Seoul travel guide

Palaces, hanok lanes, markets and K-culture. Most people stay 3–5 nights. Best months: Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov.

Highlights

• Gyeongbokgung
• Bukchon Hanok Village
• Changdeokgung Secret Garden
• N Seoul Tower
• Gwangjang Market
• DMZ tour

Things to do in Seoul

• Gyeongbokgung Palace & changing of the guard · 2.5 h · about ₹200 per person. Closed Tuesdays. Guard ceremonies at 10am and 2pm at Gwanghwamun; entry is free if you wear hanbok. The National Folk Museum inside is free.
• Hanbok rental & palace stroll · 3 h · about ₹1,500 per person. Shops near Gyeongbokgung Station rent by the 2–4 hours; hair styling costs extra. Hanbok gets you into the main palaces free.
• Bukchon Hanok Village walk · 1.5 h · free. Residential lanes: visitors are restricted to roughly 10am–5pm in the core area, with fines outside those hours. Keep voices down and don't photograph into homes.
• Changdeokgung Palace & Secret Garden tour · 2.5 h · about ₹500 per person. Closed Mondays. The Secret Garden (Huwon) is by timed guided tour only; English slots sell out, so book online ahead or queue at opening.
• Insadong & Ssamziegil craft streets · 2 h · free. Traditional tea houses hide in the side lanes; Jogyesa temple is a five-minute walk.
• Myeongdong street food & shopping · 2 h · about ₹1,200 per person. Stalls set up from about 4–5pm. Skincare shops give instant tax refunds with a passport.
• N Seoul Tower & Namsan cable car · 2 h · about ₹1,700 per person. Cable car queues are long at weekend sunsets; the walk up from Myeongdong takes about 30 minutes.
• Lotte World Tower Seoul Sky · 1.5 h · about ₹1,950 per person. Sunset tickets cost more and sell out; book online. Pair with Seokchon Lake below.
• Lotte World theme park (full day) · 9 h · about ₹3,900 per person. The indoor Adventure section works in rain or winter; Magic Island is outdoors. Buy online, and avoid weekends and Korean school holidays.
• Everland theme park, Yongin (full day) · Full day · about ₹4,800 per person. About 1h by express bus from Gangnam. Panda World and the safari queue early; T Express closes in strong wind or rain.
• DMZ tour (Imjingak, Third Tunnel, Dora Observatory) · 8 h · about ₹6,000 per person. Only with a registered tour, booked a few days ahead. Bring your passport — you are turned back without it. Tours don't run on Mondays and can be cancelled at short notice; JSA (Panmunjom) visits are often suspended.
• Hongdae evening: busking, cafes and bars · 3 h · free. Street performers gather on the main walking street from early evening, busiest Friday and Saturday.
• COEX Starfield Library & Bongeunsa temple · 2 h · free. Free; the library is inside COEX Mall. Bongeunsa is across the road and quieter in the morning.
• Gwangjang Market food tour · 1.5 h · about ₹1,300 per person. Try bindaetteok (mung bean pancake) and mayak gimbap; check posted prices before ordering. Bindaetteok suits vegetarians if fried without meat.
• Han River cruise & Yeouido picnic · 2.5 h · about ₹1,500 per person. Locals order fried chicken delivered to Yeouido Hangang Park. The Banpo Bridge rainbow fountain runs roughly April–October.
• Cheonggyecheon stream walk · 1 h · free. Starts at Cheonggye Plaza near Gwanghwamun; lantern displays in November.
• K-pop dance class & HiKR Ground · 2.5 h · about ₹3,000 per person. Studios in Hongdae and Gangnam run one-off beginner classes in English; HiKR Ground near Cheonggyecheon is a free K-culture centre.
• Jjimjilbang (Korean spa and sauna) · 3 h · about ₹1,300 per person. Bathing areas are single-sex and nude; the shared sauna rooms use the clothes provided. Try the boiled eggs and sikhye.
• Dongdaemun Design Plaza & night shopping · 2 h · free. The LED rose garden and building facade are lit after dark; wholesale fashion malls stay open late.

