Seoul Travel Guide for First-Timers

Last checked: October 2026

Seoul is big, but most of what first-time visitors want to see sits in a handful of neighborhoods connected by subway. This guide covers each area: the nearest station and exit, what it's known for, opening hours and fees, and how long to spend there.

Coming from the airport? Start with Incheon Airport to Seoul and get a T-money card first. Hungry? See what to eat in Seoul.

Getting around

Subway + T-money card

Subway fare

From 1,550 won

Palace tickets

3,000 won, free in hanbok

Days needed

2–3 for the highlights

Gyeongbokgung, Bukchon, Insadong & Changdeokgung

The old royal heart of Seoul. You can walk from one sight to the next, so plan on a full day.

Gyeongbokgung Palace

Full guide to Gyeongbokgung

Line 33 Gyeongbokgung Exit5

Line 55 Gwanghwamun Exit2

Closed on Tuesdays. Plan your palace day around it.

• Open from 9:00. Closing is 17:00 in winter, 18:00 in spring and autumn, and 18:30 in summer. Last entry is one hour before closing.
• Admission: 3,000 won for adults; free for under-19s, 65+, and anyone wearing a hanbok.
• Changing of the Royal Guard: 10:00 and 14:00 in front of Gwanghwamun gate. It lasts about 20 minutes and may be cancelled in heavy rain, snow, or extreme heat.
• Free English tour: 11:00, 13:30, and 15:30.
• Time needed: 2–3 hours. Arrive by 9:30 to see the 10:00 guard ceremony.

Bukchon Hanok Village

Full guide to Bukchon

Line 33 Anguk Exit3

Visit between 10:00 and 17:00. People live here. In the red zone (Bukchon-ro 11-gil), tourists may not enter from 17:00 to 10:00, and the fine is 100,000 won.

• Keep your voice down, don't photograph inside homes, and keep groups to 10 people or fewer.
• Time needed: about 1 hour.

Insadong

Line 33 Anguk Exit5

Line 11Line 33Line 55 Jongno 3-ga Exit5

• Traditional tea houses, galleries, and craft shops. Ssamziegil is a spiral-shaped craft shopping complex.
• The main street is car-free from Saturday afternoon through Sunday, with street performers.
• Time needed: 1–1.5 hours.

Changdeokgung Palace & Secret Garden

Full guide to Changdeokgung

Line 33 Anguk Exit3

Closed on Mondays. The Secret Garden is by guided tour only.

• Open from 9:00. Closing is 17:30 in winter, 18:00 in spring and autumn, and 18:30 in summer.
• Admission: palace 3,000 won. The Secret Garden (Huwon) costs 5,000 won more and is guided tour only.
• English Secret Garden tours: 10:30, 11:30, 14:30, and 15:30 (March–November). In winter there is no 15:30 tour. Each tour takes 100 people: 50 tickets are sold online and 50 on site, so book online if you can.
• Time needed: 2–2.5 hours with the garden tour.

Myeongdong

Line 44 Myeongdong Exit6

• Exits 5–10 all lead into the shopping streets. Exit 6 puts you on the main one.
• Seoul's main shopping street, full of K-beauty and cosmetics shops. Street food stalls set up in the late afternoon.
• Myeongdong Cathedral (from Exit 9) is a historic cathedral completed in 1898.
• Myeongdong Kyoja, listed in the Michelin Guide, has served kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) since 1966.
• Time needed: 2–3 hours, late afternoon into evening.

N Seoul Tower & Namsan

Full guide to N Seoul Tower

• Getting there: Line 3/4 Chungmuro Station, Exit 2, or Dongdaemun Station, Exit 6, then the Namsan circular bus 01 to the "Namsan Seoul Tower" stop. The Namsan Cable Car is the other option.
• Observatory: 29,000 won for adults and 23,000 won for children. Open until 22:30 on weekdays and 23:00 on weekends.
• Cable car: 15,000 won round trip, 12,000 won one way (adult). Bus 01 costs a regular bus fare.
• Time needed: 2 hours. Go before sunset to see the city in daylight and after dark.

Gwangjang Market

Full guide to Gwangjang Market

Line 11 Jongno 5-ga Exit8

• Official guides list both Exit 7 and Exit 8. Either one leaves you a short walk from the market.
• Seoul's best-known food market: mung bean pancakes (bindaetteok), mini "mayak" gimbap, and beef tartare (yukhoe).
• Hours: shops 9:00–18:00 and closed Sundays. The food alley is open 9:00–23:00 every day.
• Time needed: 1–1.5 hours, for lunch or dinner.

Dongdaemun & DDP

Line 22Line 44Line 55 Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Exit1

• Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) is a curved silver building, lit up at night. Entry to the building is free; exhibitions are ticketed.
• Open 10:00–20:00 (varies by space). Closed January 1, Lunar New Year, and Chuseok.
• Dongdaemun Market and the fashion wholesale malls are a short walk away.
• Time needed: 1.5–2 hours. Go after dark.

