Our Standout Seoul Experiences (After Our 2-Week Trip)

We’d just spent 5 months living in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Siem Reap before we flew into Seoul for a mammoth 2-week stay with a massive itinerary planned. It was late March in 2023, and we just about caught the beginning of cherry blossom season in South Korea. We’d never been to Seoul before and we honestly couldn’t wait to get started with ticking things off our very long and varied bucket list.

We filled our 14 days with royal palaces, museums, hikes, observation decks, Korean BBQ, and of course a day trip to the DMZ. But you know what our favorite activity was? Just walking around Seoul’s diverse neighborhoods like Myeongdong, Hongdae, Insadong and Gangam to soak it all in, eat great food, and generally just enjoy life in such a cool city. It felt like a less touristy, chaotic, and intense version of Tokyo – and we absolutely loved it.

Our goal was to split the trip into two halves, spending a week staying in two different neighborhoods so we could get a real feel for local life but also maximize our time at Seoul’s top attractions like Gyeongbokgung Palace, Namsan Tower, and the Olympic Park. We chose to stay in Hongdae and Myeongdong for 7 nights each. It worked well enough, but we should have switched Hongdae for Gangnam to have a better balance between attractions on the north and south sides of the Han River.

Based on what we learned and the mistakes we made during our 2-week trip, we’re going to walk you through the experiences we consider unmissable for a first-timer visiting Seoul. Let’s dive in!

Note: Our content is reader supported and contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you and it helps us keep this site running.

Visiting Seoul’s Timeless Royal Palaces

With two full weeks in the city, we knew we’d have plenty of time to visit all five of Seoul’s Grand Palaces from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). But just to make sure, we still visited them in a priority order of most to least historically significant and important, which unsurprisingly also turned out to be in order of busiest to quietest.

Gyeongbokgung Palace

We loved Seoul’s most popular royal palace called Gyeongbokgung Palace. It was busy, massive, and took us a good 3 hours to explore. We joined a free English guided tour at 11:00 AM and thought it was well worth doing to get a better understanding of the grounds.

The architecture was beautiful, we saw a changing of the guard, and we honestly couldn’t stop taking photos. It only cost us 3,000 KRW (US $2) each to get in – amazing value for a top attraction. We actually skipped the on-site National Folk Museum of Korea because we had too many places to visit that same day, but we’d make time to go inside next time to learn more about Korean history.

Changdeokgung Palace

Changdeokgung Palace is Seoul’s second most important and visited palace with stunning architecture, a free guided tour in English that we really enjoyed, and a smaller complex that felt less overwhelming to explore.

It also housed one of Seoul’s most unique and sought after hidden attractions called the Huwon Secret Garden, a secluded area where old kings and queens once walked in solitude. We were lucky to snag same-day spots on the 11:30 AM tour of the secret garden, and while it didn’t blow us away, we were glad to have seen it. Entry to the palace cost us 3,000 KRW each and the secret garden cost us an extra 5,000 KRW each.

Changgyeonggung Palace

We actually really liked Changgyeonggung Palace. It only cost us 1,000 KRW each, it felt much quieter, the vast gardens were peaceful, and there was a photogenic greenhouse to add something a bit different architecturally. The palace buildings were just as striking, and overall it felt a bit less intense.

The biggest negative for us was the massive amount of walking involved to see it all. We visited Changdeokgung and its secret garden in the morning, then walked straight to Changgyeonggung after lunch at Heavy Steak Anguk Station (which was awesome), but by the end we were exhausted.

Deoksugung Palace

We watched a full changing of the guard right outside Deoksugung Palace, and it was one of the highlights from our trip. Then after we paid 1,000 KRW each to enter, we quickly explored the small complex and noticed there were European-style architectural elements combined with traditional Korean palace buildings.

We visited the Korean Empire History Museum, took plenty of photos, and then got on our way. It was cool to see and we’d do it again if we had plenty of time available, but we wouldn’t say it was unmissable for a first-time trip.

