slopes are gentle, and the official site singles out the sunset and night views from Naksan Park. From Hansung Univ. Station (Line 4) Exit 4 it is about 3 minutes to the trail entrance near Hyehwamun, and at the far end Heunginjimun Gate is right next to Dongdaemun Station (Lines 1 and 4).
The official Naksan Mountain Trail page calls Naksan Park the “Montmartre of Seoul.” It is a low hill at 124 m, but the city lights spread out wide beyond the wall, and walking beside the lit-up stones after dark feels nothing like the same path by day.
Timing note: the Korean page gives about 1 hour 30 minutes for the whole trail to Gwanghuimun, while the official English page gives about 1 hour for the walk from Hyehwamun to Heunginjimun. The shorter figure fits if you finish at Heunginjimun.
The lit-up wall on the Naksan section with the city at night behind it. Photo: Seoul Metropolitan Fire & Disaster Headquarters, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The official route from Hyehwamun to Heunginjimun
The official Naksan route runs south from Hyehwamun Gate:
- Start at Hyehwamun Gate and Hansung Univ. Station Exit 4, then climb the wooden stairs.
- Follow the lane behind the Catholic University campus to Jangsu Village.
- Pass the Naksan Park plaza and reach the top of Naksan.
- Walk down through Ihwa Village to the Hanyangdoseong Museum (Seoul Design Support Center).
- Pass Heunginjimun Park and finish at Heunginjimun Gate.
The lane behind the Catholic University runs along the outside of the wall the whole way, so you see the stones face on. Sections built under King Sejong, King Sukjong and King Sunjo use differently shaped stones, and it is fun to compare them as you go. Next to Dongdaemun Fortress Park you will find the largest number of inscribed stones, wall blocks carved with characters, and nearby in Changsin-dong there is an old quarry cliff 40 m high and 201 m long.
To start from the south end instead, take Dongdaemun Station Exit 10; Dongdaemun Fortress Park is a 2-minute walk. To cut the climb, take the Jongno 03 village bus from Dongdaemun Station Exit 5 to its last stop at Naksan Park. From Hyehwa Station (Line 4) Exit 2, it is about 20 minutes on foot to the Naksan Park entrance and 5 more minutes to the top.
Keep it quiet in the villages
Jangsu Village and Ihwa Village are residential neighborhoods where people live. The official site asks walkers to be considerate and quiet here, which matters most in the evening, so keep your voice down and do not linger outside homes. If you would like a guided walk after dark, the news board of the Seoul City Wall website has a notice for the 2026 Hanyangdoseong moonlight walk program; check the dates and sign-up details there.
Can I hike the Baegak trail any time without booking?
Yes. The Baegak Mountain Trail is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, on a self-guided basis. The official Korean guide-program page says there is no identity check, so you simply walk in without a reservation or permit. There are recommended hiking hours for each season, though, and it is safest to walk within them.
According to the official Baegak Mountain Trail page, the trail runs 4.7 km from Changuimun Gate to Hyehwamun Gate and takes about 3 hours. The Baegakmaru summit marker stands at 342 m, the highest point on the whole wall. The area was closed after the January 21 incident of 1968 and only reopened to the public in 2007.
Recommended hours by season
The official recommended hours for the Baegak trail are:
- November to February: 09:00–17:00
- March to April and September to October: 07:00–18:00
- May to August: 07:00–19:00
In October that means 07:00 to 18:00, and from November it is 09:00 to 17:00. The climb is steep with long staircases, so a late-afternoon start can leave you coming down in the dark. On days you want to walk in the evening, choose Naksan over Baegak.
Getting to Changuimun, Hyehwamun and Waryong Park
For the Changuimun end, take Gyeongbokgung Station (Line 3) Exit 3, ride green bus 7212, 1020 or 7022 to the Jahamungogae / Yun Dong-ju Hill stop, and walk 2 minutes. The Hyehwamun end is 5 minutes from Hansung Univ. Station (Line 4) Exit 5. For Waryong Park in the middle, take the Jongno 02 village bus from Anguk Station Exit 2 to the Sungkyunkwan Univ. back gate (Waryong Park) stop and walk 5 minutes.
If you are changing buses at Gyeongbokgung Station anyway and want to add a palace, our Seoul palace admission fees and hours guide has the details. If you plan to drop by Bukchon Hanok Village before or after the hike, visiting hours there are restricted, so read our Bukchon visiting hours guide first.
Where do the Inwangsan and Namsan trails start?
The Inwangsan Mountain Trail runs 4.0 km from the Site of Donuimun Gate (Kangbuk Samsung Hospital) to Changuimun Gate and takes about 2 hours 30 minutes. The start is 5 minutes from Seodaemun Station (Line 5) Exit 4. The Namsan trail runs 6.7 km from Gwanghuimun to the Site of Donuimun Gate, takes about 3 hours 30 minutes, and is easiest to join at Jangchung Gymnasium, 1 minute from Dongguk Univ. Station (Line 3) Exit 5.
Inwangsan: starting from Seodaemun or Gyeongbokgung
Inwangsan is 339 m, almost as high as Baegaksan, and also rated five stars, with plenty of rock and stairs. It was closed off in 1968 and reopened in 1993. Besides Seodaemun, you can walk 12 minutes from City Hall Station Exit 2 to the Site of Donuimun Gate, or 10 minutes from Gyeongbokgung Station Exit 1 to start near Sajik Park.
Once you are on the ridge, the wall steps down along the crest with downtown towers filling the view beyond it. You can carry on from Changuimun straight onto the Baegak trail, but both trails are hard, and doing them in one day is a heavy load.