Hongdae & Yeonnam-dong

Line 22Gyeongui-Jungang LineGyeonguiAREXAREX Hongik Univ. Exit9

• Exit 9 is the Hongdae street side. Exit 3 leads to Yeonnam-dong and Gyeongui Line Forest Park.
• Indie music, street performances in the evening, cafés in Yeonnam-dong, and nightlife.
• Because the airport train stops here, it makes an easy first or last night.
• Time needed: half a day. Spend the afternoon at cafés in Yeonnam, then watch the evening busking.

Seongsu-dong

Line 22 Seongsu Exit3

Suin-Bundang LineSuin-Bundang Seoul Forest Exit4

• Former shoe and printing factories turned into cafés, pop-up stores, and showrooms.
• Brand flagships such as Gentle Monster and AMORE Seongsu, the handmade shoe street, and Seoul Forest park are all here.
• Pop-up stores change every week, so check social media before you go. Most shops open late in the morning.
• Time needed: 3–4 hours in the afternoon.

Gangnam & COEX (Starfield Library)

Full guide to Starfield Library

Line 22 Samseong Exit5

Line 99 Bongeunsa Exit7

• Starfield Library: a free reading space with giant bookshelves in the middle of the mall, open daily 10:30–22:00.
• COEX Mall also has a large K-pop album store.
• Time needed: 1.5–2 hours. Pair it with Jamsil, three stops east on Line 2.

Jamsil & Lotte World Tower

N Seoul Tower vs Seoul Sky: which one?

Line 22Line 88 Jamsil Exit2

• Seoul Sky observatory, floors 117–123: open from 10:30 until 22:00 (23:00 on Fridays and Saturdays). Adult tickets are about 31,000–33,000 won. Check the price on the official site before you go.
• Lotte World theme park is next door.
• Choose either Seoul Sky or N Seoul Tower; one tall view is enough for most trips.

Itaewon & Hannam-dong

Line 66 Itaewon Exit3

Line 66 Hangangjin Exit1

• International food (Indian, Thai, Mexican, Greek), bars and clubs, Seoul Central Mosque, and halal restaurants.
• Hannam-dong has boutiques, galleries, and the Leeum Museum of Art.
• Time needed: 2–4 hours, best for dinner.

Han River parks

Full guide to the Banpo Rainbow Fountain

• Yeouido Hangang Park: Line 5 Yeouinaru Station. Bring a picnic or have fried chicken and beer (chimaek) delivered to the park.
• Banpo Bridge Moonlight Rainbow Fountain: free 20-minute shows from mid-March to October. Since June 2026 there are three evening shows, at 19:30, 20:00, and 20:30. Shows may stop in bad weather. From Express Bus Terminal Station (Line 3/7/9), take Exit 8-1 and walk about 1.1 km.
• Time needed: 1.5–2 hours in the evening.

There are no fountain shows in winter. The season runs from mid-March to October.

Honest take

• One tall view is enough. N Seoul Tower and Lotte World Tower's Seoul Sky both cost around 30,000 won. Pick one; N Seoul Tower at sunset is the classic.
• Myeongdong is for shopping, not sightseeing. Go in the evening for street food and cosmetics, then move on. It's crowded and touristy.
• Bukchon in an hour. It's lovely but small, crowded, and residential, with a 17:00 cut-off. Pair it with a palace rather than making it the main event.
• Seongsu is a visit, not a base. Great for an afternoon of cafés and pop-ups; stay somewhere more central. See where to stay.

Itineraries

1 day: classic Seoul

1. 9:30 Gyeongbokgung. Watch the 10:00 guard ceremony (skip Tuesdays, when the palace is closed).
2. Walk to Bukchon. Leave before 17:00.
3. Walk down to Insadong for tea.
4. Have a late lunch or snacks at Gwangjang Market.
5. Take bus 01 or the cable car up Namsan for sunset.
6. Eat street food in Myeongdong for dinner.

2 days

1. Day 1: as above.
2. Day 2: Changdeokgung and the Secret Garden in the morning (skip Mondays). Seongsu in the afternoon. Hongdae in the evening, or the Banpo fountain from mid-March to October.

3 days

1. Days 1–2: as above.
2. Day 3: COEX and Starfield Library in the morning. Jamsil and Seoul Sky in the afternoon. Dinner in Itaewon or a picnic at Yeouido Hangang Park.

Plan palace days around closures: Gyeongbokgung closes on Tuesdays and Changdeokgung on Mondays.

Sources

• Visit Seoul (Seoul Tourism Organization)
• VisitKorea (Korea Tourism Organization)
• Seoul Metropolitan Government – Bukchon visiting hours
• N Seoul Tower