Gyeonghuigung Palace

Gyeonghuigung Palace was free to enter, very small, and all but deserted. It felt eerie to be standing inside one of Seoul’s royal palaces with nobody else around, so despite being less impressive in scale, we still enjoyed our visit. But it is a bit out of the way, so we’d skip this one next time unless we really wanted that same “alone in history” feeling.

Our Palaces Take Home:

This is the exact order we’d tell our friends, families and travel planning clients to visit the city’s five grand palaces. Gyeongbokgung Palace was our favorite, the rest should be considered “nice to see”. We thought we’d be missing out big time if we didn’t get tickets to see the Huwon Secret Garden, but honestly it wasn’t make or break so we wouldn’t worry if tickets were sold out.

Also, we didn’t do this ourselves, but we saw hundreds of other tourists wearing hanboks (traditional Korean clothing) at the royal palaces. It’s cheap to rent a hanbok and anyone wearing one gets free entry to the palaces so it makes it even more affordable.

Bonus Royal Area: Bukchon Hanok Village

Not a palace, but sticking to the royal theme, one popular area we absolutely couldn’t miss in-between Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changdeokgung Palace was the postcard-perfect Bukchon Hanok Village. We walked a big long loop among traditional homes that were once occupied by aristocrats who served the royal court dating back to the Joseon Dynasty, and it was definitely worth seeing.

Despite it being Instagram-heaven, super crowded, and impossible to get people-free photos, we really enjoyed walking through the attractive traditional 14th century village and would definitely do it again next time.

Soaking Up City Views From Observation Decks

We always do observation decks when visiting new cities because we love seeing iconic urban skylines from above. In Seoul, we had two on our agenda, the Namsan Seoul Tower and Seoul Sky. They’re on opposite sides of the city with totally different profiles and views, but we thought they were both fantastic in their own way. The N Seoul Tower felt nostalgic, whereas Seoul Sky felt more impressive.

Namsan Seoul Tower

We found it so easy to reach the Namsan Seoul Tower from our fantastic hotel in Myeongdong called G2 Hotel. It took us maybe 15 minutes to walk to the Namsan Cable Car, ride it to the top, and enter the skyline-dominating building. The views looking back down over Myeongdong were awesome, and we thought we’d arrived in good time to see the sunset.

What we didn’t account for was the massive amount of other people who also arrived for sunset. So we waited in a long line to get the lift up to the top, and we only just made it up before total darkness set over Seoul. In the end it didn’t matter because it was cloudy and hazy, but if we did it again we’d arrive earlier. And we’d also book this combo ticket for the cable car and observation deck with Klook to save money.

Mark’s tour tip: If we wanted someone else to deal with the logistics and tickets, we’d consider joining this top rated city sightseeing tour to see Gyeongbokgung Palace, N Seoul Tower, Namsangol Hanok Village and more popular spots in one easy day with a guide to explain everything.

Seoul Sky

It wasn’t until a few days later that we went up to Seoul Sky Observatory in Lotte World Tower, and they were completely contrasting experiences. Standing at 1,819 ft (554m), Lotte World Tower is the tallest building in South Korea and the world’s 6th tallest building, so it’s no joke. We could see it bursting high into the sky from the Olympic Park, and from directly below we couldn’t even see where the top ended.

From start to finish, Seoul Sky felt way more polished, modern and grand. The massive, wide-open views through floor-to-ceiling windows were amazing. But at that height everything below kind of just looked tiny, so that was the trade-off. If we wanted old-school we’d do N Seoul Tower, but if we wanted prestige and wow-factor we’d do Seoul Sky – and we’d buy these tickets through Klook to save money.

Taking An Unmissable Tour Of Korea’s DMZ

Booking a tour of the Korean DMZ was at the very top of our Seoul attractions list before we arrived. We decided before even arriving in South Korea that we wouldn’t chance an independent DIY-style visit to the border. Some people do it that way but we just wanted to play it safe and join a guided tour with a trusted company. So we scoured the web and booked this tour with Klook for US $50 each (around 70,000 KRW).

