Last updated on June 9th, 2024 at 12:59 pm

Have you ever traveled to a place with low expectations and wondered why is it not the talk of the town?! Yup that happened to us with S. Korea. The fact that we visited Seoul before Tokyo also helped a lot. In this 3 or 4-day Seoul itinerary blog post, we want to share all the things we loved and didn’t love about Seoul.

In addition to this post, we have three other posts that will help you in planning a trip to Seoul

• Important facts & travel tips to know before visiting Seoul
• Seoul shopping guide – What and Where to shop
• Boryeoung Mud Festival – A must-attend if visiting S. Korea in July

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

When I decided to join Gaurav in Seoul at the end of his work trip there were people who advised me against it. The political instability of this region seemed to concern them but these were also the people who haven’t traveled outside the US in ages. I’ve felt safer exploring Seoul as a solo female traveler than certain cities in Europe. 

A city rooted so deeply in its tradition and culture yet so modern in leading the world with innovation. Nothing summarizes this sentiment more than the photo below of Korean Royal Guards next to a Dunkin Donut!  

Best Time to Visit Seoul

We visited Seoul in the middle of summer heat and extreme humidity (months of July-August) and it was very difficult to sightsee without getting drenched in sweat during the day. You will probably enjoy Seoul best during the spring (hello cherry blossoms!) and autumn months (oh hi fall colors!.

But if you are traveling in the winter months then be sure to pack those warm clothing for sub-zero temperatures. Don’t miss out on the number of free things Korean tourism has to offer no matter what season you visit. We have listed them below.

Transportation in Seoul

From Incheon Airport to the CITY

You can either take a cab or local train or take the Airport Limousine Bus as we did from Incheon Airport.

Before exiting the airport look out for counters selling limousine bus tickets to the city. I highly recommend asking your hotel or Airbnb host if the property is located close to an Airport Limousine stop. It took us about an hour to get from the airport to Myeongdong. The bus seats were very comfortable for a post-flight nap and it dropped us close to all major hotels.

Within Seoul

• Walking: I love putting my good old shoes (never break in new shoes while traveling!) to test so I walked long distances like Myeongdong to Namdaemun or even Namsan Tower.
• Train (Subway): Seoul is very well connected by subway trains. The train system here is like any other metro city, grab a map and trace your route beforehand. You can purchase the T-money card if intend to use trains often but in my 3-days it was more economical for me to just buy single journey tickets.
• Taxi: I also ended up taking a cab one of the days when I was getting late for my tour. TIP: Get the address of your destination written in Korean by the hotel staff. Uber also works in Korea in case you are wondering.

With the amazing public transport, you absolutely don’t need a car rental in Seoul.

3 or 4 Day Seoul Itinerary

Here’s a daily breakdown of activities, details on each of these unique things to see and do in Seoul follows.

Day 1:

• Head to the Seoul Global Center in Myeongdong and grab the city map or sign up for free events organized by the center.
• Grab lunch at the Lotte Mall food court at the basement level then check out the Namdaemun market after lunch.
• Visit Namsan Seoul Tower at sunset and come back to glittering Myeongdong for the night market or delicious street food in the evening. 

Day 2:

• Explore a couple of Royal Korean Palaces.
• Have lunch at Tongin market.
• Stop by at Jogyesa temple, and end the day shopping and dinner in Insadong.

Day 3:

• Visit Hongdae’s artsy district with its cute theme cafes such as Hello Kitty. Some of these cafes are pet cafes namely – Meerkat, Thanks nature cafe, the Galapagos. You could also visit the trick eye museum in Hongdae.
• If you want to skip the university area of Hongdae then check out Dongdaemun Design Plaza and market.
• Later in the afternoon go shopping at Gangnam underground market and check out the party scene in Gangnam at night.

Day 4:

• Keep day 4 for day tours from Seoul such as North and South Korea border aka DMZ tour
• Or explore Lotte World with kids or just relax.  
• Or take a day trip from Seoul to Busan

We gave ourselves an extra day 5 to experience the Boryeong Mud Festival from Seoul, something you must attend if you are visiting in July!

TIP: Consider buying a Seoul City Pass if you are going to visit a lot of paid attractions. I won’t recommend it for the itinerary I am suggesting.

Fun Things to See and Do in Seoul, S. Korea

VISIT THE PALACES

There are 5 palaces within the city limits of Seoul, crazy how the modern skyscraper co-exists harmoniously with the medieval Korean architecture.

