Seoul travel guide
Where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Things to do in Seoul, planned over three days
Best time to visit Seoul
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best spring months, blossom peaks early April, warming to lovely May weather, with dust caveats in March and April.
Summer monsoon, July wettest and most humid, August domestic peak. June is the least bad summer month, built around evenings.
Autumn is the best season, dry and clear, October best overall, foliage late October to early November.
Winter is bitterly cold with clear light and cheapest hotels outside Seollal, a jjimjilbang and ski season.
What's on
- Yeouido Spring Flower Festival early April
Blossom peak closes Yunjung-ro in Yeouido Hangang Park to cars.
- Royal Culture Festival late April to early May
Palace evening openings, royal re-enactments and concerts at the five palaces, with a second run in autumn.
- Lotus Lantern Festival (Yeondeunghoe) May
For Buddha's Birthday, lights Jongno with parades and lantern exhibitions.
- Seoul Jazz Festival late May
Held at Olympic Park, one of the spring festivals worth timing a trip around.
- Hangang River Festival late July to August
A summer river festival when Han River parks fill after dark.
- Chuseok Mid September (14-16 September in 2027)
Mid autumn harvest holiday, palaces often free but many family restaurants close and KTX sells out.
- Seoul International Fireworks Festival usually early October
A million person riverbank night at Yeouido Hangang, book a vantage early.
- Seoul Lantern Festival November
Lantern installations along Cheonggyecheon in the evenings, free and best on weeknights.
- Garden of Morning Calm Lighting Festival December to March
Winter light festival at the arboretum in Gapyeong.
- Seollal February
Lunar New Year palace programmes, with the same holiday closure caveat as Chuseok.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Seoul
Gyeongbokgung Palace
Seoul's largest Joseon palace, best paired with the guard ceremony at Gwanghwamun and a Bukchon walk.
Bukchon Hanok Village
A living hanok neighbourhood of quiet lanes ten minutes from Gyeongbokgung, best early before crowds.
Changdeokgung Palace
The most atmospheric palace in Seoul, with the guided Secret Garden as the best palace hour in Korea.
National Museum of Korea
A vast free museum of celadon, gold crowns and Buddhist sculpture, worth two to three unhurried hours.
War Memorial of Korea
Korea's most affecting modern history museum and the essential context visit before a DMZ trip.
Jogyesa Temple
The head temple of Korean Buddhism, lantern hung and right in the centre, starting the old centre wander.
Insadong
The old centre craft, tea and gallery street linking Jogyesa to the Ikseon-dong hanok alleys.
Ikseon-dong
A tight maze of 1920s hanok alleys now holding cafes and bars, best on a weekday morning or after 8pm.
Where to stay in Seoul
Myeongdong / Euljiro / City Hall
first trip, all-round base
Dead centre on Lines 2 and 4, palaces walkable north and Namsan south, with food at every price until late.
Insadong / Jongno / Bukchon-Anguk
culture-first and couples
Palaces, temples, hanok lanes and Ikseon-dong on foot, quieter nights and the prettiest Seoul outside your door.
Hongdae / Yeonnam / Mangwon
nightlife, budget and repeat trips
Indie music, cheap eating and a direct AREX train to Incheon Airport, calmer in Yeonnam and Mangwon.
Itaewon / Hannam-dong
international dining, LGBTQ+ nightlife and a softer landing
The most English fluent, expat shaped Seoul, with global restaurants, Leeum and the National Museum nearby.
Gangnam / Cheongdam / Apgujeong
luxury, K-beauty and fine dining
Flagship luxury, top tasting menus and clinics cluster here, but old Seoul is 35 to 50 minutes away.
Seongsu
design-led repeat visitors
Cafe, pop up and Seoul Forest life on Line 2 downtown, with better value newer hotels and nothing famous walkable.
Think twice about
- Immediate Seoul Station west side and Huam-dong slopes
Concentrates homeless support services, can feel rougher late at night, and streets west climb steeply with luggage.
- Itaewon main strip
Bars and clubs until 4 to 5am on weekends in narrow hilly lanes, a poor base for light sleepers or families. Hannam fixes it.
- Dongdaemun wholesale blocks
The wholesale market runs all night with light, noise and truck traffic at 3am and uneven hotel stock. Visit, sleep west.
- Gangnam Station immediate blocks
Not unsafe, just the most generic corporate grid at Gangnam prices and far from the sights for a first trip.
Best restaurants in Seoul
Mingles
Korea's only three star restaurant, a contemporary Korean tasting menu built on fermented jang sauces.
Mosu Seoul
Ahn Sung-jae's tasting menu counter in Itaewon, reopened in 2025 with two stars and still one of the hardest bookings in Korea.
Jungsik
The accessible two star for modern Korean, with a larger dining room than Mosu and more available dates.
La Yeon
Traditional Korean fine dining in its most formal register, with lunch the value way in.
Born and Bred
A four floor temple to top grade Hanwoo from Majang market next door, the beef splurge in Seoul.
Wangbijip
The central book ahead Korean BBQ version, charcoal grilled with staff cooking Hanwoo at the table.
