Seoul is one of those cities that you’ll never forget. A city that you’ll always want to explore more of, as it has something to offer to everyone. It was the first and last step of my one month South Korea trip, and it is probably the city I want to go back to the most.
Visiting Seoul as a first-timer can be overwhelming because the city is really large and there are a lot of places to see and things to do.
This little guide of Seoul focuses on the areas that I would recommend for a first-time visit of Seoul: central and easily accessible areas, with important landmarks to visit or that capture the essence of Seoul. Some of these areas can also be quite touristic, but they are truly worth it.
So, if you are a first-timer in Seoul and feel a bit lost, want to plan your future trip to South Korea or just like to know more about this beautiful city, read on!
Where to go in Seoul as a First-Timer
Seoul for First-timers – Disclaimers
- Take your time: Seoul is best explored at your own pace. I do not recommend rushing through it to see as much as possible. Each of these areas could be explored in 2 hours or a whole day, it all depends on you, your interests and the time you want to allocate to each activity.
- Choose wisely: this little Seoul guide is here to help you pick the areas you want to visit. Pick the ones that speak to you the most. You don’t have to do everything.
- Wander around: some of these areas suffer from over-tourism, so I highly recommend trying to get outside of the “main photo spots” and explore the whole area instead of just one main street.
Around the Royal Palaces
Great for: history, tradition, hanoks, gardens
This is one of the most famous areas of Seoul and an absolute must-visit as it contains some of the most important landmarks of Seoul: two of the main royal palaces you can visit in Seoul: Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung.
Gyeongbokgung is considered the most beautiful by many and is the largest of all of them. Changdeokgung is probably the most well-preserved and has a stunning UNESCO-Heritage-listed Secret Garden (this was my personal favourite).
Whether you are interested in the history of South Korea or not, I highly recommend visiting at least one palace. I also include in this area the Bukchon Hanok Village, an area with hundreds of traditional Korean houses (hanoks).
What to see and do around the palaces:
- visit the palaces (there are actually 5 all around Seoul)
- explore the Bukchon Hanok Village
- rent a traditional hanbok to visit the palaces (entry will be free and you’ll get great pictures!)
- buy beautiful art prints in De Art
- get a refreshing drink at Summer Gold café
Note: there are 3 other palaces to visit in Seoul, which are less known and smaller!
Ikseondong
Great if you love: hanoks, small shops, café-hopping, restaurants
Ikseon-dong is a small neighbourhood in Seoul that has kept its original layout with renovated hanoks. Now they house shops, restaurants and cafés, and it is a great contrast with the tall buildings and large streets of the rest of the city.
What to see and do in Ikseondong:
- get lost in the maze of small streets
- hop in and out of cute shops and aesthetic cafés and restaurants
- buy modern clothes inspired by Korean traditional fashion at Teterot Salon
- eat delicious toast at Mil Toast
Insadong
Great if you love: shopping (small artists), traditional Korean arts
Very close to Ikseondong, the area of Insadong is an artistic and cultural district lined with many shops showcasing traditional Korean arts and craftsmanship. It is great to buy a one-of-a-kind souvenir! There are also a lot of traditional Korean restaurants.
What to see and do in Ikseondong:
- walk along Insadong-gil Street
- stop by Ssamziegil outdoor shopping mall to check out the shops of small Korean artists
- drink traditional tea at Jidaebang
Myeongdong
Great if you love: shopping (bigger commercial brands), skincare, busy streets and big shops, street food
Myeongdong is probably one of the most famous areas of Seoul – and also one of the busiest. Its streets are filled with shops and you’ll be able to find literally everything there. Most of the shops are of bigger commercial brands, so if that’s not your thing you can honestly just skip it.
What to see and do in Myeongdong:
- buy all brands of skincare at the huge 6-floor Olive Young
- check out the flagship stores of several Korean cosmetics brand (you get lots of samples!)
- try the street food
- go shopping!
Hongdae
Great if you love: shopping (large variety of shops), live music, café-hopping, nightlife
Hongdae is a famous district in Seoul, named after the nearby Hongik University. It is known for its lively atmosphere, independent shops, cute cafés, street performers and nightlife.
Even if you don’t enjoy nightlife, I would say it is worth a stop by to take in the atmosphere (even during the day) and to explore some of the very cute cafés.
What to see and do in Hongdae:
- see street performers (music or dancing)
- shop for unique items at Object
- stop by a cute café
- enjoy the nightlife if that’s your thing
Namsan Park and N Seoul Tower
Great if you love: nature, walking, stunning views
In all the hustle and bustle of Seoul’s life, you might want to stop and get your nature fix at one point. Literally at the heart of the city, Namsan Park is located on the Namsan mountain and is famous for its many walking trails and the N Seoul Tower.
What to see and do in Namsan Park:
- take the cable car to the top of the mountain
- get sweeping views of Seoul on top of N Seoul Tower
- take some time to relax
DDP area
Great if you love: architecture, shopping (all night), fashion, food markets
The Dongdaemun district in Seoul is filled with clothing stores and shopping malls open 24/7. The most famous one is the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) designed by the famous architect Zaha Hadid. It also hosts pop-up stores, exhibitions and cultural and artistic events.
In this area, you also have a lot of street food and one of the most famous markets: Gwangjang Market, so it is great to try traditional Korean street food too!
