Seoul Travel Guide (2026)

Food & dining

The range runs from refined hanjeongsik (Korean table d'hôte) to street snacks. Bindaetteok and mayak gimbap at Gwangjang Market, grilled pork in Mapo, old-school taverns in Euljiro, and fried chicken and tteokbokki everywhere. The neighborhood café culture — each district with its own mood — is just as essential.

Getting around

Incheon (ICN) and Gimpo (GMP) airports connect to the center by the AREX airport train and limousine buses. In town, a dense subway and bus network makes getting around easy — one transit card (T-money) covers seamless transfers.

Highlights

Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokgung and its Secret Garden, Bukchon Hanok Village, N Seoul Tower (Namsan), Gwangjang Market, Myeongdong.

Places to visit

Gyeongbokgung — Joseon's grandest palace

The Joseon dynasty's main palace and the natural starting point for Seoul. From Gwanghwamun gate the grand axis runs to the Geunjeongjeon throne hall and the Gyeonghoeru pavilion, with Bugaksan mountain rising like a folding screen behind. Wear a hanbok and entry is free — it's a favourite spot for portrait photos against the palace.

Changdeokgung & its Secret Garden — UNESCO site

A palace that bends to the land rather than the other way round. The Joseon kings' favourite residence, its rear "Secret Garden" (Huwon) — ponds and pavilions woven into the woods — is the finest example of Korean garden design. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

Bukchon Hanok Village — rooftops over the city

A traditional hanok neighbourhood on the hill between Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung. Climb the lanes and Seoul's downtown unfolds beyond layer upon layer of tiled roofs — one of the most quintessentially Korean views in the city. People actually live here, so explore quietly.

N Seoul Tower — 360° Seoul from Namsan

Seoul's landmark observation tower atop Namsan mountain. Ride the cable car up and the city spreads out in every direction from the deck; at dusk the whole of Seoul lights up. The ‘love locks’ on the terrace are part of the ritual.

Gwangjang Market — bindaetteok & mayak gimbap

Korea's first permanent market, open since 1905, and the mecca of Seoul street food. Golden mung-bean pancakes (bindaetteok), addictive ‘mayak’ gimbap, and sesame-rich yukhoe (beef tartare) — a meal perched on a stool in the food alley is a trip highlight in itself.

Myeongdong — K-beauty & street snacks

Seoul's number-one shopping district. Olive Young flagships and cosmetics shops line every lane, and as dusk falls the streets fill with food carts. It's the one place to do your beauty shopping and graze on tteokbokki, hotteok and tornado potatoes all at once.

Itineraries

Trip cost