Destination OS · Palaces by day, neon streets by night
Seoul 서울
Seoul is a subway city: do the palaces and Bukchon before 11:00, stay indoors at midday in summer, and save Myeongdong and Hongdae for the evening.
- Cash
- 2/5
- Heat
- 4/5
- Stroller
- 3/5
- Friction
- 38/100
Rules in force · 4
- South Korea ↗Check K-ETA and visa status on the official sites before you fly; the list of nationalities that must register online changes.
- South Korea ↗Google Maps gives poor walking and driving directions in Korea; use Naver Map or Kakao Map for routes.
- South Korea ↗Buy a T-money card (or use a phone-based transit pass) for subway and buses; it also pays at convenience stores and many taxis.
- Seoul Capital Area ↗Dec–Feb in the capital area is dry and very cold (−10 to 3°C): pack a windproof layer and warm socks.
Overview
Seoul's sights are spread over a wide basin, but the subway reaches all of them and runs late. The trips that go wrong pay for it in three ways: palaces on their closed weekday, hills with a suitcase in Bukchon, and a landing after 23:00 with a guesthouse door that locks. Four walking clusters cover a first visit; one bed is enough.
Fits
- Food and street-market trips
- Palace and museum days
- Short city breaks with a late flight home
Does not fit
- Wheelchairs on hill lanes
- Midday walkers in July and August
- Anyone who needs a car-only itinerary
- 2 days
- Palaces + Bukchon by day, Myeongdong in the evening
- 3 days
- Four clusters, one per half-day
- 5 days
- Four clusters + Suwon half-day + one market day
- Don't confuse
- Gyeongbokgung is the main palace; Changdeokgung and Deoksugung are separate palaces with their own closing days.
Decide
You will like
- Fast, cheap subway
- Late-night food
- Palaces and hanok lanes
You will hate
- Hills with luggage
- Summer humidity
- Winter wind
When
Very cold and dry; check Seollal dates.
Cold; Seollal closures some years.
Cold mornings; yellow dust on some days.
Blossoms and mild; palaces are busy.
Warm and dry; a good month.
Warming; monsoon rain starts late in the month.
Monsoon rain, heat and humidity.
Hottest and most humid; typhoons possible.
Still warm; Chuseok some years.
Best month for walking; autumn colour.
Cool and dry.
Cold; short days.
Money
- Budget
- ₩50,000–90,000 excl. bed / day
- Mid
- ₩90,000–200,000 excl. bed / day
- High
- ₩200,000+ excl. bed / day
- IC card
- Buy a T-money card (or use a phone-based card) at the airport or a convenience store; the subway is cheap and reaches every cluster.
- Cash rule
- Keep ₩30,000 in small notes for markets; use Global ATMs in convenience stores or banks, not on dark streets.
Arrive
GMP to Seoul: AREX or subway Line 9 straight into the city in 30 minutes; use Gimpo for Tokyo Haneda, Osaka and Taipei Songshan flights.
ICN to Seoul: the AREX train to Seoul Station in about an hour, then one subway leg; the risk is landing after 23:00 when the last train has gone and a taxi costs ten times more.
Move
- Default
- Walk inside a cluster; subway between clusters; taxi at night or with bags.
- Passes
- No pass. Subway rides cost about ₩1,600 each with a T-money card; a short taxi is often ₩5,000–9,000.
- Last trains
- The subway stops around midnight; night taxis carry a surcharge. Check the last train in Naver Map before dinner.
- Other modes
- Other modes (Rome2Rio)
Luggage
- Lockers
- Coin lockers at Seoul Station, Hongik Univ. Station and many major subway stations; hotels hold bags after check-out.
- Forwarding
- Luggage-delivery services run between the airport and some hotels; ask your hotel before you fly.
- Dead zone
- Late check-out flights: ask the hotel to hold bags and use a station locker, not a bus.
Clusters
Morning cluster: the palace at opening, the gate and the square before the tour groups; open courtyards with little shade, so go before 11:00 in summer.
rescue coverage 100% · max p90 6.8′ · half
Late-morning cluster: Bukchon lanes early, then Insadong's alleys and tea houses; steep and narrow, so a day pack only.
rescue coverage 98% · max p90 7′ · half
Evening cluster: shopping streets, street food and the cathedral; crowded after 17:00, so eat early or late; flat with short bus-free walks.
rescue coverage 100% · max p90 6.3′ · half
Afternoon and night cluster: cafés on Yeonnam-dong, the walking street and buskers after 18:00; flat, and on the AREX line to the airport.
rescue coverage 91% · max p90 7′ · half
Days
Palaces and hills in the morning, indoors at midday, streets at night; the last day ends with the bags already at the AREX station.
Places
Go early on a weekday and stay on the posted lanes; 45 minutes; hills and steps, so a day pack only.
Go at opening on any day except Tuesday; 90 minutes through the main courts; dress in a hanbok for free entry if you like, otherwise buy at the gate.
Eat
Walk-in ginseng chicken soup near the palace's west side; go before 11:30 or after 14:00, because the queue at noon can pass 30 minutes.
Sleep
Evenings and the AREX airport line: two stops from Seoul Station and direct to Incheon; louder at night, so ask for a room away from the street.
Desk: staffed 24h
First-timers: one subway stop from Seoul Station and a walk from the AREX line's Seoul Station hub; pick a hotel with a 24-hour desk and a lift.
Desk: staffed 24h
Survive
Safety
- Cross at signals; drivers turn into crossings, so look before stepping off the kerb.
- Summer (Jul–Aug): AC stop every 60–90 minutes; drink water.
- Emergency: 112 police, 119 fire and ambulance, 1330 Korea Travel Helpline.
Red lines
- Palaces: no climbing on walls or steps; follow guard instructions.
- Bukchon is a residential lane: keep quiet and follow the posted visiting rules.
- Do not photograph people at close range without asking.
Practical
- Public toilets are in every subway station and most parks; carry tissues.
- Tap water is drinkable; most people drink filtered or bottled water.
Nearby: Seoul Capital Area trips
Sources
- Visit Seoul (official tourism) (official)
- Visit Korea (Korea Tourism Organization) (official)
- Wikivoyage - Seoul (secondary)