The Seoul Sky Observatory: Tallest Building in Korea

The Seoul Sky Observatory (서울스카이), the third highest observatory in the world but featuring the highest glass deck in the world, sits in Lotte World Tower. It is easily a must see spot in Seoul and should make it into the top 10 things to see in Seoul every time.

If you’re looking for the most amazing view of the Seoul skyline, then this is the tower you should be seeking out on your next trip to Seoul as you can get panoramic views and you’ll literally be standing higher than the helicopters that check the traffic are flying down below. On clear days, you can see as far as Songdo, Incheon. Get ready to see Seoul from above in Lotte World Tower.

Skip around and get all of the details so you can SEE IT ALL!

• How To Get To Seoul Sky Observatory
• Basic Information To Know
• What To Experience
  • Basement Exhibition Zone
  • Entrance Floor/ Sky Deck
  • Sky Bridge Experience
  • Sky Terrace
  • Seoul Sky Shop/ Seoul Sky Cafe
• Stay In Lotte World Tower
  • Signiel Hotel
• Plan Your Trip In The Area

(This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking. Thank you for your support.)

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How To Get To Seoul Sky Observatory

Address: Lotte World Tower, 300, Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul (서울특별시 송파구 올림픽로 300 롯데월드타워 (신천동))

Hop On/ Hop Off Bus: If you’ll be traveling via the Seoul City Hop On/Hop Off Bus, know that it also stops here. You can buy the ticket for this bus here. And to get more information about the bus, here is a guide to the Hop On/ Hop Off Bus In Seoul.

By Subway: Make sure you have your T-Money card topped off and ready to go and hop on the subway. On the green line, you can head to Jamsil Subway Station and go out of exit 1 or 2 to head right out and find the tower. You’ll see it as soon as you exit.. just look up!

To actually find the entrance and go up though, you’ll want to go into the building and then go down as the elevator that goes up into the tower on the basement level. Head to B1 and just follow signs to find it.

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Basic Information To Know

Hours: Sunday – Thursday: 11:00am ~ 10:00pm; Friday – Saturday: 11:00am ~ 11:00pm

• Note the Sky Bridge Tower experience is only open from 1:00pm ~ 6:00pm and goes hourly.

Days: Open all year round

Admission: Seoul Sky Tower Entrance: Adult (13+): W27,000; Child (3-12): W24,000; Children under 3 are free with an adult & with proper identification showing the age of the child. Fast Pass: W50,000; Sky Bridge Experience: W100,000 per person and includes 2 photos

How To Get Tickets: While I have been fairly lucky to get in fairly quickly without a wait, I’ve heard from other visitors that there can be a pretty tremendous line up at times so I’d recommend getting tickets in advance so you don’t have to wait! Anything to make the process faster, right? The tickets are also limited to 500 entrants per 30 minutes so you need to check how many people are with you.

When there aren’t close to 500 people, you can enter early or late without problem it seems… as that’s what we did. When we were headed in, there were still 425 some tickets open for our time slot so it was practically devoid of people. However, if you’ll be traveling over a holiday period and have a set itinerary, you’ll want to get the tickets online to make sure you can get that time without a problem.

• Klook: Klook has the Sky Tower General Tickets available at a discount. Check it out to save some money.
• kkday: Check out the discounted tickets on kkday.
• Klook: If you’re spending the day in the area and want to do Lotte World Adenture, Lotte World Aquarium and the Sky Tower in one go, definitely get the Songpa Pass. 

Guidelines for tickets:

• Tickets are only valid for the day of issue.
• Admission is only permitted for the date/time printed on the ticket.
• Admission may be delayed depending on the number of visitors.
• Re-admission is prohibited and tickets cannot be transferred to others.

Amenities: nursing lounge, disabled and elderly accessible, restrooms, cafe, parking vouchers

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What To Experience

Basement Exhibition Zone

After getting tickets and entering, you actually don’t go straight up up up to the top. The designers have considered that at times there may be lines and so to help disperse people but keep you interested, they’ve created an exhibition zone that you actually weave through. The halls are dark and the artistic works are all light based so you just sort of follow the beautiful light scenery before you as you head to the elevators. The works are really intriguing and are meant to showcase Korea’s history and culture through media.

