Seoul City Guide
Seoul Sky and the Tower It Sits In
Lotte World Tower is the 555-metre tower at Jamsil and Seoul Sky is the observatory near its top — the highest public view in the country. This page carries the ticket price, the opening hours, how it compares with Namsan and the one case where booking online is not the cheaper route, checked in Q3 2026. The rest of the city is on the Seoul city guide homepage.
Quick answer ₩31,000, open every day, and cheaper at the counter than online
Seoul Sky occupies floors 117 to 123 of Lotte World Tower, 555 metres above Jamsil, and it is the highest observation deck in South Korea. Adults pay ₩31,000, children aged 3 to 12 pay ₩27,000, and it opens every day of the year — to 22:00 from Sunday to Thursday and to 23:00 at weekends. The lifts reach the top in under a minute.
Key takeaways
- This is the one Seoul attraction where the partner listings sit above the gate price, so buy at the counter and put the difference into dinner. The full gate-versus-online table is on the homepage.
- The ₩62,000 Fast Pass is sold on site only, on the day, and is worth it exactly twice a year — the last weekend of the autumn foliage and New Year's Eve.
- Coming for a family day rather than the view? Lotte World's theme park is downstairs and is a completely different ticket.
Key facts
Opening hours
| Sunday to Thursday | 10:30–22:00 |
|---|---|
| Friday, Saturday, public holidays | 10:30–23:00 |
Closed None — open all year.
Admission
- Adult
- ₩31,000 (about $22)
- Reduced
- ₩27,000 for ages 3–12
- Free
- One infant under 36 months per adult, with ID
Planning it
- Time needed
- About 90 minutes for the observatory; a whole evening if you add the lake and the mall
- Address
- 300 Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul — Jamsil (Lines 2 and 8), Exits 1, 2, 10 and 11 connect underground to the mall
What Seoul Sky Actually Is
Lotte World Tower opened in 2017, stands 555 metres tall over 123 floors, and tapers to a point that is visible from most of the eastern half of the city. The public part is Seoul Sky, spread over the top seven floors: a main deck with floor-to-ceiling glass, a glass-floored section where the drop is directly beneath your feet, an outdoor-feel terrace at 120, and a café and bar that charge tower prices.
The lift is part of the visit. It is one of the fastest passenger lifts in the world, covering more than a hundred floors in around sixty seconds with a screen show on the way up, and the pressure change is noticeable.
What you see from the top is a different city from the one Namsan shows you. Namsan is inside the old centre with the palaces below; Seoul Sky is east of the river, so the Han runs across the middle of the view, with Jamsil, Gangnam and the mountains beyond. On a clear day it reaches Bukhansan and, occasionally, Incheon.
Ways In, Official Counter First
Gate prices from the official Seoul Sky listing and partner prices from GetYourGuide, checked in Q3 2026, converted at ₩1,000 ≈ $0.72. Note the direction of the difference — it is the opposite of what booking sites usually imply.
| Option | Price | What it gets you | Cancel | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General admission at the counter | ₩31,000 (about $22) | Floors 117–123, glass floor, terrace | Buy on the day | Official site |
| Fast Pass, on site only | ₩62,000 (about $45) | Immediate admission with no reservation | Day of visit only | Official site |
| Observatory ticket, booked ahead | from $24 | Same admission, dated voucher | Free, 24 h before | Check Availability |
| Child ticket, ages 3–12 | ₩27,000 (about $19) | Same admission | Buy on the day | Official site |
Official ticket-office links are not affiliate links. Booking ahead here buys certainty on a busy evening, not a discount.
Seoul Sky or N Seoul Tower
The two paid views in Seoul, side by side, with the prices and hours from each operator's own listing, checked in Q3 2026. They are not substitutes — they show different halves of the city.
| Seoul Sky | N Seoul Tower | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult ticket | ₩31,000 (about $22) | ₩29,000 (about $21) |
| Height of the deck | 478 metres, floor 117 | On a 243-metre mountain, tower above |
| What you see | The river across the middle, Gangnam and the eastern mountains | The old centre, the palaces, the river beyond |
| Getting there | Metro to Jamsil, connected underground | Bus, cable car or a 30-minute walk up Namsan |
| Free alternative | None — the view needs the ticket | The terraces at the tower base, which is most of the view |
For a single evening on a first trip, Namsan wins on atmosphere and the walk down. For height, glass floors and a wet-weather plan, Seoul Sky wins.