What to see and do in the DDP area:
- explore the exhibits at DDP
- go for an all-night shopping spree
- try the street food at Gwangjang Market
- see the Heunginjimun Gate and Seoul city walls
Gangnam
Great if you love: shopping (shopping mall, luxury and Korean brands), skincare, k-pop
Gangnam is probably the most famous district in Seoul thanks to Psy’s Gangnam Style song. It is a stylish and very modern district, with lots of high-end fashion and luxury shops and tall skyscrapers.
In Gangnam you’ll also have lots of dermatology clinics that offer great Korean treatments like the skin analysis.
What to see and do in Gangnam:
- go shopping in the trendy Apgujeong Rodeo Street or in a department store
- book a skin analysis or facial in a dermatology clinic
- walk along K-Star Road
- see the famous Starfield Library in the COEX Mall
Hangang Parks
Great if you love: nature, night views, walks
If you’ve watched some k-dramas you’re probably quite familiar with the view of Seoul offered by the banks of the Han River. The best places to enjoy these views are the different Hangang Parks all along the Han River.
There are 12 different Hangang Parks in Seoul, and everyone seems to have their favourite. Here, I’ll mention the 2 that I’ve tested and loved!
What to see and do along the Han River:
- have a picnic by the river (you can rent picnic blankets and baskets in some parks!)
- enjoy the night views over Seoul from Yeouido Hangang Park
- get ramyeon (Korean instant noodles) at night
- watch the light show from the Banpo Hangang Park
Seongsu
Great if you love: shopping (high-end and Korean brands), café-hopping, trendy spots
Seongsu, also called the Brooklyn of Seoul, is a trendy up-and-coming area with lots of pop-up shops, trendy cafés and restaurants, and many Korean fashion stores.
It is extremely popular with locals for its street art, aesthetic places and amazing shops. It can get pretty crowded in the weekends so I’d recommend going during the week if you can.
What to see and do in Seongsu:
- shop for Korean fashion brands
- buy skincare
- try all the aesthetic cafés
- take a walk in the nearby Seoul Forest
Where to go in Seoul
– Practical Info
Packing and planning
Here are two packing and planning guides, one specifically for South Korea, and the other one for any long trip.
Where to stay in Seoul as a first-time visitor?
Seoul is really big and there are many hotel options, and the opinions on the areas to stay vary a lot online. Some of the most popular areas to stay are:
- Myeongdong: very central, but can be very busy with people and shops
- Hongdae: close to a great and trendy area and on the line to get to the airport (AREX), but not very central
- Bukchon Hanok Village: beautiful hanok stays and close to popular landmarks, but quite touristic and not as easily accessible (honestly wouldn’t recommend it)
In general, I simply recommend staying close to an area that you want to visit and picking an accommodation that is close to a metro station, as you will probably be using that a lot.
For all of my trips I now use almost exclusively Booking to find my accommodations, as they are easy to use and often have great deals.
During the first couple of days I stayed in Seoul at the beginning of my 1-month South Korea trip, I stayed in a small guesthouse near the DDP. It was cheap and small but had everything we needed, although I would have loved a place that had more cafés nearby.
In the last week of my stay, I came back to Seoul and decided to splurge: after one month of travelling around South Korea, we knew we would enjoy a bit of luxury. We stayed at the LOTTE City Hotel Mapo and loved it! It is closer to Hongdae and on the airport line, very central and has every facility you might think of!
If you are interested in staying in a hanok, instead of doing it in the very touristy Bukchon Hanok Village, I’d recommend going to Jeonju!
How to get around Seoul?
Seoul is a huge city that is best explored by public transport. The metro system is on time, reliable and reaches many areas. Alternatively, there are also many buses that can take you wherever you need to go.
To use the public transport system in Seoul, you need to get a T-Money card, a rechargeable pass that you top up regularly and you can use throughout South Korea, or a Climate Pass. The Climate Pass has very interesting offers for Seoul, but you can’t use it throughout South Korea.
Both the T-Money card and the Climate Pass are to be bought at small convenience stores (there are plenty all around).
To plan your route, I recommend using the Naver Map app, as Google Maps does not work for creating an itinerary in South Korea.
In Seoul, you can also easily take taxis or Ubers, which you’ll find are probably cheaper than what you are used to.
I would not recommend getting around Seoul with a rental car, as there seems to be a lot of traffic all the time.
How much time to spend in Seoul?
I think one week in Seoul is a minimum to properly explore the city, visit the important sights and museums, experience the local life and maybe go on a day trip or two (which I recommend).
Whenever you visit a place, it is also important to explore the surrounding areas and slow down, and I absolutely don’t recommend rushing from one thing to another.
During my South Korea trip, we stayed 2 days in Seoul at the beginning of our stay to visit the palaces and the historical sites, then we came back for a week at the end of our stay to explore other parts of the city and go on a day trip.
When is the best time to visit Seoul?
South Korea has generally very harsh and cold winters and the summers are hot and humid, so the best time to visit Seoul is usually late Spring or Autumn.
In Spring and Autumn you’ll have milder temperatures, a higher chance of sunshine and beautiful flowers (in Spring) or stunning foliage (in Autumn).
My experience: our first few days in Seoul were in mid September and it was still really hot and humid, but when we came back in mid October, we enjoyed beautiful weather and temperatures ranging from 20 to 26 °C (68 to 78 F).
