You don’t expect to find amazing hikes in a city this big, but they’re everywhere

Hiking is a mildly ridiculous activity when you think about it. You strap on funny shoes, wear a silly hat and put on pants with more pockets than anyone could ever need or use. Then you proceed to walk to the top of a hill, and through some miraculous feat of witchcraft, it makes you feel that little bit better about life.

It shouldn’t work, but it does, and I often find myself feeling better about life when I’m hiking in Seoul. It’s not the first city that comes to mind when you think of hiking. Karaoke, yes, hangovers, inevitably, but long walks and natural beauty seem far removed from this flashy world of neon lights and K-barbecue.

As it turns out, Koreans love a vertical walk, and there are a tonne of great hikes you can do without ever leaving the city. I discover this on the train one morning when, as I’m nursing one of those hangovers, about 100 or so cheerful Koreans board the train with walking sticks and sweatbands.

Naturally, I assume they are at the start of a long journey beyond the city, but when they all get off a few stops later, I do some digging, and realise that Seoul is peppered with incredible hikes, all conveniently placed within striking distance of metro stations. My late night makes me feel like punishing myself, so I figure, hey, what the hell, I might as well hike up a hill of my own.

This leads me to Namsan.

It’s right there – a big, green spot in the middle of Seoul, where you’ll find a network of great walking trails, panoramic views of the city, and the N Seoul Tower. The N allegedly stands for “new”, “Namsan” and “nature”, which feels like a greedy number of nouns and adjectives to cram into one letter.

I get off at Seoul Station, ascend the almost vertical streets to Namsan Park, and join the handful of other pilgrims as they climb to what feels like the very ceiling of the city, marvelling at how quickly the landscape transitions from urban towers to a world of trees, leaves and a hazy blue sky.

Hiking or no hiking, the view of Seoul from Namsan is spectacular. For those who don’t feel like schlepping to the top using the power of their own two legs, there is a cable car, although, fair warning, the queues can be long, and your body won’t release all the delicious endorphins you get from walking to the top.

The experience of hiking up Namsan (and subsequently feeling better about life) inspires me to find more hikes around the city, which leads me to places such as Inwangsan, Achasan (my favourite), and Bukhansan, all of which are easier to hike than they are to pronounce. These range from long to short, and from challenging to physical and metaphorical walks in a park.

One of my favourite things about these inner-city hikes is that, unlike hiking out in the wilderness somewhere, you get to reward your hard work with all the fantastic coffee and excellent food that Seoul puts on your doorstep.

After I descend from Namsan, I discover one of the best coffee shops I’ve been to anywhere, ever, in a trendy neighbourhood of Seoul. Upstanding Coffee is a fantastic place to stop, catch my breath, and enjoy a long black in a city full of Americanos. The only downside is that I’m surrounded by glamorous Koreans, and there I am sweating into my coffee like a goblin in the corner.

For those of you who do want to feel like you’re lost in the wilderness, you can head to Bukhansan National Park. It is one of the more popular hiking spots in Seoul and has several different trails that can take anywhere from two to seven hours, so remember to stay hydrated.

But the best thing about hiking in Seoul is that you don’t need to leave the city to feel like you’re escaping it. All you have to do is find a vertical walk, follow the cheerful (and occasionally barefoot) Koreans, and remember that the best highs in this city are the ones that don’t give you a hangover.

THE DETAILS

HIKE
If you’re looking to start your hiking adventure, the Seoul Trail has 21 hiking routes that connect a 156.5 km trail across the city. See english.seoul.go.kr

FLY
Jetstar and Korean Air flies nonstop to Seoul from Sydney and Brisbane. See jetstar.com; koreanair.com