When to go to Seoul?
→ The detailed month-by-month page, with real weather records
Best time: April to May (cherry blossom) and September to October (maples)
At a glance
Why go to Seoul?
Seoul packs nearly ten million people onto the two banks of the Han, and twenty-six million if you count the wider metropolitan area, half the country. The city has been a capital since 1394 and keeps five royal palaces among the towers, but it was devastated twice in the 20th century, first by colonisation and then by the war of 1950. What you visit today is therefore a mix of meticulous restorations and the rapid rebuilding of the 1970s.
The terrain shapes everything. Granite ridges close off the city to the north, among them Bukhansan at 836 metres, in a national park reachable by metro and one of the most visited in the world. Namsan holds the middle ground with its tower, and the Han cuts across the city a kilometre wide, lined with parks where people picnic and run. Few megacities let you do a three-hour mountain hike and be sitting on a terrace an hour later.
This is a city you eat your way through at any hour. The covered markets of Gwangjang and Namdaemun have been feeding people since the early 20th century, the streets of Myeongdong grill skewers and fish cakes until midnight, and the barbecue restaurants work with a grill in the middle of the table and dozens of small side dishes served automatically. The metro runs until midnight, taxis take over after that, and a good part of social life plays out between 8pm and 3am.
Map of Seoul: what is where?
The map shows the 6 places covered in this guide, to picture the distances and plan your route.
- Gyeongbokgung
- Bukchon
- Myeongdong
- Hongdae
- Gangnam
- Bukhansan
How much does a trip to Seoul cost?
Seoul is cheaper than Tokyo for food and transport, dearer for accommodation. The palaces cost two euros to enter, the big national museums are free, and a market meal comes to five euros. The budget climbs mainly with nights out and day trips.
| Style | Per day | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Backpacker | €50-80/day | Guesthouse or dorm, markets and canteens, T-money card, palaces and national museums |
| Comfort | €120-190/day | Hotel in Myeongdong or Jongno, Korean barbecue in the evening, taxis, one trip to the DMZ |
| Premium | €400+/day | International hotel in Gangnam, Michelin-starred tables, private guide, shows and a high-end spa |
Won can be withdrawn from ATMs in 24-hour convenience stores, with about €3 in fees and a comfortable limit. Cards are accepted everywhere, even for a €3 coffee, and many shops now refuse cash. Still, keep a few notes for the covered markets and street stalls.
Is Seoul safe?
Seoul is one of the safest big cities in the world, and you can get around without worry at any hour, including alone at night on the metro or in the nightlife districts. Pickpocketing is so rare that locals leave their laptops on a café table while they go and order. The real difficulties lie elsewhere. First, the climate: the rainy season from late June through July brings violent downpours and occasional flooding, summer heatwaves exceed 35°C with oppressive humidity, and January regularly drops below -10°C. Then air quality, with peaks of fine particles in spring, tracked by local apps and displayed in the metro. Finally, the language barrier is real outside the tourist areas: an offline translation app saves a great deal of time.
What to see and do in Seoul
- Gyeongbokgung Palace
- The Secret Garden of Changdeokgung
- Bukchon Hanok Village
- Gwangjang Market
- N Seoul Tower on Namsan
- Cheonggyecheon Stream
- Dongdaemun Design Plaza
- The Demilitarised Zone and the Third Tunnel
The palaces and Bukchon
North of the river are the five palaces of the Joseon dynasty, including Gyeongbokgung, founded in 1395, and Changdeokgung, a World Heritage Site for its Secret Garden. Between the two, the Bukchon hill lines up nine hundred lived-in hanok, with strict visiting rules since visitor numbers spilled over. Insadong, just to the south, sells paper, ceramics and tea, and Ikseondong, a second hanok village, has been converted into cafés and bars.
Myeongdong and Namsan
Myeongdong is the country's most densely packed shopping street, with its cosmetics stores, skewer stalls and permanent crowds until midnight. Just above, Namsan holds up N Seoul Tower at 236 metres and can be climbed on foot, by bus or by cable car. The ridge path follows a restored stretch of the Seoul City Wall, built in 1396 over eighteen kilometres, much of which survives around the centre.
Hongdae and the west
Around Hongik University in the west, Hongdae lives at night: concert venues, tiny bars, clubs and buskers until 3am. The neighbouring, quieter districts of Yeonnam and Mangwon have taken the overflow with cafés and neighbourhood eateries. Gyeongui Line Forest Park, laid out on a former railway line, links it all over six kilometres and becomes an open-air living room as soon as the weather is fine.
Gangnam and south of the river
On the south bank, Gangnam stacks up offices, clinics and underground malls. There's nothing historic about it, but it shows you the Korea of today: the 555-metre Lotte World Tower, one of the tallest in the world, the open library of Starfield COEX, the entertainment studios of Apgujeong. The Han riverbanks below turn into picnic parks and cycle paths for dozens of kilometres.
Gwangjang and Dongdaemun
Gwangjang, opened in 1905, is the country's oldest permanent covered market and the best place to eat standing up: mung bean pancakes, raw beef, blood sausage, tiny gimbap. A kilometre away, Dongdaemun lines up textile towers that open in the evening and close at dawn, around Zaha Hadid's aluminium building. Namdaemun, further west, sells everything in a maze of alleys and basements.
Bukhansan and the city wall
Bukhansan National Park begins forty minutes by metro from the centre and covers about 80 km² of forest and granite slabs. Baegundae peak rises to 836 metres, three hours there and back from Ui-dong, with fixed cables on the final steps. Lower down, the Seoul City Wall trail follows the ridge between the Changuimun and Sukjeongmun gates, with ID checks on some military sections.
How many days, and which itinerary?
