Seoul City Hall — Local services in Seoul

Seoul City Hall (free entry) is located upon Seoul Plaza in the heart of the city. Here you find two buildings, the old City Hall which now serves as the Seoul Metropolitan Library and the new and modern City Hall, which is of a contemporary design and structure built in 2012.

In addition to seeing the unique architecture of the building, there is a self-guided tour of City Hall which includes a few interesting stops. First, you can see the tallest vertical garden in the world which spans seven stories up the inner wall of the City Hall building. The self-guided walk also takes you up to the 8th and 9th floor Sky Plaza and exhibition gallery. There are a couple of cafes in this area as well.

You then descend into the lower levels of the building where you find building ruins known as the Gungisi Relics, an unexpected find at City Hall. Additionally, there is a design shop, more art space and open lounge area. There was a duet performing a few Korean tunes during the time of our visit. That was neat to watch for a few minutes.

Overall, we enjoyed our short visit to Seoul City Hall. This is not a major attraction but a neat place if you enjoy unique architecture and peculiar attractions like the vertical garden located here.

Note: You can download the Seoul City Hall Self-Guided Tour map. It can be found through google search and is available as a PDF file. You can also find the the map in brochure form within the City...

What an incredible introduction to Seoul! As a first-time visitor here to catch up with friends, soak in the sights, and dive deeper into South Korean culture, I made a beeline for Seoul City Hall—and it absolutely exceeded every expectation. From the moment I stepped inside, the architecture blew me away. It's a stunning blend of modern elegance and innovative design—sleek lines, expansive glass facades, and thoughtful spaces that feel both grand and welcoming. Truly top-notch craftsmanship that screams sophistication. There's even a friendly robot brewing and serving coffee right in the lobby! Watching it glide around with precision and charm was like stepping into the future. It perfectly captures how South Korea runs society: efficient, forward-thinking, and...

This is the major activity area of Seoul city. All major protest occurs here and with freedom of speech in Korea there are plenty of protest. Also there are major events like hosting of football events such Korea playing in world cup, I see a sea of red shirts covering the entire field cheering on their Korean team. In the winter there is a ice skating ring that will be set up and open to the public and visitors as well. There is a train station directly below the city hall building. City hall is also a stone throws away from Gwanghuamen Gate that connect on to...