When to Go Up
Sunset is the obvious hour and the busiest, and at Seoul Sky the reservation system means it is also the slot that runs out first on a Saturday. The half hour after sunset is better than the half hour before: the sky still holds colour and the city has switched on.
Air quality decides more than the weather here. From December to March the air is often hard and clear, and the view reaches the mountains; in spring, fine dust can flatten the whole thing to a grey wall, and in midsummer humidity does the same. The official site posts the day's visibility, and it is worth a look before committing ₩31,000.
Weekday mornings are the quiet slot, and 10:30 is a genuinely pleasant time to be up there with a coffee. Nobody photographs it then, which is precisely the point.
The Rest of Jamsil, Which Is Free
Seokchon Lake sits two minutes west of the tower and is the best free thing in the district: a walking loop of about two and a half kilometres around two connected lakes, with the tower reflected in the water and cherry trees along the banks that draw the entire city in early April.
The tower's base is a mall and an aquarium, and the theme park is under the same roof. That combination makes Jamsil the obvious wet-weather day in Seoul — the metro arrives underground and you need not go outside at all.
Olympic Park is one stop away on Line 9, and the Seoul Baseball Stadium at Jamsil is the other local institution: a home game with a dinner-and-ticket package is a better evening than most guided tours in the city, and it runs from spring to autumn.
Lotte World Tower on the Map
Pinned at the entrance, with the pages for what is nearby.
Next Stop from Jamsil
Three things within a few minutes of the tower, in the order the evening usually goes.
Lotte World
Three minutes indoors to Lotte World's theme park — the one Seoul ticket where booking ahead genuinely saves money.
3 min walkSeokchon Lake
Five minutes to Seokchon Lake for the reflection shot and a free two-kilometre loop, best in the hour after the tower lights up.
5 min walkHan River parks
About 20 minutes north to the Han River parks, where the city eats fried chicken on the grass in summer.
20 min walkTickets for the Tower and the Park Below
Three listings around Jamsil: the observatory, the theme park downstairs, and a baseball evening at the stadium next door. Ratings and prices are the operators' own figures, checked in Q3 2026.
from $24.07
Seoul: Lotte World Tower Seoul Sky Observatory Ticket
Take in panoramic views from Seoul Sky Observatory at the top of Lotte World.
Check Availability
from $36
Seoul: Lotte World Adventure Entry Ticket
Experience the excitement of one of Seoul’s largest theme parks, home to the indoor Lotte World Adventure and the outdoor Magic.
Check Availability
from $87.77
Seoul: Jamsil Baseball Stadium Game Experience with Dinner
Experience the enthusiastic cheering culture of Korean baseball fans and enjoy the rest of the night with local food around the.
Check AvailabilityPrices, ratings and details are the platform's own, checked in Q3 2026; dollar figures are the listed prices — the platform bills in your account's currency.
Lotte World Tower Questions
How much is Seoul Sky?
₩31,000 for adults, about $22, and ₩27,000 for children aged 3 to 12. A Fast Pass for immediate entry is ₩62,000 and is sold only at the tower on the day of the visit.
Is Seoul Sky cheaper online?
No. This is the one major Seoul attraction where the partner listings sit slightly above the ₩31,000 gate price. Booking ahead buys a guaranteed slot on a busy evening, not a discount — see the gate-versus-online table.
What are Seoul Sky's opening hours?
10:30 to 22:00 Sunday to Thursday and 10:30 to 23:00 on Fridays, Saturdays and public holidays, with the last ticket sold an hour before closing. It opens every day of the year.
How tall is Lotte World Tower?
555 metres over 123 floors. The observatory occupies floors 117 to 123, with the main deck at 478 metres and a glass floor on one section.
Seoul Sky or N Seoul Tower?
N Seoul Tower for a first visit — it sits in the old centre and the terraces at its base are free. Seoul Sky for height, for the glass floor, and for a rainy evening when Jamsil's indoor connections matter.
Is there a free view of the tower?
Yes — Seokchon Lake, five minutes away, gives you the tower reflected in water for nothing, and it is the photograph most people actually want.
Is Seoul Sky worth going?
On a clear day, yes — it is the highest deck in Korea and the view crosses the river to the mountains. On a hazy spring day it is ₩31,000 for a grey wall, and the free reflection at Seokchon Lake is the better photograph.
Is Seoul Sky the tallest building in Korea?
Lotte World Tower is the tallest building in South Korea at 555 metres over 123 floors, and Seoul Sky occupies its top seven floors.
Reviewed Q3 2026 (July–September 2026); next review Q4 2026. Prices, hours and terms are set by the venue or operator and confirmed at checkout.
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