Here are the five palaces and their location on the map –

1. Gyeongbokgung Palace (Largest and most visited Palace)
2. Changdeokgung Palace (Best known for its Huwon secret garden)
3. Changgyeonggung Palace 
4. Deoksugung Palace (Least crowded and the only one in the center of the city)
5. Gyeonghuigung Palace

Entrance fee: You have the option of buying an individual palace pass or a combination pass (that’s what I got) which covers the first four palaces in the list above + the Jongmyo Shrine. The pass can be bought at the entrance ticket counter of any palace. If you wear a Hanbok, the entry is free to any of these palaces! I took a free walking tour of a  Seoul palace which I will highly recommend once you have purchased the entrance ticket.

While most folks visiting Seoul just go to the most popular Gyeongbokgung Palace, I would also suggest visiting two other palaces – Changdeokgung (ask for the secret garden tour timings at the ticket counter) and Deoksugung Palace. You could possibly visit these 3 palaces in one day or spread it across 2 different days.

TIP: Watch the Royal Guard changing ceremony. It takes places only at 2 palaces – Deoksuggung Palace (see timings) and Gyeongbokgung Palace (see timings). It’s free to watch but make sure to check out the exact timings before you go.

Unhyeonggung Palace is another smaller palace which is free to enter.

Jogyesa Temple

After a long day of palace hopping, I found my zen at Jogyesa temple. The welcoming lotus garden at the entrance, the colorful lanterns in the courtyard, and the soothing smell of incense were enough to transport me to a world far away from the bustling city. Remember to take off your shoes before going inside the temple where three golden Buddha statues sit in deep meditation.  

BUKCHON HANOK VILLAGE

Roughly about 15-20 minutes walk from Gyeongbokgung Palace lies the Bukchon Hanok Village. It is a grid of ancient streets with hundreds of traditional Korean houses called Hanoks. Entrance to the village is free but be respectful of the fact that these Hanoks are residential houses.

Bukchon is yet another brilliant demonstration of how Koreans have mastered the art of preserving the old while embracing the new. It is a hilly walk so wear comfortable shoes. 

TIP: You can also take a free guided walking tour of Bukchon Hanok Village organized by Seoul tourism board as I did.

GRAB LUNCH AT THE LOCAL TONGIN MARKET

There is more about food later in this post but I couldn’t resist a special mention of Tongin. It is located just 10 minutes walk from Geongbokgung Palace making it a perfect stopover for lunch either before or after your palace visit.

TAKE A K-POP DANCE CLASS

The Seoul cultural center in Myeongdong offers free K-Pop dance classes that you might want to try if you love dancing.

SEE NAMSAN SEOUL TOWER 

There are a few different ways to get on the top of Namsan mountain to reach Seoul tower, either a hike up or take the bus or the cable car to the top. I took the cable car for about 9,500 won return ticket. The cable car entrance is about 10 minutes walk from Myeongdong station exit 3.

It’s another 10,000 won to go on top of the Seoul Tower Observatory. In my honest opinion, skip the observatory as you get the real and best view of the city from the mountain top anyway. TIP: Visit the Namsan tower at sunset or at night for a spectacular view.

PARTY like THE KOREANS aka Go to a Korean Karaoke 

The university indie area of Hongdae and the party culture in Gangnam are the two best places for some great nightlife.

WALK THE SEOULLO

Seoullo is an elevated walkway covered with lots of greenery and parks along the way. Since it is elevated you get a great view of the city from up here. TIP: If you have some spare time in the evening then Seoullo can make for a nice walk after shopping in Namdemun shopping district.

SHOP AND EXPLORE THE LOCAL MARKETS

I wrote a very detailed post on where and what Shop in Seoul that you might want to read. But in short, these are some of the popular shopping districts –

• Myeongdong
• Insadong
• Namdaemun
• Gangnam
• Dongdaemun
• Hongdae

WEAR A HANBOK (Traditional Korean Dress)

It seemed that the most popular thing to do in Seoul for both men and women clearly was to wear a Hanbok. After a while, I started feeling left out at the Gyeongbokgung for not wearing one. Luckily there was Seoul Global Cultural Center in Myeongdong which let me try a Hanbok for FREE the next day. You will need to show your passport to validate that you are a foreign tourist.

Here are some Hanbok rentals for 24 hours in Seoul.

TAKE ONE OF THE FREE GUIDED WALKING TOURS

As if I haven’t already talked about it, here it is again, Seoul offers free walking tours to tourists who want to explore the city on foot. TIP: I’d highly recommend you to sign up online in advance especially for one of the palace tours to learn about the imperial history and architecture of the Koreans. 

