With a staggering 25 million people calling Seoul’s metro area home, the city definitely has its fair share of attractions, activities and tourist hot spots that you’ll be sure to fall in love with during your visit to South Korea.
Unlike most other megacities, Seoul holds on to countless open spaces, parks and green spaces where you can escape the hustle and bustle. Though, if you’re looking for some more action-packed Seoul can still hold its own.
Are you one of the 35 million fans of K-Pop? Seoul (and Gangnam) is the destination to visit. Even if you’re in high school, don’t worry if you take a break from school because Seoul has the fastest average internet connection in the world making online tutoring possible even whilst abroad.
Based on budgetyourtrip.com, the average daily cost per person per day in South Korea is approximately AUD $137 making it not the cheapest destinations. Like most overseas holidays, accommodation cost makes up for the bulk of your expenses, with food and entertainment as the next big ticket items. If you need to make some extra cash, did you know that you can hire out your existing fashion designer wardrobe via The Volte or register as a pet-sitter via Mad Paws. If you have spare storage space at home, you can even hire the space out via Spacer and collect guaranteed monthly payments.
Whether you’re a fan of Korean pop or have become fascinated with its unknown history due to Netflix’s 2018 hit series Kingdom, let’s take a look at 11 things to do and see in Seoul (and don’t forget to bring your travel camera).
1. Sample Seoul’s Street Food
Gimbap (not sushi but similar), mandu (steamed or deep fried dumplings), soondae (blood sausages), tteokbokki (rice cakes dipped in spicy sauce), dakgalbi (pro tip: add ramyeon noodles and cheese tteokbokki on top) (sannakji (live baby octopus), and twigim (Korean tempura) are just a few delicious things you must try when in Seoul.
2. Gyeongbokgung Palace
There’s a good chance you’ve heard about South Korea’s affection for palaces and so we’re starting of our list with the iconic Gyeongbokgung Palace built in 1395. It is by far the most significant palace in Seoul and is home to the National Folk Museum of Korea.
The palace has a resemblance to Beijing’s massive Forbidden City, though South Korea’s style is just a little more modern. Hire a traditional hanbok and wander through the palace at your own pace and take plenty of photos. You’ll want to ensure you spend at least two hours here to take in the vast size and cultural importance and definitely remember to take your time.
3. The Neighbourhood of Hongdae
If the hustle and bustle and culture of Seoul is more your scene, then head on down to Hongdae just a few minutes west of the city centre. The neighbourhood is jam-packed with cafes, small corner stores, street performers and plenty of green space to relax in between sights.
The main architectural sight in Hongdae is Hongik University, one of the city’s leading art schools. The building’s design is incredible and definitely makes for a great Instagram photo.
4. Visit the National Museum of Korea
For those travellers who love to learn and want to take in as much history and art as possible, then there’s nowhere better than the National Museum of Korea. It’s centrally located in the heart of Seoul and spread across a monstrous 3.2 million square feet.
You’ll find six permanent exhibits in the museum along with countless smaller temporary ones and for those who’d like to stay and eat, you’ll find restaurants, cafes, snack and juice bars and plenty of amenities.
5. Lotte World Amusement Park
If you find the cityscape and attractions just a little too tame, then make your way to Lotte World, one of the city’s premier amusement parks. The park is home to bungee jumping, ice skating, a haunted house, a hotel as well as plenty of restaurants which are perfect if you’d like to cap your day off here.
Lotte World also has its fair share of rides, swimming pools and water playgrounds that make the park fantastic for adrenaline junkie kids.
5. Seoul Sky View Deck
Keeping close to Lotte World, you’ll find that the amusement park is built across the road from the incredible Lotte World Tower, a 555m tall skyscraper with one of the highest view decks in the world! Head up the tower and you’ll have no trouble at all taking in complete 360-degree views of Seoul and surrounding mountain ranges.
6. Visit a Korean Bath House (Jjimjilbang)
No trip to Seoul is complete without the authentic experience of spending a few hours at a Jjimjilbang. A jjimjilbang is not your average day spa and sauna, however, be forewarned, the cultural experience of a jjimjilbang includes being completely naked around other completely naked people. It may be intimidating at first but soaking in a hot pool for 20-minutes, before having all your dead skin exfoliated by a professional scrubber, and cooling off with an ice cold shower – you will feel relaxed and alive.
7. The N Seoul Tower
After spending just a few minutes in the city, you’ll have likely spotted the N Seoul Tower piercing through the sky above. Standing at over 480 meters tall, the tower is home to a view deck that looks over the city. Where this tower differs from others in the city is that you’ll need to hop into a cable car and glide up to the top where you’ll be able to look down at the city below.
8. Leeum Samsung Museum of Art
Lovers of design must make a stop at Leeum Samsung Museum of Art to take in all of its stunning pieces of both historical and contemporary art. The museum design itself could also be compared to the art inside and will certainly make for a great photo opportunity. Take a walk around and you’ll see some of the city’s most audacious and famous art pieces.
9. Insa-dong Neighbourhood
Mildly comparable to Hongdae, Insa-dong is also a bustling hub of culture, art and food. Take a stroll here on one of your off days and you’ll be sure to find plenty of food stalls and fun activities to take part in, even if it’s joining in with a street dancer. Once you’ve finished looking around Insa-dong, you’ll be glad to know there’s a major mall just moments away to cap off the day.
10. Hike up a Mountain
An advantage of Seoul’s typography is that it includes seven mountains. Bukhansan is one of the closest mountains making it an ideal day hike. Baegundae Peak is the highest part of the mountain and after a two-hour trek, you will be rewarded with an epic view of Seoul from 2700 ft above sea level.
11. Starfield Library, COEX Mall
This one is for the book lovers! COEX Mall is a shopping complex found in Gangnam where you will find Starfield Library. With towering shelves, it makes for incredible Instagram photos.
BONUS TIPS
Seoul is constantly changing and Google Maps doesn’t necessarily have great maps in the region. Instead, try using Naver Map or Kakao Map.
Only consider visiting the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) if the tour includes the Joint Security Area (JSA).
Cars may not stop at zebra crossings.
The TMoney card is used for public transport (subway, buses) and is available from all convenient stores across Seoul (GS25, CU, 7-Eleven).
Most cafes and almost all hotels offer complimentary wifi for their customers, however, if you cannot live without an internet connection when you are out and about, you have two options. The first is to buy a prepaid 4G sim when you land in Incheon or Gimpo at a convenience store. The second option is to hire a pocket wifi device and pick it up from the airport upon arrival.
It is very difficult to find a travel adapter when in Seoul. Almost every Daiso and department store have travel adapters for South Koreans travelling overseas, not the other way round. Therefore, make sure that you have the right travel adapter before you leave Australia.
