3 Best Sights in Side Trips from Seoul, South Korea

Opened in 1986, replacing the former Songaksan Observation Post, Dora offers impressive views over the DMZ and into North Korea. You can see a collective farm, a statue of late North Korean leader Kim Il Sung, and parts of the city of Kaesong. For a closer look, use one of the observatory's countless stationary binoculars. There's also an indoor observatory with seating for 500.

At the northern tip of Ganghwa Island, this observatory and military complex lets you peer across the water into North Korea with the use of high-powered binoculars. Aside from the peeping and lovely natural landscape, you can also read up on the history of Korea at the center's several exhibits.

If you don't want to go through the hassle of a guided tour to Panmunjeom, the Imjingak Pavilion, an observation deck overlooking the DMZ area, is a mere subway trip from Seoul. The site is home to several Korean War monuments and artifacts, including a destroyed railroad bridge, a battle-scarred old locomotive, and the historic "Freedom Bridge" that Korean War POWs walked across to freedom. Just next to Imjingak is Pyeonghwa Nuri Park, a sprawling grass field with scenic walking trails and plenty of photo-friendly spots, including the so-called Hill of Wind, a hillock covered with 3,000 pinwheels.