The wall and stone stairs following the Inwangsan ridge. Photo: Ethan Doyle White, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Namsan: starting from Jangchung, Myeongdong or Seoul Station
Namsan (Mongmyeoksan) is 270 m and rated three stars. From Dongguk Univ. Station Exit 6 it is a 15-minute walk to the National Theater of Korea side, and from Myeongdong Station (Line 4) Exit 2 or 3 it is 10 minutes to the Namsan Cable Car side. To start at Sungnyemun Gate, allow 10 minutes from Seoul Station Exit 4, 12 minutes from City Hall Station Exit 8, or about 5 minutes from Hoehyeon Station (Line 4).
The Namsan trail is open 24 hours, but the inner path from The Shilla hotel to Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul is only open 09:00–18:00, so the full trail cannot be walked end to end at night; plan it as a daytime walk. On the lower slopes, the Hanyangdoseong Historic Site Museum shows about 189 m of excavated wall, and English tours there are available to foreign visitors by application. If you would rather see Namsan from a bus seat, our Seoul City Tour Bus guide covers that option.
How is the completion certificate different from the four-gate stamp tour?
The completion certificate is issued by the City of Seoul to people who walk the whole 18.6 km, and you apply by uploading photos taken at four set spots. The four-gate stamp tour is a separate program: you collect stamps at Heunginjimun, Donuimun, Sungnyemun and Sukjeongmun and receive a completion badge. They are applied for and collected in different places, and doing one does not count toward the other.
How to get the completion certificate
The official completion certificate page (Korean) sets out these steps:
- On each trail, take a photo of yourself, face visible, at the certification spot: Cheongundae or Baegaksan Stone Post on Baegak, the Naksan Park sign or Naksan Viewpoint sign on Naksan, the Site of Mongmyeoksan Beacon Towers on Namsan, and the Inwangsan summit sign or Satgat Rock on Inwangsan.
- Upload the four photos on the Seoul City Wall website to apply.
- Once staff approve it, go in person and print the certificate from the self-service machine.
Only individual photos showing one person’s face are accepted; group photos are not. Certificates are issued once per quarter (January–March, April–June, July–September, October–December), and only photos taken in that quarter count. Pick-up is Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–17:00, except 12:00–13:00, and closed on Mondays, January 1, and Seollal and Chuseok days. You can collect it at the Hanyangdoseong Historic Site Museum on Namsan or at the Hanyangdoseong Hyehwa-dong Exhibition & Visitor Center.
There is also a completion challenge: finish the loop in a given quarter to earn that season’s badge, and collect all four to receive a metal badge. The trail has no parking of its own and the Hyehwa-dong center has no parking space, so use public transport, including on pick-up day.
The four-gate stamp tour badge
The stamp tour is a separate program run by the district offices. Stamp all four great gates and you receive a completion badge. The Heunginjimun stamp is at the Heunginjimun management office (a gray temporary building on the lawn toward Dongdaemun Station Exit 7), the Donuimun stamp is at the Donuimun Museum Village information desk, and the Sungnyemun stamp is to the right of the Sungnyemun guard post. The one that trips people up is Sukjeongmun: its stamp is at the Changuimun management office, not at Sukjeongmun itself. Sungnyemun is closed on Mondays.
The latest stamp tour notice on the official website dates from 2024, so check before you go that the program still runs the same way in 2026 and that badges are in stock. You can call the Heunginjimun management office (+82-2-2148-4166) or the Jongno-gu tourism and sports division (+82-2-2148-1864).
Heunginjimun Gate and its curved outer wall, seen from across the street. Photo: Tristan Surtel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
FAQ
Q. How long is the Seoul City Wall trail, and how many sections does it have?
A. It is 18.6 km in four official trails: Baegak 4.7 km, Naksan 3.2 km, Namsan 6.7 km and Inwangsan 4.0 km. Heunginjimun and Sungnyemun are not separate trails; they sit on the Naksan and Namsan trails.
Q. Do I need to book or show anything to hike the Baegak trail?
A. No. Baegak is open 24 hours, 365 days a year on a self-guided basis, with no identity check. Recommended hours are 07:00–18:00 in October and 09:00–17:00 from November.
Q. Which trail is best for night views?
A. Naksan. It runs 3.2 km from Hyehwamun to Gwanghuimun, takes about 1 hour 30 minutes, and is open 24 hours. Start at Hansung Univ. Station Exit 4 and walk through Naksan Park down toward Heunginjimun.
Q. Is the completion certificate the same as the stamp tour badge?
A. No. For the certificate, you upload photos from four set spots and pick it up Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–17:00. The stamp tour badge comes from collecting stamps at the four great gates; check with the management office before you go whether it is running in 2026.
Sources
- Seoul City Wall — Baegak Mountain Trail
- Seoul City Wall — Naksan Mountain Trail
- Seoul City Wall — Namsan (Mongmyeoksan) Mountain Trail
- Seoul City Wall — Inwangsan Mountain Trail
- Seoul City Wall (Korean) — Baegak trail distance, time, recommended hours and access
- Seoul City Wall (Korean) — guide program page, no identity check on Baegak
- Seoul City Wall (Korean) — completion certificate
- Seoul City Wall (Korean) — four-gate stamp tour notice (2024)
- Seoul City Wall (Korean) — Hanyangdoseong Historic Site Museum
- VISITKOREA — Seoul City Wall stamp tour
- Featured photo: the city wall and downtown Seoul from Inwangsan, Seoul Tourism Organization (Seoul Tourism Archive), Korea Open Government License (KOGL) Type 1, via Wikimedia Commons
Leave a Reply