After joining the coach load of people on our tour group, we rode up to the border, parked, gave our passports to the tour guide (who went off to wait in a line to get us squared away with security), and had free time to explore the museums and memorials around Imjingak Park. Once we had the all clear, we were able to explore all areas of the DMZ including the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, the Dora Observatory and the Joint Security Area.

The whole experience was excellent and more than lived up to the hype, but looking into North Korea through binoculars from Dora Observatory was probably our favorite part. It was super eerie, tense and intriguing.

Frustratingly, the suspension bridge was closed the day we visited. And since we took the tour in 2023, most tour packages have added in a meet up with a North Korean defector which would have added so more value to the day trip.

With that said, we’d definitely book a DMZ tour next time and we’d either go for this affordable group tour if it was just the two of us again, or this private tour for a more comfortable and personalized day that would work better if we visited with a groups of friends or extended family who could split the cost.

Kristen’s planning tip: Read our DMZ tour review next to see exactly what we did during our day trip.

Exploring Seoul’s Cultural Neighborhoods

In our experience, the best way to truly see a place is to walk, walk and walk some more. And in Seoul, we were spoiled with a handful of cool, interesting, traditional, and fun neighborhoods to discover.

We loved Myeongdong, Hongdae, Gangnam and Insadong – they offered totally different vibes and we’d definitely spend time in each area again. The one neighborhood we didn’t like as much was Itaewon. It felt too international, nightlife-dependent, and less “authentic Seoul”. We wouldn’t bother next time.

Myeongdong

We knew Myeongdong would be the most touristy part of Seoul, but even so, it was still way less touristy than the likes of Shinjuku in Tokyo or Times Square in NYC. The G2 Hotel we booked for 7 nights was on the east side of the neighborhood near the cathedral, out of the noise but close enough to the action.

We spent a few mornings and evenings walking the narrow alleyways, eating delicious food like dumplings at Myeongdong Kyoja, visiting the Bank of Korea Museum, snacking on street food at the night market, and drinking cocktails at Ace 4 Club. The only thing we regret missing was this popular Nanta show.

Overall, we thought Myeongdong was a cool place to stay, with a superb central location and excellent transit connections. It made life easy for getting around most of the attractions we had on our list for the north side of Seoul.

Hongdae

The other part of Seoul we stayed for a week was near Hongdae. We wanted to be close to the trendy, youthful, energetic and vibrant, but low-key neighborhood because we’d read it was the “new kid on the block” in terms of fun neighborhoods to explore. And it didn’t disappoint.

Hongdae was basically a web of intricate alleys and streets filled with restaurants, cafes, shops, clubs, pubs, and street performers. The food was amazing, we ate at Pie Republic, Spacca Napoli, BBQ Chicken and Beer, and Taecho Korean BBQ (which was amazing). But one thing we’d absolutely love to do next time is this Korean cooking class with impeccable ratings. It looks so good.

Overall, we enjoyed the vibe in Hongdae, but felt it was too far detached from Seoul’s major attractions. We ended up taking a lot of metros to get around which wasted a lot of time. If it was our first time again, we’d spend an evening in Hongdae but wouldn’t book a hotel there.

Gangnam

We’ll be honest, the Gangnam Style song was the only thing we knew about Seoul’s most polished and upscale neighborhood. But it turned out to be a super fun place to explore with tons of luxury department stores, sleek skyscrapers, K-Pop, and endless dining options.

We ended up taking two full day trips to Gangnam because there was so much to see and do. Across those two days we saw the Olympic Park, Seoul Sky, Lotte World mall, Starfield Library in the COEX Mall, Gangnam Style Sculpture, Bongeunsa Temple, and the UNESCO Seolleung and Jeongneung Royal Tombs. We also walked up the main shopping street and ate a delicious bowl of ramen at Gangnam Ramen.

Overall, we really liked the wealthy, high-end feel in Gangnam. Next time we visit Seoul, we’ll book a hotel in Gangnam like the mid-range AC Hotel or luxurious Signiel, which would make it easier to tick off attractions on the south side of the city.

