Seoul, the bustling heart of South Korea, is a city where ancient traditions harmoniously coexist with futuristic innovations. From its majestic palaces and serene temples to its lively markets and vibrant street food scene, Seoul offers a rich tapestry of experiences for every traveler. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll take you on a virtual tour of Seoul, exploring its historical landmarks, cultural treasures, culinary delights, and tips for an unforgettable visit.
Visit the main Gyeongbokgung Palace
Gyeongbokgung Palace, the “Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven,” stands as a symbol of Korea’s rich royal heritage. Built in 1395 during the Joseon Dynasty, it served as the main royal palace for over 500 years. King Taejo, the founder of the Joseon Dynasty, commissioned its construction as a symbol of his new dynasty’s authority and power.
The palace complex was meticulously designed following the principles of Korean traditional architecture, with its layout harmonizing with the surrounding mountains and nature. It was the center of political, administrative, and royal life during the Joseon Dynasty, witnessing the rise and fall of many kings and queens.
However, Gyeongbokgung Palace suffered significant damage during the Japanese invasions of the late 16th century. It was later restored and expanded in the 19th century, only to be tragically destroyed during the Japanese colonial period in the early 20th century. The palace we see today is the result of extensive restoration efforts that began in the 1990s, aiming to recreate its original grandeur.
Visiting Gyeongbokgung Palace is like stepping back in time to Korea’s royal era. Here’s how you can make the most of your visit:
Getting There:
Gyeongbokgung Palace is conveniently located in the heart of Seoul, making it easily accessible by public transportation. Take the subway to Gyeongbokgung Station (Line 3) and leave through Exit 5. From there, it’s a short walk to the palace’s main entrance.
Costs of visiting
There is an admission fee to enter the palace, which includes access to various parts of the complex. The fee is reasonable and helps with the maintenance and preservation of this historic site.
Consider joining a guided tour to gain deeper insights into the palace’s history and significance. Knowledgeable guides can provide fascinating stories and details about the lives of Korea’s royals.
What to see at the Gyeongbokgung Palace
As you explore the palace grounds, don’t miss these key attractions:
Geunjeongjeon (Throne Hall): This majestic hall was the main throne hall where kings conducted state affairs and important ceremonies.Gyeonghoeru Pavilion: A stunning pavilion overlooking a serene pond, used for royal banquets and celebrations.National Folk Museum of Korea: Located within the palace grounds, this museum showcases Korea’s traditional way of life, culture, and history.
Changing of the Guard Ceremony
Experience the grandeur of the Joseon Dynasty by witnessing the Changing of the Guard Ceremony. This reenactment takes place in front of Gwanghwamun Gate and offers a glimpse into the past.
Wear traditional Hanbok
For a truly immersive experience, consider renting a hanbok (traditional Korean attire) and exploring the palace grounds dressed as a royal. Many visitors enjoy this cultural experience and it makes for fantastic photos against the backdrop of the palace’s historic buildings.
Bukchon Hanok Village
Bukchon Hanok Village, nestled between the grand palaces of Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung, is a living museum of Korean traditional architecture and culture. “Bukchon” means “North Village,” as it is located to the north of the two palaces. This historic village dates back to the Joseon Dynasty, making it over 600 years old.
During the Joseon era, Bukchon was home to nobility, high-ranking officials, and scholars. Its location near the royal palaces made it an ideal residential area for those serving the royal court. The village was designed with meticulous planning, featuring winding alleyways, stone walls, and traditional hanok houses. A hanok is a traditional Korean house characterized by its wooden beams, tiled roofs, and heated floors (ondol). These houses were designed to harmonize with the natural surroundings and adapt to Korea’s climate, with a central courtyard providing light, ventilation, and privacy.
Nowadays, people still live in Bukchon and go about their every day lives but it has also become a huge tourist attraction. People flood the streets every day wearing traditional Hanbok clothing hoping to snap that picturesque photo. I would come here early in the morning to avoid the huge crowds otherwise you won’t be able to snap up the typical photos that you might like.
Visit the cafe area of Insadong
Seoul is world famous for its beautiful cafes throughout the city. There are seemingly endless amounts of cafes (some that double as bakeries) where you can get your coffee and Instagram on. These cafes are designed in a different style than say the Bali cafes which I adore because they are more focused on their baked goods than the space and ambiance.
Cheongsudang cafe
If you can’t decide on the plethora of cafe options in the Insadong neighborhood, start off at the world famous Cheongsudang cafe. This cafe blends in traditional Joseon era decor with modern Scandinavian vibes. Like most cafes in Seoul, their claim to fame is there pastries and baked goods. We had a matcha cheese cake that was as delicious as it looked.