Majang Meat Market
Buy Hanwoo at a market stall and grill it upstairs for a setting fee, steakhouse beef at market prices.
Myeongdong Kyoja
Four dishes only since 1966, with kalguksu and mandu the best value for quality in central Seoul.
Outdoor things to do in Seoul
Bukhansan National Park
Seoul's signature granite hike inside the city limits, with a panorama over the whole capital from Baegundae.
Seoul City Wall Trail
An 18.6km Joseon wall loop doable in sections, with Inwangsan at sunset the best effort to view ratio.
Yeouido Hangang Park
Flat separated river paths for cycling, with delivered chicken and the Banpo fountain on fine evenings.
DMZ
A guided only excursion to Imjingak, the Third Tunnel and Dora Observatory, with no DIY version.
Hwaseong Fortress
An 18th century walled city you walk on top of, one hour from Seoul and free for the wall circuit.
Nami Island
A manicured river island of tree avenues, prettiest in late October foliage and February snow.
Garden of Morning Calm
Korea's best arboretum near Gapyeong, with a winter light festival, best paired with one other stop.
Gapyeong Rail Bike
A rail bike ride along the river in Gapyeong, the active alternative to a second garden visit.
Best hotels in Seoul
The Westin Josun Seoul
Seoul's grand old hotel by City Hall and Myeongdong, the default luxury central pick.
Lotte Hotel Seoul
The business luxury workhorse attached to Lotte Department Store and Euljiro station.
L'Escape Hotel
A boutique Parisian styled hotel by Hoehyeon and Myeongdong, the character alternative to big towers.
Hotel Skypark Myeongdong
Reliable mid range rooms right in Myeongdong, small but with perfect logistics.
Sotetsu Hotels The Splaisir Seoul Myeong-dong
A reliable mid range Myeongdong hotel, small rooms but perfect logistics.
Step Inn Myeongdong
Clean private room guesthouse stock a few lanes off the Myeongdong main drag, excellent budget value.
Four Seasons Hotel Seoul
The splurge for a culture trip at Gwanghwamun, steps from the palaces with a strong hotel bar roster.
The Shilla Seoul
Samsung's flagship with park like grounds, quieter and more resort like than any central tower.
Is Seoul expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₩70,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₩170,000 a person |
| Splurge | ₩470,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Changdeokgung Palace: weeks ahead
- Leeum Museum of Art: weeks ahead
- Jamsil Baseball Stadium: a few days ahead
- DMZ: a few days ahead
- Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea: weeks ahead
- Sky72 Golf & Resort: weeks ahead
- Dream Park Country Club: a few days ahead
- Olympic Country Club: weeks ahead
- Mosu first, then Mingles and Born and Bred dinner, weeks to months ahead on CatchTable or Naver Booking.
- Changdeokgung Secret Garden English tours are few per day and sell out in blossom and foliage weeks.
- DMZ tours need 3 to 4 plus days ahead minimum, passport details at booking, and JSA inclusion confirmed in writing.
- Hotels in blossom, Chuseok, late October foliage, Christmas and concert weekends need months ahead.
- Leeum special exhibitions, KBO weekend games and winter ski shuttles need days to a week ahead.
Is Seoul safe?
- Seoul is exceptionally safe, with opportunistic theft the main crime risk. Emergency 112 police, 119 fire and ambulance, 1330 travel helpline.
- Real risks are mundane: icy pavements and station stairs in winter, delivery bikes on sidewalks, and soju strength.
- Scams are commercial: unpriced tourist menus, club promoters with inflated bottle bills, and unmetered private tour taxis at the airport.
- Fine dust days peak in spring. Check Air Korea, pack masks, and treat a yellow dust day as a museum day.
- North Korea missile test alerts occasionally ping every phone. Locals ignore them unless official guidance says otherwise.
- Check your government's current travel advice before you go.
Seoul travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Myeongdong street food as dinner: priced for tourists, fine as a snack walk, not a programme.
- Starfield Library at COEX as a destination: a mall photo stop, ten minutes in passing.
- All you can eat cheap BBQ: one good BBQ beats anonymous grade meat.
- N Seoul Tower observatory tickets and love locks: the hill is free and better.
- Hanbok photo studios inside Bukchon lanes: rent near palace gates for the free entry perk instead.
- Lotte World on a weekend or holiday: queues erase the value, go weekday or choose Everland.
Getting around Seoul: public transport and more
- Subway is the city: 9 plus lines, 1,400 to 1,800 won a ride on T-money, and a Climate Card if staying 3 plus days.
- Google Maps does not work properly in Korea. Use Naver Map or KakaoMap in English mode, downloaded before you land.
- Taxis are cheap and honest, app hailed via Kakao T or Uber. Walk a block from Myeongdong or Hongdae exits on weekend nights.
- Incheon Airport: AREX Express to Seoul Station about 43 minutes, All Stop about 1 hour. Limousine buses suit heavy luggage.
- KTX from Seoul Station or Yongsan covers Busan, Gyeongju and Jeonju. Book a few days ahead for weekends.
Who Seoul suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Seoul your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store