Honestly, if you have the time, you should spend at least a half hour just watching because most of the works actually move and change so the displays are colorful and consistently moving. This is another great thing if you have kids and there are lines because they’ll have plenty to see while you’re just waiting. I’ve been twice now and haven’t waited in lines ever though so go on a weekday if you can and you’ll probably find few people in line with you.

The screens cover the walls and ceilings so it makes the basement that you’re walking through feel quite spacious.  The exhibition zone is dark and feels a bit like going through airport security but in a cool and moody fashion like you’re really going onto some sort of space ship.

The large-scale projections were clearly and cleverly installed so that people waiting in line would have something visually stimulating to observe as they waited. Our bags were checked for prohibited items including knives, scissors, stun guns, nunchaks, baseball bats, golf clubs, explosives and apparently tripods, selfie sticks and chairs if you’re carrying one of those with you.

After heading through the different media spaces, you’ll eventually land on a corridor that takes you to the Sky Shuttle. This elevator was also considered thoughtfully when planning and features Korea’s nature and nightscapes in media format on the ceiling of the elevator as you take the right from B2 up to floor 118. The trip is only 1 minute long so make sure you have your camera ready if you want to take pics inside of the elevator.

In fact, the Sky Shuttle holds the Guinness World Record for being the fastest double-deck elevator in the world and travels 600 meters per minute. The elevator also holds the Guinnes World Record for being the world’s tallest double deck elevator. So there’s space… and it’s fast. Enjoy the ride!

Entrance Floor/ Sky Deck

Here’s the thing, and a special thing at that, about this tower: there are multiple floors for views. While most observatories shoot you up to one floor to walk around to get panoramic views and see the scenes, Seoul Sky Tower actually features views from floors 117 through 123 so you’ll see and see and see some more.

Pro Tip: If there are a lot of people when you’re visiting, most people take in all of the views on that first entrance floor because they just think that’s going to be where the views are, but you could bypass them/groups, and head up to see the views from a different floor before coming back down again if you’d like. You’ll actually be able to move freely around with escalators between floors 117 and 123 so you can go up, down, up, up, down, down, and all around again.

Want to get the best view of Seoul? This is definitely the thing that needs to be on your Seoul itinerary. Not only was it amazing to go somewhere in Seoul that has been highly promoted and NOT find lines, but the hype was legit. If you’re planning an itinerary, plan to spend a whole day in Jamsil.

Lotte Tower is really just one of the amazing architectural spots in Seoul, but it truly is one of the highlights of the list. There are different photo-zone options on each floor so check them all out. On the floor 117, there’s the pretty standard observatory deck and views. The (second) Entrance Floor 118 is also where the Sky Deck is, there are two, pictured below, so that is tall floor to ceiling windows with glass underfoot too. This is a popular photo-zone for visitors for obvious reasons. 

I’m not sure why floor 117 and 118 are both called “Entrance Floors” on their guide but they are so presumably the elevator stops on either floor depending on the time of day or how many people are headed up. Both times I went, they dropped us at 117 and we started from there but 118 is also called an entrance floor so just notice where you are when you get off.

Due to the few people visiting the day we went, no one was pushing or shoving to get that iconic photo. We even laid down on the glass to get some photos taken by a friendly stranger. As we walked around to the one on the north side of the structure, we also realized that the attendants can also apparently control whether or not the glass is transparent.

When we got to the north side, we were surprised that this side DIDN’T have a transparent floor. My friend walked out nonchalantly only to have the guy turn on the transparent floor just as I started snapping pics. Needless to say, there’s some fun to be had up there along with taking in the spectacular views.