Four days cover the palaces, Bukchon, the markets and an evening in Hongdae. Six or seven let you add the Demilitarised Zone, a hike on Bukhansan and a day south of the river.
🗺️ Day-by-day itinerary · 📓 Free printable Seoul guide (PDF) · 🌍 All of South Korea
Seoul in 4 days
Day 1: Gyeongbokgung at 10am for the changing of the guard, Bukchon in the late morning, Insadong in the afternoon, then Cheonggyecheon to Gwangjang for dinner. Day 2: Changdeokgung and its Secret Garden booked in advance, then Ikseondong and Dongdaemun in the evening. Day 3: Namsan on foot, Myeongdong and an evening in Hongdae. Day 4: the National Museum of Korea in the morning, the Han riverbanks in the afternoon, Korean barbecue to finish.
Seoul in a week
The four-day base, plus a full day at the Demilitarised Zone, booked ahead with your passport, a hike on Bukhansan or along the Seoul City Wall, and a day south of the river between Lotte World Tower, COEX and the cafés of Apgujeong. Keep an evening for a jjimjilbang, the public bathhouses open all night, where you move between hot pools, saunas and sleep on a mat for around fifteen euros.
Seoul, Gyeongju and Busan in 12 days
Five days in Seoul, then the KTX high-speed train south: two hours to Gyeongju, former capital of the Silla kingdom with its burial mounds and temples, for three nights, then another hour to Busan for the sea, Jagalchi fish market and the hillside villages. Back to Seoul in under three hours by KTX. The Korea Rail Pass pays for itself from three long journeys.
Getting there and getting around
Incheon airport is 48 km to the west. The AREX express train reaches Seoul Station in 43 minutes for about €6, and limousine buses serve the major hotels in an hour and a half. A taxi costs €50-70 depending on the time and traffic.
The metro has more than twenty lines, signposted in Korean and English, and runs from 5.30am to midnight. The T-money card costs €2 in convenience stores and can be topped up everywhere: it covers metro, buses and taxis, with free transfers between the first two.
Taxis are plentiful and cheap for a capital, about €3 flag fall and €10-15 to cross the centre. After midnight a surcharge applies and they become hard to find in the nightlife districts, where local apps work better.
The KTX links Seoul to Busan in under three hours and to Gyeongju in two, from Seoul and Suseo stations. Tickets are booked online, standing places are cheaper, and a tourist pass pays off from three long journeys.
Where to stay in Seoul?
Guesthouses and converted hanok around Bukchon and Insadong: €40-80 a night, in rooms that are often tiny with mattresses on the floor. You sleep ten minutes' walk from the palaces, in a district that's quiet at night, which is rare in this city.
Business hotels in Myeongdong and Jongno: €70-130 a night, compact but spotless rooms, with the metro less than five minutes away. This is the most practical base for sightseeing, at the cost of a shopping street that's noisy until midnight.
Hongdae and Yeonnam offer flats and small hotels at €60-110 a night, in the liveliest district in the city. Pick a street set back from the concert venues, as the noise carries far until 3am at weekends.
The big international chains cluster in Gangnam and around City Hall, at €200-400 a night. The jjimjilbang, public bathhouses open all night, remain a fallback option at around fifteen euros, with a locker, pyjamas and a mat in a shared room.
Our places to stay, stop by stop, at three budgets →
What to eat in Seoul?
Korean barbecue is cooked on a grill set into the table, with pork belly or marinated beef, lettuce leaves and a dozen banchan served automatically and refilled for free. Allow €15-25 per person, more for hanwoo beef.
The covered markets serve you standing or on a stool: mung bean pancakes at Gwangjang, fish cakes and blood sausage at Namdaemun, fried chicken and fritters just about everywhere. A full meal costs €4-8, and more and more stalls take cards.
Everyday dishes revolve around kimchi, rice and stews: bibimbap, soybean paste soup, kimchi stew with pork, naengmyeon cold noodles in summer. Allow €6-12 in a neighbourhood canteen, often with water and side dishes included.
Cafés are a phenomenon in their own right, with tens of thousands of them and fierce competition over decor. An espresso costs €3-5, a dessert the same. The districts of Ikseondong, Yeonnam and Seongsu have the most interesting ones, often in former workshops.
Entry requirements
Visa-free for 90 days (six months for Canadians). Until 31 December 2026, UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports, and those of eleven EU countries including France, Germany, Italy and Spain, are exempt from the K-ETA; other EU citizens must apply for it online before departure. Travellers without a K-ETA fill in the free e-Arrival card online in the three days before landing.
Rules change: check your own government's travel advice before you go.
Frequently asked questions about Seoul
When is the best time to go?
April and May for the cherry blossom, which flowers around early April, and temperatures of 18 to 22°C. September and October for the dry air and the red maples from mid-October to early November. Avoid the rainy season from late June through July, and January, when highs hover around zero with an icy wind from the north.
Can you visit the Demilitarised Zone?
Yes, but only on an organised tour, with your passport and a booking several days ahead. The tour takes in Imjingak, Dora Observatory and the Third Infiltration Tunnel. Visits to the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom, where you approach the demarcation line, have been suspended since 2023. Allow about €50 for the day.
How many days should you plan?
Four days for the palaces, Bukchon, the markets and an evening in Hongdae. Six or seven to add the Demilitarised Zone, a hike on Bukhansan and the south of the river. Seoul rewards long stays: the city makes sense through its neighbourhoods, and you need at least five or six of them to get an honest idea of it.
How do you get around without speaking Korean?
The metro displays everything in Korean and English, with station numbers that make navigation simple. The T-money card covers metro, buses and taxis. For directions, though, Western apps are restricted by local regulations: download Naver Map or Kakao Map, which work in English.
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