Seoul, South Korea — When you need a break from touring palaces, visiting museums and shopping, consider these two walks. One is flat and runs for several miles; the other steadily ascends and at the top rewards you with a stunning panorama of the South Korean capital. Both go through the heart of the city and are north of the Han River, which bisects Seoul.

Cheonggyecheon Stream

Betty Gordon / AJC (ENLARGE)

Colorfully costumed musicians entertain along Cheonggyecheon Stream.

Betty Gordon / AJC (ENLARGE)

A panorama of Seoul, taken from the lookout deck on Mount Namsan on a hike en route to N. Seoul Tower.

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The restoration of the stream is one of Seoul's undisputed urban-renewal successes. The stream was originally dredged by 200,000 workers during the reign of King Yeongjo (ruled 1725-75), the 21st king of the Joseon (also spelled Choson) dynasty.

By the 1950s, the area had become a shantytown flooded by Korean War refugees streaming into Seoul — itself heavily damaged — from the countryside. Along with the slums came problems of waste water and untreated sewage. Cheonggyecheon, which translates to "clear valley stream," could no longer live up to its name.

By the late 1950s, the government's urban planning solution was concrete, as in to pave over everything. With the slums removed, commercial development reignited and by the late 1960s, an elevated highway was erected to combat traffic congestion. The area became a victim of its own growth, and by the late 1990s, pollution was causing the infrastructure to corrode.

Under the administration of then-Mayor Lee Myung-bak — the recently inaugurated president of South Korea — the turnaround began. A two-year restoration project commenced in mid-2003 with the demolition of the elevated highway. The next year the streets along the stream began to reopen. By mid-2005, landscaping, lighting, artwork and 22 bridges (some restored and relocated) were in place, and the project was declared complete in October of that year.

"Seoulites will be able to stroll along the beautiful stream banks to the chirping of crickets," predicted the KBS Global News Web site.

The water does indeed flow clear again, thanks in part to the more than seven miles of pipes along the embankments and a water purification and sterilization plant in Ttukdo.

By the second anniversary of its completion, more than 467 species of plants and animals had been reported and more than 56 million visitors had walked along the banks, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Web site. It's become a cultural attraction for tourists, families and couples looking for a safe and entertaining open space in this city of almost 11 million people.

Visitors should begin their leisurely three-mile-plus walk at Cheonggye Plaza, where three fountains and a waterfall dump in 65,000 tons of water each day. You can walk along either side, crossing over steppingstones from bank to bank. When you need a rest or just want to admire the scenery, sit on steps or concrete benches. Staircases and ramps are plentiful if you should want to go to street level for food or other refreshments, though on days when festivals are under way there are probably food vendors stream-side.

Along Cheonggyecheon, you might see a small parade of musicians in red, white, yellow, blue and green costumes or women in colorful traditional dress, called hanbok, performing. Or perhaps an artist sketching caricatures on an easel or an illustrator sitting on his haunches drawing black-and-white comic figures on a huge paper on the ground. Cultural events are regularly scheduled, as are open-air movie screenings.

As for nature, you'll see mandarin ducks busily paddling, sparrow hawks and other birds and carp, minnows and other fish in the stream along with pussy willows, bulrushes and irises.

Along the walls are photographs, paintings and ceramic tile murals, such as the "Banchado," a reproduction of the eight-day procession of King Jeongjo (the 22nd king of the Joseon dynasty) to visit his parents' graves in Hwaseong (now known as Suwon). The mural, with 1,779 colorful figures and 779 horses, is more than 600 feet long and more than 7 feet wide and is between the third and fifth bridges over Cheonggyecheon.

Past the midway point is another multicolored mural on both sides of the stream called the "Wall of Hope." The murals, 165 feet long and more than 7 feet wide, are made up of 20,000 tiles created by South Koreans, North Koreans and overseas Koreans with themes of national unity and reunification. Some depict families, others have trees, flowers or hearts and some have comic animal figures; most have writing. Several sections appear to be artistic installations; one grouping includes 18 tiles that seem to tell a story with wavy red, blue or black horizontal lines, three different-size mountains and a red sun.

Between bridges 16 and 17 is the site where women used to launder clothing. Tilted stone slabs have been re-created to provide a mental image, though the practice of washing the family's clothes in the stream is no longer permitted.

Almost at the end, between the 19th and 20th bridges, are the Jonchi piers and tunnel fountain. The three support structures on the left held the elevated highway and remain in place for historical context. The fountain high on the right wall boasts 42 nozzles that spray an archway of water back over the promenade, though it's not continuous. Lighting at night adds to the water show.

