Welcome to South Korea (대한민국)! Seoul is the capital city of South Korea and it’s well known for K-pop, fried chicken, Samsung, beautiful temples and Gangnam Style. Liberated from Japan in 1945, then invaded by North Korea only a few years later, South Korea has an extremely turbulent past. But it’s quickly become a thriving country on the global stage and with just one visit, it’s easy to see why.
We extensively explored Seoul for 2 weeks in 2023 and fell in love with this city. It surpassed our expectations in so many ways because it’s a perfect harmony of old and new with numerous off the beaten path tourism opportunities.
- Capital City: Seoul
- Population: About 52 million
- Language: Korean
- Currency: South Korean Won ($1 USD = 1377.60 KRW)
- Time Zone: Korean Standard Time (GMT+9)
Top Experiences In Seoul
Seoul in South Korea is a unique destination still relatively untouched by tourists. It showcases modern skyscrapers next to stunning UNESCO buildings all wrapped into a high tech city. Here are the top attractions:
35 Unique Things To Do In Seoul For First Time Visitors
DMZ Tour Review (+ How To Choose The Best One)
Visiting The 5 Royal Palaces In Seoul, South Korea
Most Popular Tours In South Korea
Popular Observation Decks
There are two observation decks in Seoul and we recommend you try to visit at least one during your visit:
Royal Palaces In Seoul
South Korea’s capital city is home to five stunning royal palaces. While you might not have time to visit them all, it’s definitely worth visiting a few so you can compare them. Gyeongbokgung Palace is the biggest and most well known royal palace.
How To Visit Gyeongbokgung Palace In Seoul
Tips For Taking The Huwon Secret Garden Tour In Seoul
How To Visit Changdeokgung Palace (+ The Secret Garden)
The smaller palaces are a great option if you want to get away from the crowds. We’ll tell you the pros and cons to each one below:
- Changgyeonggun Palace – The Seoul palace with a stunning greenhouse
- Deoksugung Palace – How to visit the numerous museums in this Seoul palace
- Gyeonghuigung Palace – Everything you need to know about the free palace
Lesser Visited Attractions
One of our favorite things about visiting Seoul is that it’s filled with attractions you won’t find anywhere else. Here are a few we recommend if you have time in your itinerary:
15 Interesting Things To Do At Imjingak Park Near The DMZ
How To Visit The Jongmyo Shrine In Seoul, South Korea
How To Visit Seodaemun Prison In Seoul, South Korea
Want to see everything we’ve written from Seoul? Explore more here.
How Many Days Do You Need In Seoul?
If this is your first trip to Seoul, we recommend at least 3-5 days. This will give you enough time to see the major highlights plus you’ll be able to take a day trip to the DMZ.
But overall, we’d recommend spending at least 7-10 days in Seoul because the attractions are located in different parts of the city so it will take time to travel between all of them. Even with 14 days, we could not do everything because there is so much to do in this capital city!
Best Time To Visit
South Korea is a year round destination that experiences all seasons. The best time of year is generally considered to be April to June and September to November. Both of these seasons are typically sunny and dry with comfortable average temperatures.
We visited Seoul at the beginning of Cherry blossom season (early to mid April) and it was extremely busy. If you do not like large crowds, avoid the spring season. In autumn, Seoul comes alive with vibrant fall foliage and it’s less busy compared to the spring season.
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