SeoulTravel Guide
A 24-hour capital of ten million where palaces sit beneath glass towers, Seoul offers one of the most accessible and affordable great food cultures in Asia — anchored by the 1905-founded Gwangjang Market and an after-dark universe of street carts, noodle houses and tent bars.
Is Seoul right for you?
April–May, September–October
Mid-range. Comfortable without planning around money, expensive if you stop counting.
No hour-by-hour route here yet — the guides below cover it by subject instead.
April–May, September–October
Mid-range
Typical cost profile for visitors
- Busan330 km
a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in April, May, September
- Jeju Island450 km
half a day's travel · both good in April, May, September · a different price level (mixed)
- Fukuoka, Japan540 km
half a day's travel · both good in April, May, October
- Hiroshima, Japan610 km
a full travel day · both good in April, May, October
Busan
FukuokaFinding Seoul
Reading Seoul
The Unmissable Experiences of Seoul, Ranked
Palaces, mountaintop views, hanok lanes and late-night neon — the definitive ranking of what to do first in the South Korean capital.
The Storied Hotels of Seoul
From the city's century-old grande dame to a suite in the clouds above Jamsil, Seoul's landmark hotels tell the story of modern Korea — here's which one, and which neighbourhood, fits your trip.
Seoul Beyond the Crowds: The Quiet City Hiding in Plain Sight
Step one alley away from the palace queues and neon shopping streets, and Seoul turns into a city of granite peaks, hanok lanes and slow riverside parks.
Seoul, place by place
Everything below is named in one of our own stories about Seoul. The line under each is the sentence that recommended it, and the link goes to the piece it came from.
Where to stay
The areas and addresses our writers put first
Julien Jobard
Gwanghwamun
The Four Seasons Seoul put contemporary luxury within walking distance of Gyeongbokgung Palace and the galleries of the old city.
Minku Kang
Jamsil
The location in Jamsil is a subway ride from the historic centre, but for sheer spectacle nothing in Seoul compares.
Jung-gu and City Hall
SeoulThe blocks around City Hall are where Seoul's hotel story began.
Gangnam
SeoulSouth of the river, international five-stars cluster around COEX and the boulevards of Gangnam — polished, convenient for K-fashion and department stores, and lively late.
Where to eat
Tables worth crossing the city for
Gwangjang Market
SeoulFounded in 1905, Gwangjang Market in Jongno district is Seoul's oldest continuously running market and its most celebrated eating hall.
Tongin Market and the lunchbox game
SeoulWest of Gyeongbokgung Palace, small Tongin Market runs a beloved lunchbox programme: exchange money for brass coins, take an empty tray, and spend the coins stall by stall on tteokbokki, fried chicken, pancakes and na…
Myeongdong Kyoja
SeoulNearby, Myeongdong Kyoja has served essentially one dish — kalguksu, knife-cut noodles in a rich chicken broth with dumplings — for decades, and remains one of the city's great cheap meals.
Tosokchon Samgyetang
SeoulNear the palace's western wall, Tosokchon Samgyetang is the most famous address in Seoul for ginseng chicken soup: a whole young bird stuffed with rice, garlic, jujube and ginseng, simmered until it collapses at the t…
Gwangjang Market's food alleys
SeoulWe've written a full guide to Seoul street food, so here it is in one line: bindaetteok mung-bean pancakes, mayak gimbap, and a stool at a crowded stall.
What to see
The things that justify the trip
yeojin yun
Gyeongbokgung Palace
The largest of Seoul's five royal palaces, rebuilt and restored after centuries of destruction, with the peak of Bugaksan rising behind its throne hall.
Julie
Changdeokgung and the Secret Garden
The connoisseur's palace, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Y K
Bukchon Hanok Village
A hillside neighbourhood of traditional wooden hanok houses between the two great palaces — still lived in, which is why signs ask for quiet.
Vau Kim
The Han River parks
On warm evenings, Seoulites carry fried chicken and picnic mats to the grassy banks of the Han — Yeouido's park is the classic spot.
Ditmar Lange
The War Memorial of Korea
Sobering, vast and free to enter, it gives the modern city its context.
The Gyeongui Line Forest Park
SeoulA disused railway line through the city's northwest was turned into a long ribbon of park.
Namsan's slopes
SeoulTwo icons stand on the mountain at Seoul's heart.
Things to do
Walks, tours and days out we would book again
Bukhansan
SeoulWhen you want true silence, ride north to Bukhansan National Park.
What we'd do in Seoul
See and do
- Gyeongbokgung Palace
The largest of Seoul's five royal palaces, rebuilt and restored after centuries of destruction, with the peak of Bugaksan rising behind its throne hall.
Read: The Unmissable Experiences of Seoul, Ranked - The fortress wall above Naksan
Seoul is still partly encircled by its centuries-old city wall, and the stretch over Naksan, on the city's eastern hill, is the gentlest and most rewarding walk.
Read: Seoul Beyond the Crowds: The Quiet City Hiding in Plain Sight - Changdeokgung and the Secret Garden
The connoisseur's palace, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Read: The Unmissable Experiences of Seoul, Ranked - Seoul Forest and the slow Han River
On the east side, Seoul Forest offers meadows, wetlands and a deer enclosure where the city briefly disappears.
Read: Seoul Beyond the Crowds: The Quiet City Hiding in Plain Sight - Bukchon Hanok Village
A hillside neighbourhood of traditional wooden hanok houses between the two great palaces — still lived in, which is why signs ask for quiet.
Read: The Unmissable Experiences of Seoul, Ranked
Eat and drink
- Myeongdong after dark
At sunset, the shopping district of Myeongdong turns into an open-air food theatre as carts line the pedestrian streets.
Read: Seoul street food: Gwangjang Market and beyond - Tongin Market and the lunchbox game
West of Gyeongbokgung Palace, small Tongin Market runs a beloved lunchbox programme: exchange money for brass coins, take an empty tray, and spend the coins stall by stall on tteokbokki, fried chicken, pancakes and namul vegetables.
Read: Seoul street food: Gwangjang Market and beyond - The samgyetang pilgrimage
Near the palace's western wall, Tosokchon Samgyetang is the most famous address in Seoul for ginseng chicken soup: a whole young bird stuffed with rice, garlic, jujube and ginseng, simmered until it collapses at the touch of a spoon.
Read: Seoul street food: Gwangjang Market and beyond - Payment
cards are widely accepted, but market stalls prefer cash
Read: Seoul street food: Gwangjang Market and beyond
Where to stay
- Location logic
north of the Han River for palaces and history; Gangnam, south of it, for business and shopping
Read: The Storied Hotels of Seoul - Language
major hotels operate comfortably in English
Read: The Storied Hotels of Seoul
Practical essentials for South Korea
South Korean won (KRW)
Korean; English signage is good on transport but spoken English is patchy outside central Seoul.
Type C/F, 220V 60Hz
A T-money card, sold at any convenience store, works on subways and buses nationwide including Seoul, Busan and Jeju; since March 2026 iPhone users can load one into Apple Wallet with a foreign card.
Tipping is not customary and can embarrass staff; upmarket hotels and restaurants add a 10-15% service charge instead.
Tap water is treated to drinking standard and safe to drink.
Right-hand side; visitors need an International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 or 1968 conventions, carried with their home licence.
112 police, 119 fire and ambulance
Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.
China
Taiwan