I had a very nice volunteer tour guide on one of my palace tours who told me a great deal about the history, political instability, and modern day life in Seoul. 

Cheonggyecheon stream

This was a local recommendation and I stopped by one evening for a stroll. Only to leave 5 minutes later after realizing the insane amount of mosquitoes and other bugs (I guess due to the summer heat & humidity) that were everywhere near the stream. I decided to keep Cheonggyecheon stream in this list in case you want to be your own judge.

Indulge in TRADITIONAL As well as STREET FOOD in Seoul

You have to eat your heart out in Seoul and yes traditional and street food is totally different from each other.

Street Food

The street food vendors get super creative with their food and street food in Myeongdong is the best in Seoul. Make sure to go in the evening when vendors start opening their shop.  I highly recommend to also check out the Korean food court at Lotte Mall’s basement (they have amazing pastries in OPS bakery!!)

Traditional Food

On the other hand, there are many local and fancy restaurants serving a big list of traditional Korean food. Most restaurants had photos of the dishes on their menu which was super helpful since I barely knew what to order. Luckily I had a Korean friend in the US who kept recommending new dishes to try. If you eat meat, you’ll love the Korean BBQ (Bulgogi). 

The best part is you’ll find plenty of vegetarian food in Seoul. Ask for dishes with Tteok-bokki (rice cake) or Kimchi with no meat in it. Then, of course, there is all time favorite Japchae (stir-fried noodles) and Bibimbap which can be made with or without meat. For my Indian friends, if you are craving home food there are Indian restaurants all over Seoul as well.

Drinks

Please do not leave S. Korea without trying their local alcoholic drink called Soju. It comes in different flavors in addition to the original and my all time favorite is the green grape flavored Soju. So glad that we can find it in Korean restaurants in the US as well!

What I missed though were some cute themed and pet cafes (including the Hello Kitty café) in Hongdae district in Seoul. I hope you try ‘em out!

KOREAN SPA

First and foremost you must know than Korean spas require you to completely strip off every single piece of your clothing. If that is something you are comfortable doing, you probably will enjoy all the unique themed spa rooms here. Since I couldn’t get past the first part, I don’t have much insight for you.

Day Trips from Seoul

THE DMZ Tour – BORDER OF NORTH & SOUTH KOREA

The Demilitarized Zone is the border between South and North Korea. It makes for one easy and intriguing day trip from Seoul. After all, we’ve wondered what it would be like to see N. Korea, well at least you see what it is like from the border. This would make for a perfect day 4 activity. DMZ tour with transportation can cost you anywhere between $45 – $60 depending on which company you go with.

LOTTE WORLD

If you’d rather skip the DMZ on day 4 for some entertainment then Lotte World is the perfect answer. Especially for those traveling with kids to Seoul you are bound to have a fun filled family time at one of the world’s largest theme park. Lotte World has way too much to offer, a theme park, an amusement park, musicals, souvenirs shops, cultural museum, and an ice rink. 

Where to stay in Seoul

Based on our personal experience of staying in Myeongdong and being centrally located to almost everything, we will recommend these –

• The Westin Chosun Hotel. 
• Lotte Hotel Seoul
• Lotte City Hotel Myeongdong, Seoul
• JW Marriot Hotel Seoul
• Sheraton Palace Seoul by Gangnam 
• Ibis Ambassador Myeongdong, Seoul

For more hotel choices you can look up a comparison of Seoul Hotel Prices. 

A few other logistics

Tourist Visa

Find out if you need a tourist visa to visit S. Korea or not. As an Indian Passport holder, we had to get the S. Korean visitor visa stamped in advance of our travel from the Korean Embassy in the US.

Korean Currency

1 USD = 1000 Won. Exchange your local currency to Korean Won at the airport. Although credit cards are accepted almost everywhere you will need cash for street vendors.

Pocket Wifi

This will be a great investment in order to avoid hefty international cell phone charges. We paid roughly $6/day for pocket wifi for high speed data for connection to up to two devices. You can pick up and return the device at the airport, there are plenty of vendors selling pocket wifi at the airport. Or if you book in advance here’s one for just $4/day pocket wifi.

FREE TRANSIT TOUR

If you are transiting through Seoul and do not have time to go out and explore all of these things on your own, guess what? Korea tourism has got it covered for you and that too FREE! On your transit, you can sign up for one of Seoul city’s free transit tours from Incheon airport. Keep in mind though you might need a visa to exit the airport.

That was a lot of information, wasn’t it? We really hope this helps you in planning a terrific trip to Seoul. If you liked this post then don’t forget to share or save it for later by hovering over the pin.

Happy Traveling!