Where to stay in Seoul

• Hongdae / Yeonnam-dong (budget, ₹3,500–₹6,500 a night): Guesthouses and small hotels on the AREX airport line, with cheap food and nightlife.
• Myeongdong / Euljiro (mid, ₹8,000–₹14,000 a night): Central for palaces and shopping, airport buses at the door, street food every evening.
• Jongno / Insadong (mid, ₹7,500–₹13,000 a night): Walk to Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Bukchon and Gwangjang Market.
• Bukchon / Seochon hanok stays (mid, ₹9,000–₹18,000 a night): Rooms in traditional hanok houses, often with floor bedding and shared courtyards.
• Gangnam / Jamsil (premium, ₹20,000–₹45,000 a night): Large modern hotels near COEX and Lotte World, with river and tower views.

What to eat

• Korean BBQ (samgyeopsal, galbi): Mapo and Hongdae barbecue streets
• Bindaetteok & mayak gimbap: Gwangjang Market
• Tteokbokki: Sindang-dong Tteokbokki Town and Myeongdong stalls
• Kimchi jjigae & naengmyeon: Jongno and Euljiro old-style restaurants

Getting there

• AREX express train Incheon Airport–Seoul Station ~45 min
• Airport limousine buses to major districts ~1–1.5h
• KTX from Seoul Station to Busan ~2h40, Gyeongju ~2h10

Good to know

• Jul–Aug is hot and humid, with monsoon rain into late July.
• Seollal and Chuseok holidays empty the city but sell out trains; some shops and restaurants close for 2–3 days.

South Korea itineraries with Seoul

• K-culture Seoul with Nami Island · 5 nights · 6 days, Seoul · from ₹46,150 per person, base estimate before flights. K-pop, K-drama locations, skincare shopping and street food, with a day trip to Nami Island.
• Seoul first trip with Suwon · 5 nights · 6 days, Seoul · from ₹42,950 per person, base estimate before flights. Palaces, hanok lanes and markets in Seoul, with a day on Suwon's fortress walls.
• Winter Seoul & Pyeongchang ski · 6 nights · 7 days, Seoul → Pyeongchang · from ₹56,050 per person, base estimate before flights. Seoul's palaces and markets in crisp winter weather, then three nights on the 2018 Olympic slopes.
• Seoul & Busan classic · 7 nights · 8 days, Seoul → Busan · from ₹64,800 per person, base estimate before flights. Korea's two big cities linked by a 2h40 KTX ride: palaces and the DMZ, then Busan's beaches, temples and fish market.
• Seoul & Jeju · 7 nights · 8 days, Seoul → Jeju City → Seogwipo & Jungmun · from ₹60,900 per person, base estimate before flights. Three days of Seoul, then a short flight to Jeju for the volcanic east coast, waterfalls and the south-coast trails.
• Seoul & Jeju honeymoon · 7 nights · 8 days, Seoul → Seogwipo & Jungmun · from ₹57,100 per person, base estimate before flights. A hanok night and city views in Seoul, then four slow days at a Jungmun resort on Jeju's south coast.
• Autumn colour: Seoul, Seoraksan & Gangneung · 8 nights · 9 days, Seoul → Sokcho (Seoraksan) → Gangneung · from ₹56,975 per person, base estimate before flights. Palace gardens in Seoul, the Seoraksan peaks at their most colourful, and coffee and tofu on the Gangneung coast.
• Food trail: Seoul, Jeonju & Busan · 8 nights · 9 days, Seoul → Jeonju → Busan · from ₹65,800 per person, base estimate before flights. Seoul's markets and barbecue, Jeonju's bibimbap and makgeolli, then Busan's pork soup, cold noodles and fish market.
• Seoul, Gyeongju & Busan heritage · 8 nights · 9 days, Seoul → Gyeongju → Busan · from ₹64,800 per person, base estimate before flights. Joseon palaces in Seoul, the Silla capital's tombs and temples in Gyeongju, then Busan by the sea.
• Andong, Gyeongju & Busan heartland · 9 nights · 10 days, Seoul → Andong → Gyeongju → Busan · from ₹59,100 per person, base estimate before flights. Old Korea at an easy pace: Seoul's palaces, a homestay night near Hahoe, the Silla tombs and temples, and Busan.