Seoul, South Korea, is an awesome city with a lot of things to do. There is something in South Korea for everyone, whether you like history, mountains, parks, food, or shopping. Here are my top recommendations of amazing things to do in this great city.
- Gyeongbukgung Palace
One of the city’s most popular historical attractions and visited cities is the Gyeongbukgung Palace. Built in 1395, it also is known as the Northern Palace because of its location when compared to the Eastern and Western Palace. In my opinion, this is most beautiful of all the five palaces. You’ll quickly realize how the palace grounds are huge, and the gardens are beautiful and worth seeing.
Entrance fee: 3,000 Won
Opening hours: 9 am – 6 pm from Wednesday – Monday, closed on Tuesdays
How to get there: Take the Subway to Gyeongbokgung Station and Exit #5
- Bukchon Hanok Village
Bukchon Hanok Village is located right next to the Gyeongbukgung Palace, and I would recommend visiting both in the same day. The village is full of Korean traditional homes, and this will give you a better understanding of how the locals live. It is also an interesting collection of restaurants, cultural centers, museums, and tea houses.
Entrance fee: Free
Opening Hours: I’d recommend anywhere from 10 am to 6 pm because that’s when all the shops close and open.
How to get there: You can walk from Gyeongbukgung Palace or take exit Exit #1 or #2 from the subway to Anguk Station and walk 5 minutes north.
- War Memorial and Museum
Whether you’re obsessed with history like me or not, the War Memorial and Museum is one of the best places to visit in Seoul. The museum is in remembrance of South Korea’s wars and everything the country went through. There are pretty cool outdoor sections as well that showcases military equipment and machines. On your way out, there are free history books and guides that you can take to learn more about the country.
Entrance fees: Free
Opening hours: 9 am – 6 pm and closed on Monday
How to get there: Subway to Samgakji Station and then Exit #12
- Myeongdong Shopping Street
Myeongdong is by far one of the busiest parts of town. You will find everything in the area; clothing stores, street food stalls, cat cafes, the famous towering ice cream cones, restaurants, tea houses, and everything you can think of. I would suggest spending a whole day there because there is just so much to do and see there.
Entrance fees: Free
Opening Hours: Most stores are open from 11 am – 10 pm.
How to get there: Take the Subway from where you’re staying to Myeongdong Station.
- Insadong
Home to the famous Starbucks. If you’re looking for souvenirs to bring back home, this is the place to go to. I found the souvenirs to be a bit more expensive than other places in Seoul. It is worth visiting if you have enough time, and there are many restaurants and food stalls as well. Insadong can be visited on the same day with Gyeongbukgung Palace and Bukchon Hanok Village.
Opening Hours: Open 10 am – 6 pm or so
How to get there: Subway to Anguk Station and then Exit #6.
- Namdaemun Market
You are guaranteed to find everything you’re looking for in Namdaemun Market. This is the biggest traditional market in Seoul, and you will find everything from imported liqueur, clothing, electronics, street food, you’ll find it all there. Many shops have their factories and manufacture the products themselves. Most of them offer wholesale and retail prices which means you’ll find cheap prices there. An interesting fact about the market is that it is open all the time, except on Sundays.
Opening hours: Open 24 hrs and closed on Sunday, but I recommend going on Sunday.
How to get there: Subway to Hoehyeon Station and then Exit #5.
- Itaewon
Seoul’s global melting pot, this is the place to go to if you’re looking for international restaurants, bars, and nightclubs. In the mood for some shawarma? There are some excellent choices in Itaewon. There are many street shops there as well.
How to get there: Take the subway from where you’re staying to Itaewon Station.
- Hongdae
This is Seoul’s biggest partying and nightlife destinations. If you love partying, this is the best place to go to if you love partying. It isn’t all partying though. You will also find unique cafes, galleries, clothing stores, and restaurants. Special streets like Club Street, Picasso Street, and ateliers’ street are all must visit place if you want to experience the Hongdae neighborhood.
How to get there: Subway to Hongik University station
- Cheonggyecheon Stream
Cheonggyecheon is an 11 km stream that runs throughout downtown Seoul. It was first created as part of an urban renewal plan and is a re-installation of the streams that was throughout the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). The stream starts at Cheonggye Plaza, a well-known cultural arts venue, and then passes under 22 bridges before flowing into the Hangang (River).
