Seoul Tower and Teddy Bear Museum in South Korea
Budget : ~Php1,000 for the entrance tickets
Duration : ~half day
Bummers : will require a lot of walking
Seoul Tower
Teddy Bear Museum
On our first day of stay in South Korea, our first stop was Seoul Tower (also usually called Namsan Tower or N Seoul Tower) and Teddy Bear Museum. Since the place where we stayed in was in Myeongdong, going to Seoul Tower and Teddy Bear Museum was relatively easy. We just walked around the block to get to the entry point of these tourist spots. The entry point involved riding a glass elevator that goes up a rail inclined at about 45-degree angle. The view from the elevator was not that great yet because all you can see is the wide road and buildings nearby.
Entrance to Seoul Tower
Elevator to Seoul Tower
When we reached the top, a ticket station to ride a large cable car going to the top can be found. If you don’t want to ride the cable car, you can choose to walk to the top. However, since we were a bit limited in time (our stay in South Korea was just for 3 days), we chose to get the return trip ride of the cable car. It costs 7,500 Won (~Php310) for the return trip ride ticket.
Cable Car Ticket
At the end of the cable car ride, a few more stairs should be taken and this will lead to Seoul Tower. By the entrance to Seoul Tower and Teddy Bear Museum, men in traditional Korean guard costumes can be seen. There is a booth nearby where you can try wearing traditional Korean clothes for free. Unfortunately, we hadn’t much time to do that.
Korean Guards Doing Rounds
Traditional Korean Guard
Palace-like Structure
Another ticket needs to be purchased to gain entry to Seoul Tower and Teddy Bear Museum. The ticket price to be able to enter both places costs 14,000 Won (~Php580).
Seoul Tower and Teddy Bear Museum Ticket
We first went to the Teddy Bear Museum. The Teddy Bear Museum is divided into museum 1 and museum 2. Museum 1 showed the history how the bear plays an important role in the history of Korea. Museum 2 showed teddy bears in the contemporary Korean setting.
Teddy Bear Museum 1 showed the story how two animals, a tiger and a bear, prayed to become humans. The task that needs to be done to be able to transform as humans is to eat only the 20 cloves of garlic and a bundle of mugwort given to them, and remain out of the sunlight for 100 days. Only the bear was able to do this and in the end was transformed into a woman. Basically, that is the gist of the story. On the other hand, you can also find bears in various traditional clothing dressed as guards, servants, cooks, and royalties.
Teddy Bear
Teddy Bear
Teddy Bear
Teddy Bear
Teddy Bear
Teddy Bear
Teddy Bear
Teddy Bear
Bears Building a Palace
Cooking Teddy Bears
Servant Teddy Bears
Teddy Bear Museum 2 has Teddy Bears in more modern clothing. There are bears dressed as rockstars, in B-boy style, socialite bears, and teddy bears looking like secret agents.
Rockstar Bears
B-Boy Bear
Socialite Bears
Bear Agents
Bear with Headsets
Cheering Bears
Hippie Bears
There is also a part of the museum that shows different bears from different times and places. The most notable is Mr. Bean’s Teddy.
Mr. Bean's Bear
With so much cuteness, I wasn’t able to prevent myself from buying my own teddy bear. 
Bought a Bear
After our tour at the Teddy bear Museum, we went to the observatory of Seoul Tower. We had a clear 360-degree view of Seoul.
A View from Seoul Tower
Another Side of Seoul
Seoul Skyline
Outside Seoul Tower, you can find lot of dedications and love notes written on small tiles and permanently posted on the walls by people who have gone up the tower. Awww, Seoul Searching..
Dedications
Love Notes
There are also several Christmas Tree-like structures which are made of padlocks. These are called Seoul Tower Locks of Love. These locks are left by couples as symbol of their promise to never separate. Some throw away the key from this place but I heard it is now prohibited.
Seoul Tower Locks of Love
We left our own dedication in Seoul Tower…
Posted Our Own Message
Our tour at Seoul Tower and Teddy Bear Museum was really awesome. It was a great start for a great trip in South Korea. I am hoping for more trips with old friends such as this.
Me at Seoul Tower
Spread some awesome..ness.. 
waaaah ang cute ng teddy bear museum!! we’re going to seoul feb and mejo wala pa kami idea so talagang aabangan ko blogs mo. thanks! =)
I did not know that there is a teddy bear museum, Mr. Bean would love that.
ganda naman…never been to Korea..or never been out of the country…pero Korea is one the place I want to visit
The teddy bears are so cute!!! I must visit this place too. I should first score a seat sale ticket to Korea.
Madali lang ba ang visa?
Ngayon lang ako nakakita ng bear museum! At nandoon pa yung bear ni Mr. Bean!
Ang kulet, haha! Ang cute ng mga teddy bears. Ang di lang cute yung part na ” will require a lot of walking.”
ang cucute ng teddy bear! lalo na yung hiphop at mga rock stars! hahaha..
isa yan sa bucket list ko ever since napanood ko yung Teddy Bear Museum dun sa Princess Hours ni Eun Hye.
I was in South Korea last year but I went straight to Jeonju for a film festival. Naisip ko na magside trip sa seoul kaso strapped for time.. na-amaze naman ako sa elevator! Pagbumalik ako ng Korea, pupuntahan ko yang places na yan! =)
Napanood ko yung teddy bear museum sa korean nobela ang galing =)
Hi! How much did the teddy bear cost? I’m planning to buy one for myself when I go to Korea next week.:)