Seoul is a city made for wandering. It is extremely safe, super busy, has all-night energy and overloads your senses with the smells, sights and sounds of one of the largest, cleanest cities in the world.

With a population of 9.9 million people, Seoul has a booming economy, easy public transportation, amazing markets, beautiful palaces and has just a cool overall vibe. People in Seoul seem effortlessly chic and usually set the beauty and fashion standards throughout Asia. Seoul is full of modern skyscrapers even though the city was decimated during the Korean War. Seoul was rebuilt into a first world, economic and tech juggernaut faster than any other war-recovering nation.

Seoul is a must-stop destination in Asia. Combine it with a trip to Jeju Island, Busan, rent a car and take a Korean road trip, and other Korean experiences, then hop on a short flight to Japan to round out your northern Asia experience.

Here are my tips for getting the best out of your Seoul experience.

How to Get Around

Whether you stay at a hotel or an AirBnB, make sure you are walking distance to a bus stop, or even better, the subway. Driving in Seoul is not recommended. Imagine NYC + Paris + 3 million more people- it’s chaos. Most locals utilize public transportation; the buses and subways are clean, efficient and comfortable. Make sure you download the Kakao map app or Naver maps to get routes and times for buses and the subway. As of 2019, Google maps doesn’t work in South Korea. I would pick a subway stop and just walk.

General Seoul Things to Do

Check out some of my posts about things to do in Seoul generally:

Seoul’s Quirky and Unique Themed Cafes

Seoul’s Food and Outdoor Markets

Regions of Seoul

Seoul is huge, so I’ve broken it up into 4 sections: Northwest, Northeast, South of the River, Central Seoul to help you group your explorations efficiently. The vast majority of sites are in Central Seoul, so dedicate the most time wandering there.

Northwest

Hongdae – Where the Cool Kids Hang Out

Hop on the subway and get off at Hongdae Station, and head out exit 9. It’s usually very busy, but once you get out… it’s still packed. Hongdae is home to Hongik University and is filled with street performers (kids dancing and singing to their favorite K-pop), shopping, unique cafe’s, norebangs (Korean karaoke), and more.

Walk along Eoulmadag-ro in the late afternoon and evening and you’ll be sure to spot some great street performances. It’s considered the area in Seoul where anything goes, crazy fashion, hipsters and artists, who in Korea are definitely social outliers. It is much more casual than Ganghnam or other high end hip areas. Really, just take the subway to Hongdae and just start walking, following the crowd.

Find more cool things to do in Hongdae here!

Central Seoul

Insadong

The Insadong neighborhood has shopping, good food, traditional Korean goodies and activities and is near a lot of other Seoul sights. Come to Insadong to rent a hanbok and get those iconic pictures at the palaces and around local cultural landmarks.

With its wide, pedestrian cobblestone walking streets, make sure you stroll through Insadong, check out Ssamzie-gil, a 4-story shopping area with a poop-themed cafe on the top floor. Explore a city temple and other amazing sights in this area of Seoul.

Read more about Insadong here!

Dongdaemun Design Plaza

The Dongdaemun Design Plaza, known locally as DDP, is a major landmark that put Seoul on the map as an architectural hub, it was named a World Design Capital in 2010 because of it. It’s shape, size and color make it eye-popping in the busy downtown area. The DDC is the home of the fashion and arts district in Seoul and houses exhibits, experimental retail spaces and home to Seoul’s Fashion Week.

It’s made with more than 40,000 aluminum panels, none of which are the same and was named the “largest three-dimensional atypical structure in the world.” It has walkable parks on the roof and a park adjacent with restored parts of the Seoul Fortress. Worth a wander for sure.

Ihwa Mural Village, Seoul

Mural Village is full of street art and installations from about 70 artists and was part of a 2006 state public art project to revitalize older areas of the city. To see the art, take the subway to Hyehwa Station (Line 4, exit 2) and walk straight to the Information Centre for a detailed map of the mural paintings.

Seoul City Wall Trail

In 1396 a 13.2-mile-long wall was built around the City of Seoul to defend it from invaders and much of it has been fully restored. You’ll pass through 6 gates along the trail that goes from the city to the hills, providing a great mix of nature and urban.  The Hiking Project and Korea to Do have great overviews of the hike, maps and destinations along the route.

You can start from Hyehwamun Gate (Hansung Univ. Station, Line 4, exit 4). Walk straight forward, turn left onto the stairs up to the wall. The path goes through Ihwa Mural Village and Dongdaemun. Remember to bring your passport. The north part of the trail requires a passport check—you’ll be given a pass to deposit at the end of the controlled section. It is controlled because a North Korean commando once entered the city from there.

Seoul Tower

Seoul Tower, also known as Namsan Tower, sits on Namsan Mountain 800 feet above Seoul. You can get up there either by hiking, which consists of seemingly endless stairs, but with great views. I took the stairs up for a workout and took the Namsan cable car down, you can do the other way too, but one way on the cable car is recommended.

At the top you can go up the tower to a cafe with amazing views of the city, on clear days at least. There’s also a collection of love locks, restaurants and other cool things to see on the mountain.

