Top 10 Things to Do in Seoul

After a few days in Seoul it doesn’t take long to understand why the city is the heart of Korean culture. The Korean lifestyle is taking off at a nearly idolized status across Asia and with so many fantastic things to do in Seoul, no wonder! You quickly get the feeling that Koreans are setting the trends in fashion, technology, and lifestyle that’s sweeping across Asia. The pace is fast in this young culture and nowhere do you feel this more than the capital city of Seoul.

Seoul is leading the growth and moving at a feverish pace of expansion, technological advancement, and a modernization of lifestyle. Despite this young, trend setting culture, Seoul – and Korea in general – have not forgotten their roots. You can feel the blend of modernization and tradition as you walk through the city and everything that makes it unique oozes out at every turn.

Seoul is an incredibly large and spread out city with unique neighbourhoods just waiting to be explored. It’s clean and extremely modern, but still manages to hold onto its traditions and charm. A fantastic introduction to Korean culture; a week in Seoul and you’ll only scratch the surface of everything this city has to offer.

When To Visit Seoul

Seoul is beautiful in the warmer summer months which is when tourism peaks. The shoulder seasons are just as nice and less busy. During a recent visit in February, the cold didn’t prevent us from doing any activities but certainly made us want to return in a warmer month.

Getting To Seoul 

Incheon International Airport is one of the major hubs in Asia with easy flights from plenty of North American cities. Many US or partner carriers have direct flights to Incheon and because it’s such a large hub they are frequent. We flew direct from Atlanta to Seoul, first class on Delta, paid for entirely by credit card reward points. Expect between 15-17 hours from the US and depending on your route you might fly over the top of the world, crossing Northern Canada and Russia, so look out for the northern lights.

The airport is quite far from the city center, in fact it isn’t even in the city of Seoul. Expect at least an hour of travel time. There are a couple of options to take. Express and regular trains are available. Take whichever departs soonest, the express is faster but less frequent.

The other easy option is the shuttle buses. Head to the connected bus terminal after gathering your bags and buy a ticket from the kiosks to the city center. There are plenty of staff to help you choose the right one. You’ll cross many long bridges and go through endless stretches of high rise apartments until finally arriving in central Seoul.

Both train and bus are inexpensive and relatively similar with total travel time. Taxis are available but considerably more expensive and really no quicker. We opted for the shuttle bus going into Seoul, and a train when we departed – both worked great.

The Seoul subway system is extensive and easy to use. The city is very spread out, even if you’re just in one neighbourhood, so there’s a good chance you’ll end up using it. We never had any problems figuring it out and staff were helpful when needed.

Top 10 Things to Do in Seoul

There are endless sites and activities in and around Seoul, so to get you started we’ve highlighted the top ten must do activities during your visit. Here is my top 10 of things to do in Seoul:

Bukchon Hanok Village

One of the top photo spots and the the first on my list of things to do in Seoul, Bukchon Hanok is a traditional Korean village nestled in the middle of a sprawling metropolis. A dense neighbourhood of winding alleys, it’s filled with Hanoks, the traditional Korean home from hundreds of years ago. Some of the homes are hundreds of years old and incredibly well preserved. Wander through the quaint alleys and streets to get a sense of how life in Korea used to look.

Important to keep in mind: Despite being a top tourist stop, thousands of locals live here. In recent years the volume of tourists has increased so much they have limited the hours non-residents can enter making it inaccessible in the evenings and Sundays. Remember that you’re exploring right outside someone’s home so be respectful and keep noise down.

Seoul Tower

The best way to take in the sprawling expanse of Seoul is a journey to Seoul Tower. There is a cable car that can take you to the tower base on the top of the hill but if you’re feeling up to it you can also walk up. There were plenty of others walking up with us and rest stops along the way where it flattens out. Once at the top of the hill there are many touristy venues at the base of the tower; souvenir shops, restaurants,  etc. Like most observation towers there is a fee to go up. But even if you opt to stay at the base of the tower the view of the city is still pretty spectacular. We arrived on a cloudy day and took in the view as best we could from the base. Do your best to time your visit to Seoul Tower on a clear day, it’s also popular in the evening to see the lights of the massive city.

Food

One of the top reasons to visit South Korea is the incredible food. There are endless choices, some more common than others, so to get you started we have highlighted a couple that you can’t skip.

Sweet Egg Bread – Breakfast doesn’t get much easier or simpler than this. You’ll see street vendors all over the place at all times of day selling these. About $1 each and delicious, it’s the perfect snack when you’re out exploring.

Dumplings – During a recent visit to Seoul we ate more dumplings than I ever thought possible! Every corner has a restaurant or street cart selling them. Delicious and super affordable! We loved crowding around a stand in the markets with locals, all digging into a bag of dumplings using chop-sticks.

Bibimbap – A staple of Korean cuisine, we were blown away to find the variety of bibimbap available. The word essentially translates to mix of various ingredients (bibim) and rice (bap), so there’s plenty of unique ways to make this dish. We tried some vegetarian ones that were delicious as well.