Cafe Onion
No visit to Seoul is complete without a visit to the famous Cafe Onion. This hanok themed themed cafe is near to the famous Bukchon Hanok village making it the perfect place to stop in for a bite before or after your visit.
This place always attracts a huge queue of tourists and locals alike that want to sit and dine the traditional way on the floor. I had no patience to wait so I ended up getting the food to go. Cafes in Seoul double as bakeries and this place had a very diverse slate of sweet and savory baked goods. I didn’t know what most of the stuff was but enjoyed everything I had.
Visit the parks for Cherry Blossom Season
If you’re visiting Seoul in the late early to mid April time frame, you might be lucky enough to catch the cherry blossoms like we did. Seoul, like Japan is famous for its massive amount of cherry trees that blossom in the early spring.
The whole city is adorned with beautiful cherry trees although some parts of the city are more picturesque than others. One of the best parks to watch the cherry blossoms is Yeouido Hangang Park just south of the river from the trendy Hongdae district. This park must be at least 2km long and completely packed with cherry blossoms.
Which areas to stay in Seoul?
Seoul is a huge and spread out city. In fact, half of the country’s population live in the Seoul Metropolitan area (roughly 25m). The city center areas are what you’ll want to base yourself in for ease of access to the tourist sites with plenty of restaurants. These are some of the best areas in Seoul.
Myeongdong
Myeongdong is a shopping paradise and one of Seoul’s main shopping districts. Here, you’ll find countless stores ranging from global brands to local boutiques. It’s also famous for its street food vendors offering a variety of Korean snacks. Myeongdong is somewhat like a Times Square midtown New York type of neighborhood in Seoul.
The central location makes it easy to access major attractions like N Seoul Tower and Gyeongbokgung Palace. It’s also walkable to many of the other areas on this list like Insadong and Itaewon.
Gangnam
Gangnam is an upscale and trendy area known for its upscale shops, trendy boutiques, and vibrant nightlife. It’s a great place for shopping, with the famous Gangnam Underground Shopping Arcade and COEX Mall. The dining scene is diverse, offering countless restaurants serving a variety of cuisines.
I liked the Gangnam area as it was home to plenty of cool restaurants and some of the best cocktail bars in Seoul.
Hongdae
Hongdae is a youthful and artsy neighborhood, home to Hongik University. It’s a hub for artists, musicians, and students. The nightlife here is lively, with numerous clubs, bars, and live music venues. Shopping in Hongdae includes indie boutiques, vintage shops, and unique fashion stores.
Insadong
Insadong is a cultural hub, known for its traditional Korean culture. You can explore art galleries, antique shops, and tea houses here. The area is rich in artisan crafts, offering handmade crafts, calligraphy supplies, and traditional Korean souvenirs. Don’t miss the opportunity to watch traditional performances like folk dances and music.
Itaewon
Itaewon is diverse and international, with a vibrant culture and international community. The area is filled with international restaurants, cafes, and shops. It’s also known for its nightlife, with bars, clubs, and pubs catering to both locals and expats.
Jongno
Jongno is the historic center of Seoul, home to many historic sites such as Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changdeokgung Palace. The area is famous for its traditional markets, including Namdaemun and Gwangjang markets, offering traditional Korean goods and street food. You can also explore temples, museums, and historic architecture here.
Seoul Station
Seoul Station is a convenient area for travelers as it’s a major transportation hub with easy access to trains and buses. Some hotels in this area offer great views of the city skyline. Nearby, Seoullo 7017 is a pedestrian-friendly sky garden with shops and cafes.
Euljiro
Euljiro is a business district, ideal for those visiting Seoul for work. It’s close to many business centers and emerging as a hub for design studios, art galleries, and creative spaces. The area also offers a trendy food scene with cafes and restaurants
Getting around Seoul
Seoul is a very big city. Half of the the 52m population of South Korea lives in the capital city after all which makes it one of the most concentrated countries in the world. Seoul has an extensive metro and bus system that connects most of the city to each other.
One of the first things you’ve probably read about is that Google Maps is not the app of choice in South Korea. I can attest that Google Maps is quite limited in its functionality within Korea.
Why does Google Maps not work well in South Korea you ask?
The answer is North Korea.
South Korea asked Google Maps to block out their military bases so the world wouldn’t be able to see their operations but Google refused which led to the state we are in now.