Insadong

If Gangnam is the modern side of Seoul, Insadong is the old-world and traditional heart of the city. We walked from Myeyondong to the Cheonggycheon Stream and continued up Insa-dong Culture Street twice during our trip to Seoul, and we really enjoyed the contrast from chaos to calm as we strolled through the slower-paced, tranquil neighborhood.

We made a point of stopping at tea houses, souvenir shops selling genuine home-crafted goods, and antique stores. Then we’d fan out from the main street to visit cultural heavyweights like Jogyesa Temple, Ikseon-dong Hanok Village, and the UNESCO Jongmyo Shrine. Then nearby to the north were the three main palaces and Bukchon Hanok Village.

Overall, we really liked the old-world appeal of Insadong. It reminded us of Asakusa in Tokyo. We ate at Heavy Steak Jongno-gu on the west side, and Nirvana Indian Kitchen to the north. If we only had a few days in Seoul to hit as many attractions as possible, we’d actually consider staying in Insadong because it’s closer to more top attractions than Myeongdong.

Mark’s private tour tip: If we wanted the absolute easiest and most comfortable way to see Seoul’s major highlights, we’d book this private city tour with perfect ratings. It’s a 9-10 hour private tour with totally optional attractions, hotel pick up and drop off, or even Incheon airport pick up and drop off for travelers with a long layover in Seoul.

Shopping & Eating In Local Markets

Food markets are always on our radar when we visit new cities, especially when street snacks are involved. So we made sure Seoul’s biggest and best food market called Gwangjang Market was on our list for lunch time. We actually started the morning with a quick walk through the maze-like Dongdaemun General Market to see endless rows of textiles, fabrics and materials. It felt like a proper locals working market and was more like a wholesale center, so we didn’t hang around.

Then we continued walking west and entered Gwangjang Market around midday. The sudden explosion of crowds inside the market hit us like a ton of bricks. Out of nowhere we found ourselves in a chaotic, loud, overwhelming and sensory overload food market with hundreds of tourists crammed into narrow walkways between street food stalls. And we loved it.

We arrived hungry and tried popular local foods like Bindaetteok (mung bean pancakes), Tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), and Bibimbap (rice and meat). But our favorite was Kalguksu, a noodle soup with the most delicious broth. Next time we’re in Seoul, we’ll 100% book this street food market tour with midday and evening start times at Gwangjang Market – it’s one of the highest rated food tours we’ve seen.

We were there for food, so we didn’t even know about the second floor showcasing silk, satin, linen, and a hidden vintage clothing area that we’re gutted we missed. As a side note – all the markets in this area felt a bit gritty, unpolished, and messy. But we never felt unsafe because they were touristy enough.

One market we visited but wouldn’t go again was the Noryangjin Fish Market. It’s the largest and oldest seafood market in Korea with a massive floor space and 700 vendors. We arrived in the morning and it was much quieter than we expected, the place was huge, and it didn’t feel especially tourist-friendly. We figured out that we could buy live seafood and then have it prepared at a restaurant upstairs, but we lost our appetites pretty quickly. It just wasn’t for us.

Hiking Up To Inwangsan Peak

We’re hikers through and through, but our hikes are usually in national parks and natural areas. It’s so rare to have the opportunity to get on a decent trail in a major city without having to take a train or drive. But not in Seoul. After visiting Seodaemun Prison (which we cover later), we walked up a residential street and started climbing up through trees and rocks from this hidden trailhead, before it joined Seoul City Wall and led to the summit of Inwangsan Mountain.

The reason we went up that way was so we could do a clockwise loop by summiting from the west, then going down the east side by following the City Wall all the way to the bottom not far from Gyeonghuigung Palace. The actual hike itself was reasonably challenging but nothing too serious, which is exactly what we wanted to blow off the city life cobwebs without it becoming a massive adventure. We’d rate it at the easier end of moderately difficult.

The higher we got, the better the views over Seoul became. Standing at 338m (1,100 ft) at the top we had a wonderful 360-degree panorama of the whole city, and on the way back down we captured some seriously cool photos of Seoul behind the City Wall descending the mountainside. We’d add the hike to Inwangsan Mountain to our itinerary next time for sure, it was well worth the effort.