Entrance fee: Free
Opening Hours: Throughout the day
How to get there: It is easy to walk to from different subway stations, it begins at City Hall Station.
- Noryangjin Fish Market
Noryangjin Fish Market is a display of the best and freshest seafood. You will notice that all the seafood is kept fresh in the water, and you can even choose your fish and have it cooked at the same time. After you finish browsing the fish market, I recommend going upstairs where there is restaurant selling seafood as well. It’s a bit expensive but worth it.
Opening hours: 24 hours, but best to go in the morning and afternoon.
How to Get There: Subway to Noryangjin Station and then take Exit #1
- Korean Barbecue
A visit to Seoul isn’t completely without Korean Barbeque. Seoul is a heaven for foodies, and Korean barbecue is an experience alone. You sit on a table with your grill in front of you, order meat, and then grill it yourself. Side dishes like salad, lettuce, and garlic are available as well.
12. DMZ
This is the border between South and North Korea. This is a one in a lifetime experience and you should definitely visit the borders. You might get lucky and find North Korean soldiers on the other side.
South Korea is an awesome place to visit. I’ve been all over the world and is among my top 5 countries!
34 Comments
Kallsy Page
September 24, 2016 at 2:23 amThis looks like such a fun place to visit! Itaewon was my favorite listed here; it looks so amazing! Thanks for including the added touches of hours of operation and directions. It definitely makes it nice to have it all in one place. 🙂
Omniya
September 24, 2016 at 6:45 amThank you so much 🙂
Milosz Zak
September 24, 2016 at 2:39 amI heard South Korea is a gastronomic mecca, it’s great to see that you tried to sample some of the local food. With all that’s happening on the peninsula these days, I bet the locals are as frustrated as ever by their northern brethren. I hope you got a chance to discuss what locals think about the situation, not just what’s fed by the South through their exhibits, and official outlets.
Omniya
September 24, 2016 at 6:46 amNo I didnt but it is a gastronomic mecca indeed 🙂
John Rodgers
September 24, 2016 at 4:26 amI have been reading so many great things about Korea and I am so sorry we chose not to visit. We had intended to leave Mongolia then Korea, Japan and on to the Philippines for the blogging convention next month. The photo of the sunset or sunrise with the snov covered roofs is awesome. The shopping looks great and I know my wife would love it there. Perphas next year.
Omniya
September 24, 2016 at 6:46 amJapan is awesome too! Have a great trip
Christine K
September 24, 2016 at 11:41 pmNice informative post that has something for everyone. Photos were great and helped envision the experience. I noticed that you included sites that offered free admission which is always good when you’re traveling and want to experience the historical sites and you’re on a budget. Nice post.
Maggie
September 25, 2016 at 2:34 pmSuch great tips! The shopping street looks awesome, similar to so many I’ve seen in Thailand. Love street food, it’s one of the best ways to learn about the culture.
Teresa Kunberger
September 25, 2016 at 10:34 pmIt looks very beautiful there I know I would love to go one day! It is on my bucket list!
Suzannah
September 26, 2016 at 8:44 amI NEED TO VISIT SEOUL!! Thanks for your post, it’s such a good read! I’ll save it and come back to if when I visit! I’m also a history buff so the museum sounds like a really lovely place to visit – and considering it’s free it won’t break the bank!
Carmy
September 26, 2016 at 1:35 pmI would be all over that shopping area! I love Korean food and would probably try to eat ALL the street food I could while there! Haha
Thelittlelai: Beyond limits
October 9, 2016 at 11:47 amWow, with this blog pots made me desire to pack my things and book a ticket right this moment and fly to Korea. I actually like how you convey your travel experience to your words. The photos are truly amazing and captured with heart. Everything about your blog post is amazing and written very well.
Cykaniki
October 9, 2016 at 3:12 pmHonestly this is on me wish list, of things to visit. And this is verb helpful especially how’s to getting these part and your recommendations,. KPOP is really on trend but I’m not visiting there because its, but it more on the desire to experience the beauty of Korea
Laveena Sengar
October 11, 2016 at 4:46 pmHonestly I wasn’t aware of the beauty of Korea until this post. We usually take halts in Korea while traveling but haven’t had a chance to explore. Next time I will make sure i take a visit for sure.