Sky Bridge Experience

This is the NEWEST ATTRACTION on the tower and was just launched on July 24, 2020. Visitors can literally walk on a bridge between the towers at the top of the building. The outdoor bridge spans just 11 meters and is 541 meters above the ground. It’s definitely for the thrill seekers. The entrance to this can be found on the 117th floor where visitors are briefed with safety instructions and outfitted in red jumpsuits and helmets the adventure outside.

People are taken out on the bridge every hour on the hour between 1:00pm and 7:00pm so you’ll want to plan your trip accordingly. The last trip is at 6:00pm. You can book these tickets online and I definitely recommend it as only a certain number of people can go each hour.

Sky Terrace

Located in Lotte World Tower (롯데월드타워) which also features the tallest hotel in Korea, Signiel Hotel, is the fifth tallest building in the world at 555 meters tall, the observatory has a super interesting design with platforms for viewing from floors 117 to 121.

Most observatories I’ve visited are just one or two floors with windows all around. Sky Seoul, however, not only offers the window view, but there are transparent glass floors jutting out to the north and the south and then there is an open air observatory another floor up. It’s basically a great way to accommodate a ton of people yet keep them moving and viewing without bumping into each other. Something that always seems to be an issue here in Seoul.

The 120th floor offers the open-air outdoor terrace a staggering 483 meters high up in the sky. Even though it was sunny, the wind was blowing pleasantly so we weren’t hot or cold and we were having a ball taking photos clearly. The views were spectacular and having a clear blue day allowed us to see really as far as the eye can see.

Taking selfies almost 500 meters up in the sky is hard stuff though. Take a friend to get some awesome shots with spectacular backdrops. The attendants are numerous though and if there aren’t a billion people.. or 500 visiting, they’d probably step up to help you with a photo if you asked nicely.

Seoul Sky Shop/ Seoul Sky Cafe

Continue to head up on the escalators in the center of the floors and at the 121st floor there is still more to see as well as pricey coffees to drink and souvenirs to buy. Again the circular windows abound, but in the center above where the lookout decks and terraces below are, is one more almost floor to ceiling view. This was one of my favorite views.

For those of you that want a one of a kind experience that you can only get here, then make sure to order the Seoul Sky Juice. It’s a vibrantly colored fruit juice. We didn’t have it, but it’s a thing if you want to go ahead and try.

Look out over the Han River parks system far below and see what is going on. You can then go up just one more flight and see this same view from above to get some different angles too. Clearly the design of this observatory was well thought out and planned. The city of Seoul is impressive and often it’s hard to appreciate how impressive it is. From above seeing just how sprawling it is and how much it has been built up in just the past few decades is really astounding.

This is just ONE of the spots that you can get a truly breathtaking view of Seoul, but don’t miss these other highlights around the city that I would highly recommend. Some other spots are also FREE so if you’re looking for that budget friendly stop, don’t miss the spots I recommend in the post I just linked.

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Stay In Lotte World Tower

Signiel Hotel

Signiel Hotel is an absolutely stunning place to stay in Seoul. It is the tallest hotel in Seoul and I had the opportunity to stay there twice. It is the most luxurious hotel in the city and I highly recommend it for a staycation or your trip to the capital of Korea. The hotel is located between floors 76 and 101 in Lotte World Tower which means you’re still getting the breathtaking views of the city from high high above and still sitting above where the helicopters fly.

The 5-star hotel features a champagne bar with the largest collection of champagne in Korea, a Michelin starred restaurant, an indoor swimming pool, fitness center, and the Evian Spa. The breakfast in STAY is beyond compare and every single room is spacious. It’s an experience you won’t soon forget.

Take advantage of their special offers and book a stay with Signiel Hotel on Booking.com or on Agoda.com

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Plan Your Trip In The Area

Visit in the spring and don’t miss the cherry blossoms at nearby Seokchon Lake. It’s one of the best places to see cherry blossoms in Seoul. And if you have kids, head down into the Lotte Mall or visit Lotte World which is the amusement park just next to the tower. Lotte pretty much owns the entire block and you could spend the whole day visiting their various fun and breathtaking facilities. You could very feasibly spend a whole day in the area.

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