Nevertheless, Google Maps still works in Seoul, but it is just limited in its functionality. As an example, it cannot offer you walking or driving directions but it does offer public transportation directions. It can search for restaurants, cafes, bars, and tourist attractions. Google reviews are available albeit somewhat limited to only foreigners.
Naver Maps is the local app of choice which offers everything that Google Maps doesn’t. I found Naver Maps to be a bit difficult to use mainly because of many things being in Korean. When searching for restaurants and cafes, everything was in Korean which makes sense given its target audience but made it difficult for me to use. Naver Maps is great for walking and driving directions however which is the main reason I used it.
Cost of the public transport in Seoul
The cost of a single ride on the metro or a bus is 1,500 KRW. This was enough for everywhere I went in the city. To simplify your experience, make sure to buy a T-Card which you can load up money and use as much as you want. I couldn’t figure out where to buy one of these cards so I had to painfully buy a one ride pass every time.
I found that because of the sheer size of Seoul, I ended up spending loads of time on the metro. Every ride would easily be 30 minutes even if it was going short distances. This is why it is important that your accommodation is near to one of the lines.
Uber in Seoul
Ride hailing in Seoul was one of the main ways I got around. I couldn’t be bothered with taking the metro sometimes so I ended up using Uber. Taxis are quite affordable in the capital city with my rides rarely exceeding 15,000 KRW. Short distances could even be had for 8,000 KRW. Sometimes, you might have trouble finding Ubers late at night after a night of drinking.
Uber is also a good way to get from the airport to the city. From Incheon which is more than 1h away, you can get to the city center for 60k-70k KRW. The fast train in comparison is 12k KRW so if you are 3 or more, it almost makes sense to just take an Uber.
I also tried using the local Kakao Ride but the setup was tedious and it didn’t offer much more than what Uber already had.
What to eat in Seoul?
Seoul is the epicenter of Korean food and in the capital, you’ll have every opportunity to sample what Korean food has to offer. I’ve had ample amounts of Korean food prior to visiting Korea so I knew the things I wanted to try like Bimbimbap, kimchi jjiggae, fried chicken, BBQ, and more.
Korean BBQ
No visit to Seoul or Korea is complete without eating their famous BBQ (or multiple times like myself). South Koreans pride themselves on their beef and their BBQ. It’s likely you’ve had Korean BBQ at some point in your home country but it’s most likely going to be much better at the source.
While in Seoul, make sure to try one of the countless BBQ spots where you’ll be treated to grilled beef right in front of your table. While you’re in Korea, you will need to try their ultra famous Hanwoo beef which is a breed of cattle native to the Korean peninsula. This cow is known for its intense marbling similar to that of Japanese wagyu. I ate Hanwoo Galbi (short ribs) countless times while I was in Seoul because it honestly is hard to beat.
There are numerous price points for Korean BBQ and for the higher end cuts of beef, expect to pay accordingly. A portion of Galbi (160-180g) at a high end BBQ restaurant will easily cost you 50k to 70k KRW.
DMZ day trip
South Korea and North Korea are technically still in a war as there was no ceasefire signed. An armistice was signed in 1953 at the location where the DMZ is nowadays and it has stayed that way ever since.
One of the most popular tours in Seoul is to take a visit to this DMZ area. As I had 4 days in Seoul, this was more than enough time to dedicate a day to visiting the border.
The DMZ is actually not a border. Since the countries are in war, they can’t have a typical border that you might have between normal countries. The DMZ is in fact an area that acts as a buffer zone between North and South Korea.
This area spans the entire length of the Korean peninsula from the east to west coast and is 2km wide. Within this 2km region, it is technically regarded as a neutral zone. There is no official border between the two countries as this DMZ serves as a buffer zone and not a border crossing. The only way to actually enter North Korea is via flights from China.
In fact, North Koreans that defect to South Korea do so by escaping northwards to China before traversing the entire length of the country, and returning back to South Korea.
Booking the DMZ tour
The DMZ tour is readily available to be booked with numerous companies in Seoul. It’s probably the biggest and most popular day trip from the city. I booked my trip with VIP Travel and even though we traveled with a charter bus full of people, I thought it was overall pretty good. I might consider booking a smaller group tour if you want something more intimate but I thought it was good enough for what it was.
In addition to the DMZ, you can have an optional addon for the gondola that travels over the Imjingang Railway Bridge and the river adjacent to it.
All in all, I paid roughly 90k KRW for the entire day which did not include any meals or snacks. This price seemed to be pretty standard when I compared it to the other vendors. The day starts at 7am and you return to the city at 4pm. It’s a bit on the pricier side but it’s not a bad price for being as close to North Korea as you’ll get!