Mark’s hiking tip: For a bit more adventure next time, we’d love to take a metro to Gupabal Station, bus or taxi to Bukhansanseong Entrance, and hike to Baegundae Peak in Bukhansan National Park. It’s a totally doable half day trip from the city and we think it would be pretty stress-free.

Learning At The War Memorial Of Korea

The War Memorial of Korea was the most unique and interesting museum we visited in Seoul, and it was well worth three hours of our time. The outdoor display of tanks, aircraft and military vehicles was the attention-grabbing side of our visit, but the real focus of the museum was the Korean War and the massive impact it had on the Korean peninsula.

Exhibits on the invasion of South Korea in 1950, the destruction of Seoul, and UN forces from around the world getting involved helped us better understand the modern history of Seoul. And the human stories of separated families, casualties and the division of North and South Korea were heavy and emotional but important for context. One of the standout things that made it hit home more was knowing that the war officially never ended – it’s an armistice between North and South, not a peace treaty.

In some senses we found the War Memorial to be a welcome break from all the technology, food and K-pop references. Seoul is a seriously fun place to explore, but it was nice to be grounded with something a bit more serious. We’d definitely recommend it to our friends and families visiting Seoul for the first time, and we’d go again ourselves next time.

We also visited the Seoul Museum of History and the National Museum of Korea. They were both excellent, and gave us a far less moving way to learn about the country’s past, all the way back to prehistoric times. If we felt like the War Memorial would be too heavy but we wanted to understand what made Seoul the city it is today, we’d replace the War Memorial with the Museum of History or the National Museum.

Kristen’s lunch tip: After three pretty intense hours learning about the war, we left the museum hungry. Luckily, we found a cheap and cheerful restaurant near the memorial called Hangang Burger and the burgers were great.

Strolling Through Seoul Olympic Park

After eating a fantastic pastry-heavy breakfast at Paris Croissant, we took a slow stroll through Seoul’s vast Olympic Park which was built for the 1988 Summer Olympics. The key thing to mention here is that the park didn’t really feel like we were at an old olympic site, it felt more like a massive public green space with walking trails, sculptures and big stadiums.

But we actually really enjoyed the walk because it was a nice break from the high-energy areas like Hongdae, Myeongdong and Gangnam. It was calm, wide-open, and quiet – so we slowly walked in a clockwise route with our coffees and stopped to see the remains of Mongchontoseong Fortress, several sculptures, and finally the Olympic Park Peace Gate before continuing our walk west to Seoul Sky at Lotte World Tower.

We don’t necessarily think the Olympic Park is a must-visit attraction for every first-timer going to Seoul, but with 5+ days in the city we’d definitely add it to our itinerary. Starting there on one of our Gangnam days was efficient, easy, gave us a break from the city, and helped us squeeze in a bit of gentle exercise. The Peace Gate was super photogenic by day, but we’d love to get a photo of it lit up at night.

Kristen’s “less walking” tip: If you don’t want to walk around the massive park, we saw two-wheeled or four-wheeled rental bikes near the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium.

Learning About Seodaemun Prison

We almost didn’t visit the Seodaemun Prison History Hall because it wasn’t on any must-do Seoul activities lists for first timers, but we’re so glad we did enough of our own research to find it and visit before hiking up to Inwangsan Mountain. Seodaemun Prison was built by Japan during the colonial occupation of Korea, and it was used to detain and torture Korean independence activists.

Sound a bit heavy? Well, if we’re being honest, seeing the old cell blocks, interrogation rooms and execution areas was hard. It was nowhere near the scale of a place like Auschwitz which is harrowing on a level that’s hard to even comprehend, but Seodaemun Prison left us feeling similar emotions – it was thought provoking and grim, but felt like such an important part of Korean history.

Just like the War Memorial, we think Seodaemun Prison is another essential place to visit in Seoul to go deeper than just visiting palaces, shopping and eating in food markets. It’s not “fun” at all, but it’s an integral part of Koreas modern history. There were barely any tourists around, and the quiet openness only added to the spine-tingling feelings we were already experiencing.