City officials aren't done with Cheonggyecheon improvements. Plans include re-creating a traditional Korean village, a floating fashion catwalk and a huge digital screen that at night will display images made with water and multicolored lasers.

To N. Seoul Tower

You'll want to make two stops before starting your ascent in Namsan Park. The first is Namsangol Hanok Village, a collection of stone, wood and tile buildings that have been relocated from other parts of Seoul. The village evokes aristocratic life of an era centered on scholarship and family.

Walking through the five sparsely furnished buildings, you can almost imagine the erudite discussions that took place here. Korea House, known for its sumptuous multicourse feasts, is in a nearby building. You can also take Korean cooking classes there.

Behind the village is a park where a time capsule containing 600 items was buried Nov. 29, 1994, the year marking Seoul's 600th anniversary as the capital of Korea. A wall rings the flat, circular stone marker atop the capsule (set to be opened in 2394), and the setting looks like a UFO has gently landed among the trees and settled into the earth.

Take the stairs to the left to start your climb to N. Seoul Tower, one of Seoul's most recognizable landmarks, especially at night when the structure puts on a colorful light show. It's only about a mile up, but the walk will take at least an hour, depending on how often you stop to admire the view — and to catch your breath.

Before too long, you'll come to a road that is closed to traffic. If you stay to the right, you'll be walking on a rubberized surface on a gentle incline. Every so often you'll pass a bronze map outlining the snaking path you're on, though you may be unable to tell in exact distance how far you've come and how far you have to go. You'll be among walkers, runners and bicyclers. On the November day I was there, two blind walkers with canes were treading unassisted. The biggest curiosity, however, was the romantic couples. Most of the women were in beautiful skirts or dresses and high heels, more suitable for going out to an expensive dinner than for the exertion of a hike.

Shade is abundant, and the higher you get, the cooler and windier it becomes.

When the road ends, you'll be faced with (mostly steep) stairs, lots and lots of them, carpeted in fall with golden ginkgo leaves. I didn't count, but a conservative guess would be several hundred steps. You'll come to a wooden viewing platform (with railing) where you can look at the vast metropolis below and the mountains in the distance.

N. Seoul Tower looms large now, but there are still more steps. When you reach part of a wall that was Seoul's fortification and five conical brick structures in which fires served as signal beacons, you're almost there.

Cross an open plaza where you can buy drinks and snacks, or go into the tower itself and eat at the food court or one of several restaurants. Consider buying a ticket for the observation deck. Also inside is a cinema and performing venue and the inevitable souvenir shop. Remember to pick up a brochure that will help you identify some of the buildings and neighborhoods in the distance. The brochure claims that on a clear day, viewers can see west to Inchon on the coast (more than 20 miles away) and Mount Songak in North Korea.

Outside again, walk to the far side of the tower and up the last ramp. There you'll find another wooden platform with pay-to-view telescopes. Around this platform is a chain-link fence decorated with hundreds of padlocks. Some are small and singular; on others the inverted "U" is entwined with a matching lock and then fastened to the fence. Many of the padlocks have hearts drawn on them (symbols of everlasting love?), people's names, messages of peace and the date they visited.

To descend, you can catch a bus back to the village, retrace your steps in that direction or take the stairs to the left, which is the route I took, albeit slowly as my right knee was beginning to complain.

You'll go through a large square with statues of Paikbum Kim Koo and Lee Si-yeong, both independence advocates during the Japanese occupation (1910-45), and then pass the Ahn Junggeun Museum, dedicated to a man educated in the Chinese classics who was later exiled to Russia. He, too, was a freedom fighter, known for assassinating Japanese colonizer Ito Hirobumi in 1909. Ahn was executed in 1910.

You'll come to another small park with a children's playground as you near the Millennium Seoul Hilton, from which you'll be able to find Seoul Station.

And if you want to take in the view but aren't up to the walk, there's always the cable car.

IF YOU GO

Cheonggyecheon stream: Take subway line 1 (purple) to Jonggak station or line 2 (green) to Euljiro 1 (il)-ga station and walk back (about five minutes) to Cheonggye Plaza. Though you can easily do the route yourself, guided tours are available three times a day. The tours take about three hours and don't cover the whole distance. They stop at Ogansugyo bridge (the 14th of 22). Contact the Seoul City Department of Tourism to make reservations at least three days in advance. 011-82-2-3707-9454.

Namsangol Hanok Village: Take subway line 3 (orange) or line 4 (blue) to Chungmuro station, Exit 4. The village is open 9 a.m.-8 p.m. daily except Tuesdays June-August; 9 a.m.-7 p.m. April-May, September-October daily except Tuesdays; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. November-March daily except Tuesdays. Free. To get to Seoul Station, take line 1 (purple) or line 4 (blue).