Joanna
October 16, 2016 at 2:48 pmI am familiar with the cook it yourself concept from China, where I cooked my own food using a hot pot. I would love to try the bbq one in Seoul too. The Bukchon Hanok Village stole my heart, I would love to walk around those cobbled streets and admire the pretty houses.
Samantha
October 19, 2016 at 3:11 amI love Seoul! And I’ve been to almost all of these places. I’ll be going back up soon to do some more sightseeing. I live in Busan (at the bottom of Korea) and there are tons of things to do here.
Chessica Mirasol
October 19, 2016 at 5:08 amYour article is so helpful for other tourists who are doing some reading before travelling to Korea! Seoul has been one of my dream destinations and I might be there next year. Def bookmarking this so I can use it for future reference. Btw, your photos are lovely! You are so pretty too 🙂
Juliette | Snorkels to Snow
October 21, 2016 at 1:26 amThis is fantastic – we’re stopping through Seoul on our trip to Japan but only have a day layover. We hope to get a city transit tour during the day so we can see a bit of the Seoul as it looks incredible! So much to do by the sounds of things!
Tina and Jimmy
October 22, 2016 at 3:52 pmThe Gyeongbukgung Palace looks very cool! and visiting the museum and tea rooms would be very interesting indeed! Love that it’s free, hey who doesn’t love free! Would like to visit Seoul sometime. My friends tell me the night life is awesome!
Allison
October 23, 2016 at 11:41 pmSeoul looks fantastic. Good to know it’s in your top 5 counties. Looks like I will have to add Korea to my ever growing busket list!
sarah
October 26, 2016 at 8:27 amSeoul does look amazing, I travelled a lot in Asia but never went to South Korea; it was relatively expensive compared to other places and I think that was the main reason. It’s time I went back and did the countries I missed and put Seoul at the top of the list.
Stacey
October 26, 2016 at 12:22 pmWow, Korea has never interested me but the more pictures and posts I see the more appealing it becomes. I love this list, definitely need to save it for future reference.
Maja | Mexatia
October 26, 2016 at 5:13 pmI can totally imagine myself strolling down the Cheonggyecheon, then having fun with friends eating the BBQ and in the end parting in Gangnam style! Seoul seems like so much fun.
Clare
October 26, 2016 at 7:52 pmSouth Korea is on my list to visit, and maybe this winter. Seoul looks like a great city too with lots to do. Will keep it bookmarked for my trip 🙂
Janine
October 26, 2016 at 11:17 pmSeoul has been on my list for awhile! I find South Korea so fascinating and hope to get there someday. Top 5 countries? wow it must be very special. I still don’t know the countries that would make my top 5 besides my home of Canada. Well, except Australia and England 🙂
Courtney Jones
October 27, 2016 at 8:33 amI’ve just booked a trip to Seoul in January, so this is PERFECT! I’m staying in Myeongdong, so looks like it’ll be fairly easy to get to most of these places 😀
Mimi
October 27, 2016 at 12:44 pmTotally loved wandering alone around Bukchon Hanok Village! The instructions to get around is so friendly. Seoul gets things right!
Jan Michael De Guzman
October 27, 2016 at 11:34 pmThis post is just perfect since we are visiting Seoul this upcoming winter and we are very excited. I wanna do all of these as i found them very interesting. I would definitely maximize our short stay there.
JM | Man Of Wanders
Tina and Jimmy
October 28, 2016 at 3:18 pmNoryangjin Fish Market sounds amazing, love fish or anything seafood! Wouldn’t mind a trip to Seoul to check out markets and nightlife! Looks like you had a really nice time!
sbobet
November 11, 2016 at 9:21 amThank you for information.
tickle
December 5, 2016 at 6:17 amI blog often and I really appreciate your content.
Your article has really peaked my interest. I’m going to book mark your blog and keep checking
for new information about once per week. I opted
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Digital Travel Guru
January 21, 2017 at 10:37 pmThank you for this fantastic guide it’s on my list of places to visit so I’ll definitely be using this.
Nomad's Diary
January 21, 2017 at 10:56 pmI love everything in the place especially the stream, also the food you have featured.great post!
Katie
January 23, 2017 at 5:29 pmI would love to visit Seoul, hoping to go sometime this year!! What time of the year would you recommend?