Seoul Travel Guide
Three Days in Seoul
A first-timer's three days that splits Seoul into the royal north, the downtown core and the river and south — Gyeongbokgung in hanbok, the Secret Garden, Gwangjang's pancakes, N Seoul Tower at dusk and Seoul Sky over Jamsil — with the bookings to make before you fly.
Seoul is enormous — ten million people in the city, half the country's population in the wider metropolitan area — and it sprawls across both banks of a wide river. The first-timer's mistake is to zigzag: a palace in the north, then Gangnam in the south, then back to Hongdae in the west, losing hours on the subway. This plan groups the city into three days that each stay in one part of town: the royal north around the palaces, the downtown core from Namsan to Dongdaemun, and the river and the south. Each day has one or two headline sights and plenty of time to wander and eat.
Before you fly: what to book. Most of Seoul needs no reservation, but a few things do. The Huwon Secret Garden tour at Changdeokgung runs in English several times a day with limited places; half are sold online, so book as soon as your dates are fixed. If you want Seoul Sky at sunset, buy a timed ticket in advance. A DMZ tour, if you add a fourth day, should be booked a few days ahead and needs your passport. Check the palace closing days against your dates: Gyeongbokgung closes on Tuesdays, Changdeokgung on Mondays. And check whether your nationality needs a K-ETA electronic travel authorization; many countries have been temporarily exempted in recent years, but rules change.
Day one — the royal north. Start with a hanbok. Rental shops around Anguk and Gyeongbokgung stations open in the morning and rent traditional dress by the hour; make sure your outfit has a jacket with an overlapping collar and a separate skirt or trousers, and it will get you into the palaces free. Be at Gyeongbokgung for opening time to see the throne hall courtyard before the crowds, catch the changing of the guard at Gwanghwamun Gate, and linger at the Gyeonghoeru pavilion on its lotus pond. Walk up through Samcheong-dong into Bukchon Hanok Village between 10am and 5pm — the hours visitors are allowed into its residential core — and keep your voice down in the lanes. Lunch in Bukchon or Samcheong-dong, then cross to Changdeokgung for your afternoon Secret Garden tour. End the day in Insadong, with its antique shops, calligraphy brushes and tea houses, and a dinner of Korean barbecue in Jongno or a hanok restaurant in Ikseon-dong.
Day two — markets, design and Namsan. Spend the morning at the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan, free for now, and focus on the Silla gold crowns, the celadon galleries and the hushed Room of Quiet Contemplation with its two Pensive Bodhisattvas. Ride the subway to Jongno for lunch at Gwangjang Market: mung-bean pancakes, mayak gimbap and raw-beef yukhoe eaten on a bench at the stalls. Walk off lunch along the Cheonggyecheon stream, then head east to the Dongdaemun Design Plaza for Zaha Hadid's architecture and whatever exhibition is on. In the late afternoon, go to Myeongdong, ride the Namsan cable car up to N Seoul Tower and watch the city light up from the observatory or the free terraces, then come down for Myeongdong's evening food carts and some K-beauty shopping.
Day three — the river and the south. Have a slower morning, then go west to Hongdae for brunch in Yeonnam-dong, a walk along the Gyeongui Line Forest Park and a browse of the vintage and indie shops. In the afternoon, cross to Yeouido Hangang Park, rent a bike for an hour along the river, and board the Hangang Bus ferry or a sightseeing cruise heading east. Finish in Jamsil, at the Lotte World Tower: Seoul Sky at sunset, a walk around Seokchon Lake as the Lotte World castle lights up, and dinner in the mall or the restaurants around Songridan-gil. If you prefer Gangnam's shopping, swap the evening for COEX and the Starfield Library, then Garosu-gil.
If you have a fourth day. Take a DMZ tour: Imjingak, the Third Infiltration Tunnel and Dora Observatory, with a guide to explain what you are seeing. The JSA at Panmunjom is not open to ordinary tourists, so do not book any tour promising it. Alternatively, spend a full day at Lotte World with children, visit the War Memorial of Korea, or head out of the city to the Suwon fortress or the mountain trails of Bukhansan National Park.
Where to base yourself for this plan. Because days one and two center on the north and downtown, a base around Gwanghwamun, Jongno, Myeongdong or City Hall is ideal. Hongdae works for nightlife lovers and has the airport railroad; Gangnam and Jamsil suit a longer or more shopping-focused trip but add travel time to the palaces.
Saving money on this plan. Much of it is free or nearly so: palace entry is a few thousand won (free in hanbok), Bukchon, Myeongdong, DDP's public spaces, the Han River parks and Hongdae cost nothing, and the National Museum's permanent galleries are free until paid entry arrives, expected in 2027. A rechargeable transport card covers subways and buses with transfer discounts. Market meals and convenience-store breakfasts keep food costs down, and there is no tipping.
The honest adjustments. In summer heat and the July monsoon, move outdoor sights to early morning and fill afternoons with museums, Lotte World and shopping malls. In winter, the palaces are beautiful under snow but cold, so dress in layers. With children, swap Insadong for Lotte World and give the Han River an afternoon of bikes and picnics. And leave space every day for the unplanned: an alley restaurant with a queue of office workers, a pojangmacha tent bar, a rooftop cafe. That is the Seoul you will remember.