Go to Siloam Sauna

Siloam Sauna is my favorite jjimjilbang in Korea. If you haven’t experienced a Korean sauna, or Jjimjilbang, try this one! Siloam Sauna is a 5-story sauna filled with hot tubs, salt rooms, saunas, a restaurant, lounge rooms and more!

Read more about going to a Korean Sauna here!

Cheonggyecheon City River

Cheonggyecheon is a 7-mile stream going through the city that was once covered by a highway. The stream was covered after the Korean War as part of the country’s post-war economic development.

Now, the stream is a vibrant cultural area of Seoul, with people strolling along the water and even holiday themed float parades. It passes through a lot of city sights and is a cool vibe in the middle of the city.

Gwanghwamun Square

Gwanghwamun Square is the main public square in Seoul where you’ll find statues of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, who fought against the Japanese invaders, and King Sejong the Great of Joseon, the creator of the Korean alphabet.

It is right next to Gyeongbokgung Palace, adjacent to the U.S. Embassy and is a site for protests and other movements. Take the subway to Gwanghwamun, exit 7, and be prepared to be impressed as you walk out.

Seoul Markets

Wherever I go, I search out street food and outdoor markets for the most local goods and Seoul has no shortage of both of those markets. Seoul is expensive, but you can find cheap and delicious local foods at markets and find all the knick-knacks and souvenirs you need at these markets.

Most of the Markets in my Wandering Seoul Food & Outdoor Markets are in Central Seoul, make sure you explore one or all of them!

South of the River

Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market

This fish market is one of the most memorable sights in Seoul, especially if you haven’t been to large-scale fish markets like the one in Busan or in Tokyo. The Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market allows you to see live seafood, pick out whatever looks good or interesting, and take it to one of the many on-sight restaurants to prepare it for eating. Notice I didn’t say cook it… it’s well known for excellent, fresh raw seafood and the infamous live octopus meal. Stop by and have a true Seoul experience.

Read more about the Seoul Fish Market here!

Gangnam

The Gangnam area has always been a happening place in Seoul but popped into the international spotlight due to the song Gangnam Style by Psy, that talks about the high-end lifestyle in the neighborhood. Gangnam has a reputation for being the Beverly Hills of South Korea; real estate prices in Gangnam are three times the country’s average and the residents are some of the wealthiest in the country.

I only have a few recommendations for things to do in Gangnam – the best thing to do is to just walk around, step into some shops and restaurants, and don’t stare at the people walking the streets fresh off the table from some plastic surgery (Gangnam is the place for Koreans and other Asians to get plastic surgery). Head to the Rainbow Bar for some hookah and drinks.

The one must-see locale in Gangnam is Bongeunsa Temple: an ancient temple in the middle of one of the most modern cities in the world.

The COEX Mall is in Gangnam, and while the mall itself is not on my list, the Starfield Library inside the mall is. This library is one of the most beautiful libraries in the world and worth visiting. It has books from ceiling to floor, a cafe, and is a great place to rest your feet if you’ve been cruising Gangnam.

Jamsil

The tallest building in South Korea, the Lotte World Tower is in the Jamsil area south of the river. At 123 stories high, it has a movie theater, is a huge mall, houses a performing arts theater, an aquarium, a hotel and an observation deck at the top where you can see a 360-degree panoramic view of Seoul and stand on the indoor glass floor to get an exhilarating feeling of floating in the sky!

Olympic Park is a nice walk from Lotte World Tower. Built for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, the park has public sports and entertainment stadiums, walking paths, grassy areas, restaurants and shops, statues, millions of cicadas, flower garden, ice skating rink, beautiful cherry blossoms and lots more. You can rent bikes to get around the park. 

The Jamsil neighborhood is pretty residential and not very touristy for non-Koreans, but if you have the time, it’s a cool area to wander to get an idea of more residential life outside Seoul city center.

Banpo Bridge

Banpo Bridge connects Central Seoul with the southern part over the Han River. The south side has a yearly fall market with live music and food trucks. The northern side has several bike and skating ramps. Spanning the bridge on both sides are nearly 10,000 colorful LED water nozzles that shoots out 190 tons of recycled water per minute, making it the world’s longest fountain.  Grab a seat on the southside and watch the show! Find more information on times and some beautiful pictures here.

Northeast

The northeast area is home to Konkuk University, meaning there are a lot of bars and cool places to hang. This area has a special place in my heart and memories because of the insane late nights, or more so early mornings, of drinking and dancing I’ve had there. This area is a cheaper, more relaxed, and cooler compared to Gangnam and while maybe not cooler, it is definitely cheaper and more relaxed than Hongdae. This was my stomping ground many weekend nights.

If you’re looking for a late-night party, check out Salt Coke, where you’ll hear both American and Korean rap and hip hop and likely be the only non-Koreans there, which is an amazing experience. Grab some dinner and some pre-drinks before heading there, but don’t go earlier than 11pm, nothing starts before then. 

So much to do in Seoul

Not everything is on this list, it would be impossible to get everything! Even after 2 years of living in Korea, there is still so much I have yet to explore. Let me know what I missed!