For an ultra-modern metropolis crammed with smooth high-rises and time-tested palaces, tempting avenue meals, vibrant purchasing districts and rather more, head to Seoul.
Whether or not you need to see the newest Ok-Pop sensation, take a late-night food and drinks tour, or discover serenity in a spa or temple, the metropolis has one thing to provide 24/7. Listed below are the best things to do in South Korea’s capital.
1. Style the avenue meals at Gwangjang Market
Road meals in Seoul is beloved for its spice, selection and affordability, and there’s no higher place to strive it than Gwangjang Market. Courting from the early 20th century, this coated market has gained a repute amongst foodies for having some of the nation’s best avenue snacks.
Planning tip: Begin with an order of tteokbokki (stir-fried rice muffins in a vivid orange spicy sauce), adopted by a pair of mandu (Korean dumplings) and a pajeon (savory inexperienced onion pancake). For dessert, strive hotteok (a pancake crammed with brown sugar and cinnamon) or bungeoppang (a fish-shaped pastry crammed with candy pink bean paste). Then do it once more.
2. Step again in time at Gyeongbokgung Palace
In the event you solely have time to see one sight in Seoul, make it the splendid structure, serene pagodas and maze-like grounds of Gyeongbokgung Palace. Initially constructed throughout the reign of the highly effective Joseon Dynasty in the 14th century, the palace was destroyed throughout the 16th-century Imjin Struggle and rebuilt in the 18th century. Gyeongbokgung is the largest and most elegant of Seoul’s 5 royal palaces.
Planning tip: Take in the ceremonial altering of the Royal Guard in entrance of the huge Gwanghwamun Gate earlier than strolling the grounds to admire putting hip-and-gable buildings, tranquil ponds and delicate cherry bushes. Wrap up your go to with a cease at the Nationwide Folks Museum of Korea, which sits on the palace grounds and options reveals on conventional Korean tradition.
3. Stroll alongside the Cheong-gye-cheon Stream
In the warmth of summer season, nothing beats a stroll alongside Cheong-gye-cheon Stream. A stunning oasis that unfurls for almost 11km (7 miles) by means of the towers of central Seoul, this picturesque waterway is lined with strolling paths, bushes and bridges. The unique stream was coated with an elevated freeway after the Korean Struggle, however in 2005, the metropolis undertook an city renewal undertaking to refresh the space and reintroduce the stream higher than ever. Since then, it’s been a preferred spot for locals and vacationers wanting to cool off or take a leisurely break from the metropolis’s hustle and bustle.
4. Store for the newest developments in Myeong-dong
You’ll need to get away the bank card for a day of spending in Seoul’s most well-known purchasing district. Myeong-dong is famend for fashionable trend labels, deluxe department shops and beauty boutiques filled with famed Ok-beauty merchandise. When you’ve sufficiently stocked up on masks sheets and moisturizer at Olive Younger, innisfree and Etude Home, try the Myeong-dong Night time Marketplace for quirky souvenirs and conventional avenue meals.
The world can be house to some of Seoul’s cutest cafes, with the Pink Pool Cafe at the Stylenanda Pink Resort flagship retailer being the final eye sweet. This confectionery-colored spot has an ice-cream-parlor vibe, indoor decorative pool and sweet-as-sugar artwork decor, making it a preferred place for picture shoots.
5. Go for a dip in a jjimjilbang
Greater than only a means to get clear, bathing in Seoul is a full-fledged social exercise. Koreans collect at bathhouses (jjimjilbang) with family and friends usually as soon as per week. Jjimjilbang can vary from an institution with only a couple of small dipping swimming pools to huge aquatic palaces with a number of swimming pools, water options, cafes, saunas, leisure rooms, gyms, spas and arcades.
First-timers ought to know that bathhouse etiquette requires bathing in the nude, and a few bathhouses don’t permit patrons with tattoos. When you’ve bared all, take a dip in the cold and warm swimming pools, adopted by a stretch in the sauna, then go for a conventional full-body scrub to emerge baby-soft out of your bathhouse expertise.
Planning tip: The female-only Spa Lei attracts patrons for its elegant ambiance and invigorating massages.
6. Take a hike in Bukhansan Nationwide Park
Bukhansan Nationwide Park is listed in the Guinness E-book of World Data as “the most visited nationwide park per unit space” – which is simple to perceive because it’s set inside the metropolis limits and simply reachable by public transportation. You’ll typically see athletic Koreans in colourful mountaineering gear using the subways on weekends.
Bukhansan covers 80 sq km (31 sq miles) and options jagged peaks, mountaineering trails, dozens of storied temples and 1300 species of vegetation and animals. The 5-hour round-trip hike to the 836m (2744ft) summit of Bukhansan is effectively price it to see Seoul unfold out earlier than you in all instructions.
