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Travel guide
Seoul
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: April to May for cherry blossom, September to October for autumn leaves
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Welcome
Seoul, in a few days
Nearly ten million people on both banks of the Han River, between Joseon-era palaces, glass towers and granite ridges that reach right into the city. The metro runs everywhere until around midnight, and the covered markets keep serving late into the night.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Gyeongbokgung Palace · 2 to 3 hThe main Joseon palace, founded in 1395, burned in 1592, rebuilt in 1867 and largely dismantled under Japanese rule; restoration began in 1990.
- Afternoon · Bukchon Hanok Village free · about 1 h 30Around nine hundred traditional tiled houses between two palaces; people live here, so respect the visiting hours the city has introduced.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Skypark Central Myeongdong€90 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Changdeokgung and its Secret Garden · 2 to 3 hSeoul's only World Heritage palace, built in 1405 to follow the hillside, with the Huwon, a royal garden of ponds, pavilions and old trees.
- Afternoon · Gwangjang Market free · about 1 h 30Korea's oldest permanent covered market, opened in 1905, where you sit on a stool for mung bean pancakes, mini gimbap and beef tartare with pear.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Nine Tree Premier Hotel Myeongdong II€110 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Dongdaemun Design Plaza free · about 1 hZaha Hadid's curving aluminium building, opened in 2014 on the site of the old Dongdaemun stadium, clad in tens of thousands of individually shaped panels.
- Afternoon · N Seoul Tower on Namsan · about 2 hA 236-metre tower on 243-metre Namsan hill, putting the observatory nearly 480 metres above sea level, with views across the Han and the northern ridges.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Lotte City Hotel Myeongdong€120 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Cheonggyecheon stream free · about 1 hAn 11 km stream uncovered in 2005 after an elevated expressway was torn down, with a walkway below street level running east through the centre.
- Afternoon · The DMZ and the Third Tunnel · a full dayAuthorised tours to the 4 km wide border strip visit Imjingak, Dora Observatory and the Third Infiltration Tunnel, found in 1978, down a steep incline.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Shilla Stay Gwanghwamun€130 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Bibimbap: rice in a bowl with vegetables, an egg and a spoonful of gochujang chilli paste, mixed at the table.
- Korean barbecue: meat grilled at your table and wrapped in lettuce leaves.
- Kimchi: fermented cabbage with chilli, served with every meal.
- Tteokbokki: chewy rice cakes in a sweet, fiery sauce, the classic street snack.
- Jeju black pork: the island's own breed, grilled thick over charcoal.
- Soju and Korean beer, often drunk together, with the street food of Myeongdong.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Google Maps barely works for directions here: install Naver Map or KakaoMap, and get a T-money card for transport.
- Mind the etiquette: pour and receive drinks with both hands, and let the eldest start eating first.
- Never stand your chopsticks upright in rice.
- Bukchon is a lived-in neighbourhood: its central lanes are closed to visitors in the evening, and quiet is expected.
- Book early for the cherry blossom in April and the autumn leaves in late October.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Korean
| English | Korean |
|---|---|
| Hello | 안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo) |
| Thank you | 감사합니다 (gamsahamnida) |
| Please | 주세요 (juseyo) |
| Yes | 네 (ne) |
| No | 아니요 (aniyo) |
| Excuse me | 실례합니다 (sillyehamnida) |
| Goodbye | 안녕히 가세요 (annyeonghi gaseyo) |
| Do you speak English? | 영어 하세요? (yeongeo haseyo?) |
| I don't understand | 이해 못해요 (ihae mothaeyo) |
| How much is it? | 얼마예요? (eolmayeyo?) |
| Where are the toilets? | 화장실 어디예요? (hwajangsil eodiyeyo?) |
| The bill, please | 계산서 주세요 (gyesanseo juseyo) |
| Help! | 도와주세요! (dowajuseyo!) |
| Cheers! | 건배! (geonbae!) |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencySouth Korean won (KRW, ₩)
BudgetAbout €125 a day, mid-range
Best seasonApril to May for cherry blossom, September to October for autumn leaves
PlugC/F · 220V
Tap waterSafe to drink, though most people drink it filtered or bottled
TippingNot customary
Emergency112 / 119
EntryVisa-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.
HealthNo vaccination required. Keep tetanus, diphtheria and polio up to date; hepatitis A is worth considering if you eat well away from the tourist trail.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/seoul
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.