BBQ – Barbecue places are all over and a ton of fun. The setup is similar to a “Korean BBQ” restaurant you would find elsewhere in the world but we loved getting the authentic version. Unlike in North America the restaurants don’t typically have barbeque in their name but if you search it, it will still work.

Korean Noodle Soup – Seoul has incredible soup restaurants, they’re typically small and packed, with a bustling atmosphere where everyone is busy slurping away! Myeongdong Kyoja is a popular Michelin star winning location but ask the staff at your accommodations for their favorite.

Street Food – Korea has some of the best street food in Asia with dozens of different grab and go options. You can easily fill up trying all the different snacks available. Check out the markets below to track down the best street in Seoul.

Markets

One of the best ways to experience the Korean culture and food is in the local markets. Two huge markets are great stops in Seoul. Visiting a food market is one of the best things to do in Seoul because this is where you can taste authentic Korean flavours and discover the local vibe of the city.

Gwangjang – A massive covered traditional Korean market that features thousands of vendors. It’s known for mung bean pancakes but includes food vendors selling plenty of different meal choices. There are grab and go options like the mung bean pancakes as well as many stalls with small benches and ledges for you to sit down and eat. This market is large and packed so it can feel a bit intimidating to first time visitors but the vendors are used to tourists so if you see a stall that looks good, go ahead and sit down and you’ll be well taken care of.

Myeongdong Night Market – It’s hard to miss the Myeongdong Market when you’re out exploring. If you’re walking through the city center you’ll most likely cut through this market in the evening. Narrow city streets will fill with vendors as evening approaches and this is your one stop shop to try every Korean street food staple you can imagine. It’s very busy but outdoors and spread between dozens of streets so it’s a lot less dense than Gwangjang and all the vendors offer grab and go. Everything is relatively inexpensive so hop between streets and try it all!

Itaewon 

This neighbourhood is known as the expat community. Expats and digital nomads from around the world flock to this part of the city. It’s proximity to the military bases means US troops stationed in South Korea are common here as well. It feels less ‘Korean’ in this part of the city where you’ll find restaurants serving cuisines from around the world and more English speakers than elsewhere. But it’s a great area to explore, meet other travellers, and get to know the international scene in Seoul. Nightlife is popular here with dozens of bars geared towards non-locals.

Korean War Museum

Located in Itaewon, surrounded by active military bases and just outside the expat community, the museum is easily accessible by subway. Walking up to the War Memorial of Korea museum you first pass through a massive plaza with flags from each country that participated in the war. Find your country’s flag to read the plaque below it outlining how your country was involved; the major battles they participated in, which battalions were sent, and how many didn’t come home. It’s a sobering start to understanding the global impact of this war, particularly for those like us who had little understanding of it prior.

Most anyone who visits this museum will recommend it as a must see during your time in Seoul. It was incredibly well designed, informative, and eye opening. It  gave us much more understanding of the ongoing tensions between the North and South.

Virtual Reality 

Interestingly this was one of our highlights of Seoul. Virtual reality arcades are everywhere in the city and the technology felt years ahead of anything we’ve used in North America. It’s become extremely mainstream in South Korea so you’ll have no trouble finding a place to check out and it’s very affordable compared to back home. We went in the middle of a weekday and had the entire arcade to ourselves, although all you need is one cubicle style area. Despite not speaking English the staff member got us set up in the most popular games and taught us how to play. The technology is incredibly immersive and so much fun. After a couple hours we left and immediately agreed we needed to go back the next day.

Demilitarized Zone Tour

Often top of the radar for many travellers to South Korea is learning about and getting a view of the mysterious North Korea. Tours near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) are popular and frequent. There are many different options depending on what you want to see but important to note; they are very often unavailable with no notice. During our most recent trip all tours in or around the DMZ had been closed off for weeks with no explanation given. So it’s somewhat of a gamble if it’s available while you’re there and we often heard of them getting cancelled the day they were scheduled. We haven’t personally taken this unique tour but plan to try again on our next visit to Seoul.

Bongeunsa Temples and Palaces

Walking around Seoul you’ll pass many temple and palace grounds, some larger than others. There are many that are accessible to tourists, most of the larger ones for a fee but sometimes offer a portion that is free. Bongeunsa temple is south of the river but one of the largest and most popular to visit. Gyeongbokgung Palace is hard to miss as you walk through the city and a large part of it can be accessed for free where you can get a sense of the scale by stepping inside the wall.

Karaoke

Music is a huge part of Korean culture and K-pop is extremely popular. While it might be difficult for a foreigner to take in and appreciate a local K-pop performance there is one way any visitor can participate in the Korean music scene – karaoke. When you’re exploring Seoul it will feel as though you pass a karaoke club every 30 seconds, and in some neighborhoods this is exactly true. This might not be for everyone but it really is a fun and unique way to experience Korean culture. Grab a group of other travelers and book a room for an hour! Definitely one of the most authentic things to do in Seoul!

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