7. Go singing in a noraebang
Stroll down any busy avenue in the college districts on a Friday or Saturday evening, and also you’re seemingly to hear distant singing wafting by means of the air. Likelihood is it’s not an errant Ok-Pop band however the raucous merriment of karaoke at a noraebang (singing room). This in style late-night exercise includes non-public rooms with big-screen TVs, phone-book-sized lists of songs and even disco balls or musical devices to accompany the singalong. Prime it off with room service bringing snacks and cocktails, and it’s a recipe for a fantastic evening out.
8. Sip on Korean drinks: soju and makgeolli
The standard Korean drinks soju and makgeolli have been respectively distilled and brewed since the 13th century and are the most beloved drinks in this thirsty nation. Soju additionally has the stunning distinction of being the world’s best-selling spirit, maybe helped out by the indisputable fact that a typical bottle typically prices lower than a bottle of water.
Whereas such upmarket small-batch distilleries as Samhae Soju and Hangang Brewery create artisanal varieties, the most typical labels, reminiscent of Jinro and Seoul Makgeolli, might be fortunately imbibed at the picnic tables dotting sidewalks exterior comfort shops throughout the metropolis.
Planning tip: These new to the Korean alcohol scene ought to try the Sool Firm, which presents tasting excursions, brewing lessons and particular occasions.
9. Star-search on Ok-Star Street
You’re most likely acquainted with Hollywood’s Stroll of Fame, however do you know Seoul’s glamorous Gangnam district has its personal boulevard devoted solely to Ok-Pop artists? As an alternative of stars on the sidewalk, Ok-Star Street options 3m-tall (10ft) statues of cartoon bears referred to as GangnamDols, every adorned to symbolize a distinct Ok-Pop singer or band, together with Tremendous Junior, Women’ Era and BTS.
Planning tip: After taking a number of selfies together with your favourite bears, pop into the GangnamDol Haus close to the Apgujeong Rodeo subway station to choose up a number of mini bears as souvenirs.
10. Keep at a temple and participate in life with the monks
The long-lasting picture of a colossal Buddha statue wanting over smooth high-rises might be seen at the Eighth-century Bongeun-sa Temple in Gangnam. Though most vacationers come simply to snap a photograph or two, you’ll be able to really take part in temple life with the monks. Over a weekend, be a part of in vegetarian meals, morning chanting, meditation and even the 108 every day prostrations, all meant to clear the thoughts and produce you nearer to reaching interior peace.
Planning tip: Temple-stay packages are supplied not solely at Bongeun-sa but additionally at numerous temples all through Seoul.
11. Spend the evening in Bukchon Hanok Village
Sleek sloping roofs, ornate tiles and colourful dancheong (intricate paintwork beneath the eaves of conventional Korean palaces) come collectively to create the Korean conventional home, referred to as hanok. Tucked between the Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung palace complexes lies Bukchon Hanok Village, a historic district crammed with a whole bunch of charming hanok that’s typically used as a backdrop for interval films and tv reveals.
Planning tip: Whereas the village has cafes, teahouses, museums and boutiques, it’s additionally house to a handful of hanoks-turned-guesthouses the place guests can sleep on conventional ondol heated flooring, stroll by means of kimchi pot–crammed courtyards and customarily get a style what life was like in previous Seoul.
12. Get a chook’s-eye view at N Seoul Tower
At the high of Nam Mountain sits N Seoul Tower, a broadcasting construction courting from 1969 and rising 239m (784ft) into the sky above the metropolis. The tower nonetheless has energetic transmission antennas, although at the moment it’s higher identified for an statement deck that provides 360-degree views of the capital. The highest of the tower additionally presents a number of eating choices, together with a swanky rotating restaurant serving French fare.
Planning tip: To achieve the tower itself, you’ll be able to journey the Namsan Cable Automobile aerial tramway or hike the meandering trails to the high by means of Namsan Park.
13. Take a day journey to the DMZ
One of the high day journeys from Seoul, a go to to the northern border might be the most uncommon 24 hours you’ll spend on the Korean peninsula. The 250km (160-mile) border between North and South generally known as the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is one of the world’s most carefully guarded borders.
Varied outfits, reminiscent of the in style DMZ Excursions firm, take curious onlookers from central Seoul to the border space to catch a glimpse into North Korea from Dora Observatory, discover the Third Infiltration Tunnel (initially dug by North Korean troopers) and even step into North Korea in the Joint Safety Space. There’s additionally the touristy DMZ Peace Prepare operated by KORAIL, which whisks passengers from Seoul Station to Dorasan Station, the final cease to the north earlier than crossing into the Hermit Kingdom.