Anyone recognize this place?

How about after watching the last bit of the Run BTS! episode?

RM and V had to head up the mountain as a losing penalty for New Year's on a cold winter's day! The view they saw from up there seemed breathtaking.

Although it's been a couple of years, we knew we wanted to check out the magnificent Achasan in person when in Seoul.

In this blog, we're going to take you along our journey up the mountain and a bonus, what to eat after the hike!

Our Visit To Achasan Goguryeojeong

There are many paths that lead you up to the mountain, but based on our searches, this is the easiest path that will lead us up to Goguryeojeong.

Starting from exit 2 of Achasan Station, make a left at the first block where Olive Young is.

Walk all the way down and make a right. There, you'll find this lovely gimbap (seaweed rice roll) place with hikers lining up to get theirs before the climb up.

The gimbap was 3,000 won per roll, which was a bit expensive for what it was, but if you're looking for a little snack to bring up with you, then why not?

At the intersection with the orange sign reading Gimbap Cheonguk (김밥천국), turn left.

After two blocks, you'll find an intersection. Make a slight right and take the diagonal path where the pharmacy is and walk up.

When you see the elementary school across, you're almost there!

Turn right and keep walking. It may seem a little complicated, so what you can do is follow the large group of people decked up in their hiking gear, which is pretty much what we did.

And we're at the entrance!

You'll also find the building in the picture above on your left near the entrance which is the information centre.

At the centre, you'll find maps of all the major dulle-gils (mild pathways for walks around mountains and lakes) in Seoul.

For maps in English, Chinese and Japanese, ask the staff inside the centre.

At the centre, you'll also find stamp books available for free.

You'll find these stamps at each dulle-gil in Seoul introduced in the guide. If you're keen on experiencing and going on mild hikes on multiple mountains in Korea, this could be a fun way to record your journey!

This stamp reads "Yongma-Achasan Course 3".

Along the trails, you'll find sign posts. We want to keep following the one that points towards Goguryeojeong Pavilion!

To the left of the trail, you'll find this gate that leads you to the stone path like the picture below.

Many avid hikers weren't recommending this stone path unless we had hiking shoes on as it could be very slippery.

To the right of the trail, you'll find this dirt trail, which is the easier one we want to take.

Keep following the sign posts!

When you come across the fire hydrant cabinet #26, turn left from the main trail into the smaller trail.

It took us around 40 minutes from the station to reach Goguryeojeong!

RM and V sat in front of the pavilion to enjoy steamy soup Jin packed for them the night before.

It's so stunning and the weather on our visit was just perfect!

In front of the pavilion, you'll also find large beds of rocks that people sit on to take in the view overlooking the city. You can see the 123-story Lotte Tower from here!

We tried to get the same view RM and V did from a similar angle.

If this view is what a short 30-minute hike gets you in Seoul, it's so worth it!

Because the hike to Goguryeojeong is fairly mild, it seemed like a popular location among families with children and dogs, too.

Whether you're an ARMY looking to recreate your favourite Run BTS! or an avid hiker, Achasan is a great destination!

Remember, going up to Goguryeojeong is easy so you can wear your daily sneakers. But the rest of the way up is mostly on rocky trails, so you want to wear your hiking shoes if you're planning on reaching the top of Achasan.

Information

Address: 구리시 교문1동
Gyomun 1-dong, Guri-si, Gyeonggi-do

Public Transit: Achasan Station exit 2

What To Eat After Your Hike

The must-eat spot recommended by many local friends was this tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) place!

When you come back down towards Achasan Station, you'll find Shintoburi Tteokbokki (신토불이 떡볶이) near exit 1 with a long line of hungry customers.

We were told that we'll have to wait around 40 minutes to an hour to get a table, so we decided to grab take-out instead.

Just across from the dine-in place, you'll find their take-out booth. Taking the tteokbokki meal to go only took 3 minutes in total!

We got the 3-person meal for 14,000 won, which comes with 3 portions of tteokbokki, 3 dumplings, 3 fish cakes, 3 boiled eggs and 2 hot dogs.

Soongeumi Tteokbokki (순금이 떡볶이) is just seconds from Shintoburi Tteokbokki and they also had a huge line of people waiting to get a table!

Soongeumi Tteokbokki is famous for their perilla leaf tteokbokki (깻잎 떡볶이), so if you're a fan of perilla leaves, this place could work too.

We took a 15-minute taxi ride from Achasan Station to Ttukseom Hangang Park (around 6,000 won) to enjoy the tteokbokki along with snacks and drinks.

We hope this blog inspired you to explore the mountains of Seoul and also to explore fun spots our favourite K-pop idols have been to!