Eating Korean BBQ

What would a first-timers guide to Seoul be without mentioning Korean BBQ, one of Seoul’s most iconic dining experiences. We tried a few different spots around the city, grilling meat over a barbecue built directly into the center of our table. We tried pork belly, beef brisket and short ribs, and they were all amazing. And the meat typically came with tasty dipping sauces like spicy gochujang, ssamjang and sesame oil, along with lettuce wraps, garlic, and kimchi.

We have to say, eating Korean BBQ in a local restaurant in Seoul that had no English on the menu and nobody speaking English made it feel so much more authentic! We ran into language issues in some restaurants with fried chicken baskets that came out with different cuts than we’d hoped, but photos on menus did help us out on most occasions.

Next time we’d love to join this Korean BBQ and pub tour in Mapo (near Hongdae) for a more immersive experience – it’s got near perfect ratings and looks like a great introduction to authentic Korean BBQ.

What To Skip

We spent 14 days non-stop exploring Seoul from dawn to dusk, so naturally there were a few places we visited that we didn’t think were worth it. It really frustrates us when people aren’t honest about their experiences, but the key thing to remember here is that the places listed below are based on our personal preferences, hobbies, and travel style so you might not agree. Here’s what we wouldn’t do next time:

Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP)

Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) stands for Dream, Design, and Play. Now, don’t get us wrong, the building was architecturally stunning. That’s why we went in the first place.

But because there was no special exhibition, fashion show, conference, forum or international event that interested us, we didn’t really do much after arriving. We’d be happy to cut it from our next trip.

SeMA

We’ve never been especially interested in modern art, so it would have taken something special for the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) to really impress us. And you know what? It was even more disappointing than we expected.

The temporary exhibitions rotate, and it sounds like they can be hit or miss, we got a miss. In truth, we feel like you’d have to be super interested in modern art and get lucky with the exhibition for it to be worthwhile. SeMA will not be on our next itinerary.

Bank Of Korea Money Museum

The Bank of Korea Money Museum is actually the hardest one for us to put into our skip category because Kristen has always loved mint museums, money museums, and old coins. Plus this museum in Myeongdong was actually really well laid-out, interesting and super quiet.

So why skip it? Well, because it’s a super-niche subject matter. If you’re interested in the history of Koreas money or finance in general, add it to your list, otherwise it’s probably a pass for most first-timers with so much else to see and do.

Seoullo 7017

We had visions of NYC’s High Line before arriving to Seoullo 7017, but it turned out to be nothing like it. The area around the station was gritty – rough even for Seoul – and the actual walkway felt like a complete waste of time with no outstanding features.

Maybe we just hit it at the wrong time of day. It looks cool lit up at night, but unless it’s been cleaned up a bit since our visit in 2023, we wouldn’t go again.

Han River Cruise

We didn’t actually do a Han River cruise but we walked across one of the long bridges and saw a few early morning tourist boats floating on the water. If we absolutely had to take a river cruise, we’d book this one through Klook because it’s cheap and cheerful.

But for us, a cruise isn’t worth doing in Seoul because the architecture isn’t iconic like Hong Kong, we’d rather see city views from Namsan Tower, and the river isn’t easy to access from neighborhoods like Myeongdong. It would be an effort to do it, rather than it being an easy addition to the trip.

Next Steps

We hope our guide on the top things to do in Seoul helps with planning your trip.

If you’d like more personalized help, we offer expert travel planning consultations where we answer any questions you have, help you avoid tourist traps and plan out your entire itinerary step by step. See how we can help.

Still researching for your trip?

• Here’s our five Seoul royal palaces comparison.
• Read our DMZ tour review.

Finally, we recommend reading our South Korea travel guide for first-timers to get helpful tips and advice, top attractions to see, itinerary ideas and more.

Happy travels,

Mark and Kristen

Enjoy this guide? Pin it for your visit!

All Rights Reserved © Where Are Those Morgans, LLC. Republishing this article and/or any of its contents (text, photography, maps, graphics, etc.) in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.