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Lesser-known places in Seoul

Seoul's lesser-visited side: a royal ancestral shrine, the old city wall over the mountains, an herbal market, a park in a water plant and the printing alleys.

All cities · Full Seoul guide · Unusual near me

7 of 7 places

  1. Jongmyo Shrine종묘

    • Temple, church or shrine
    • Daytime

    The royal ancestral shrine of the Joseon kings, with one of the longest wooden halls in Asia. UNESCO-listed, yet far fewer visitors than the palaces.

    Getting there
    Jongno 3-ga station, exit 11.
    Best time
    Weekdays by guided tour; free walking on Saturdayscheck.
    Cost
    About ₩1,000check
    Visit with respect
    The raised centre of the stone path is for the ancestral spirits: walk on the lower sides.
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    Approximate position 37.5745, 126.9940 · South Korea

  2. Seoul City Wall on Bugaksan한양도성 백악구간

    • Walk
    • Daytime
    • Not for everyone

    A stretch of the 14th-century wall over the mountain behind the presidential area, with bullet marks from a 1968 raid still visible on a pine.

    Getting there
    Start at Changuimun gate or Waryong park; buses from Gyeongbokgung station.
    Best time
    Morning; the section closes in the late afternooncheck.
    Cost
    Free
    Visit with respect
    Photography is restricted at some military points; follow signs.
    Not for everyone
    Steep stone steps.
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    Approximate position 37.5930, 126.9800 · South Korea

  3. Seoul Yangnyeongsi herbal market서울약령시

    • Market
    • Daytime

    Streets of dried roots, deer antler and ginseng, with a small herbal medicine museum.

    Getting there
    Jegi-dong station, exit 2.
    Best time
    Weekday mornings; many shops close on the first and third Sundayscheck.
    Cost
    Free
    Visit with respect
    Ask before photographing shops.
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    Approximate position 37.5790, 127.0370 · South Korea

  4. Seonyudo Park선유도공원

    • Park or garden
    • Daytime
    • Evening

    An island in the Han River whose old water-treatment plant was turned into gardens, with concrete tanks now full of plants and water lilies.

    Getting there
    Seonyudo station, then over the footbridge.
    Best time
    Late afternoon to sunset.
    Cost
    Free
    Visit with respect
    No bicycles inside.
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    Approximate position 37.5430, 126.8990 · South Korea

  5. Tongin market coin lunchbox통인시장 도시락카페

    • Food
    • Daytime

    Buy old-style brass coins at the café, then fill a lunch tray from the market stalls with tteokbokki, pancakes and side dishes.

    Getting there
    Gyeongbokgung station, exit 2, then 10 minutes' walk.
    Best time
    Lunchtime on weekdays; closed some dayscheck.
    Cost
    About ₩5,000–10,000 in coinscheck
    Visit with respect
    Use only the tables in the café area.
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    Approximate position 37.5810, 126.9700 · South Korea

  6. Euljiro printing and tool alleys을지로

    • Street or quarter
    • Daytime
    • Evening

    Lanes of print shops and machine workshops by day, with small bars on upper floors of the same buildings by night.

    Getting there
    Euljiro 3-ga station.
    Best time
    Weekday daytime for workshops, evening for bars.
    Cost
    Free
    Visit with respect
    Workshops are work: do not block doorways or forklifts.
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    Approximate position 37.5665, 126.9920 · South Korea

  7. Ihwa hillside lanes이화동

    • Art
    • Daytime
    • Not for everyone

    A hillside neighbourhood by Naksan park with remaining murals and views across the city from the old city wall.

    Getting there
    Hyehwa station, exit 2, through Marronnier park.
    Best time
    Late afternoon for the view from the wall.
    Cost
    Free
    Visit with respect
    People live here, and residents painted over some murals because of noise: stay quiet and do not photograph homes.
    Not for everyone
    Steep steps.
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    Approximate position 37.5790, 127.0060 · South Korea

How places get on this list
  • Fewer visitors than the city's top sights: no place on the usual first-day list.
  • Open to the public: a street, park, market, museum or place of worship anyone can walk into, or a tour anyone can book.
  • Legal and safe to visit as described. We leave out private property, closed or fenced sites, abandoned buildings, active rail lines, rooftops and rock pools known for drownings.
  • Where access is limited (Hanoi's Train Street, Berlin's Spreepark, Barcelona's bunkers), we say what the rules are and how to see it without breaking them.
  • Prices, hours and access rules change: anything marked check was right when written but should be confirmed on the day.

Checked 2026-09. Coordinates are approximate; use the map links to find the entrance.