Seoul

The city wall: Seoul's outline

The quickest way to read Seoul's layout is to stand on its wall. Hanyangdoseong was built in 1396 along the ridges of four mountains: Baegak (Bugaksan), Nakta (Naksan), Mongmyeok (Namsan) and Inwang. It runs about 18.6 km and served as the capital's wall for 514 years, until 1910. It was rebuilt several times after it first went up, so even along the same wall, the size and finish of the stones change from one section to the next. Don't try to do the whole loop. Pick one stretch. The Naksan section, from Heunginjimun Gate to Hyehwamun Gate, is 2.1 km, so if you start about an hour before sunset you'll see the sunset and then the city lights. Changsin-dong, just outside the wall, is full of small garment workshops; walk down its alleys in the daytime and you'll hear sewing machines through the windows.

Palaces with mountains at their backs

Stand in the courtyard in front of Geunjeongjeon at Gyeongbokgung Palace, and Bugaksan's ridgeline rises right behind the roofs. Built in 1395 as the Joseon dynasty's main palace, it burned during the Imjin War in 1592 and wasn't rebuilt until 1867, more than 270 years later. Through that long gap, the kings mostly used Changdeokgung, to the east. Built in 1405, Changdeokgung was laid out to follow the surrounding terrain rather than override it, and it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. To enter the Huwon, its rear garden, you'll need a garden ticket (₩5,000 for ages 19–64) on top of the palace ticket. The garden's first pond, Buyongji, is square with a round island in the middle, a shape taken from the old idea that heaven is round and the earth is square. The Huwon is open by timed session only. Korean-language sessions start on the hour from 10 a.m. (the last at 4 p.m. from March to October, 3 p.m. from November to February), and each takes 100 people, 50 booked online and 50 sold on site, so it's easier to book as soon as your dates are set. English sessions run at 10:30, 11:30 and 2:30 (plus 3:30 from March to November), Japanese at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, and Chinese at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Korean nationals can't join those sessions unless they're with a foreign visitor (two at most). If you want a palace after dark, remember Deoksugung and Changgyeonggung. Both are open until 9 p.m. year-round (last entry 8 p.m.).

Hanok lanes: Bukchon and Seochon

It's easy to assume Bukchon's hanok are Joseon noble houses that survived intact. In fact, today's densest hanok blocks, around 11 and 31 Gahoe-dong, 35 Samcheong-dong and 135 Gye-dong, all took shape around the 1930s. As Seoul expanded, housing companies bought up large lots and wooded hillsides and built small and mid-sized hanok in clusters. That's why the courtyards are small and the eaves almost touch. Seochon, west of Gyeongbokgung, mixes hanok with an old market, two-story Western-style houses and small bookshops, so the neighborhood's daily life feels closer. Have lunch at Tongin Market, then walk up to Suseong-dong Valley below Inwangsan, where you can still see Giringyo, the stone bridge the painter Jeong Seon put in his work, in the same spot.

Markets and alleys: how Seoul eats

Walk into the food alley at Gwangjang Market and the first thing you'll notice is a stall grinding soaked mung beans with a millstone out front. That batter goes onto a well-oiled griddle as thick bindaetteok, best eaten while the edges are still crisp. At the next stalls, yukhoe, Korean beef tartare, comes topped with julienned pear and an egg yolk. Walk a little east of the market to Dakhanmari Alley, where a whole chicken is simmered in a big aluminum pot. After dark, move to Euljiro. By day, the alleys of Euljiro 3-ga belong to print shops and tool dealers; in the evening, they fill with plastic stools set out in front of the nogari bars. A plate of grilled dried young pollock and a draft beer is the standard order.

The Han River: evenings by the water

There are 11 Hangang parks along the Han River, and for sunset, go to Mangwon Hangang Park. Pick up snacks like croquettes or tteokbokki at Mangwon Market, sit on the riverside steps, and watch the water turn from gold to navy beyond the cyclists. Add a bowl of ramyeon from the instant-noodle machine at the park's convenience store, and that's an evening many Seoulites know well. With daytime to spare, pair Seoul Forest with Seongsu-dong on the city's east side. Shoe workshops and old factory buildings here have become cafés and select shops, and many opened with the red brick and steel shutters from their factory days still in place.

Getting in from Incheon and Gimpo

Most international flights land at Incheon. The AREX express train runs nonstop to Seoul Station every 30–40 minutes and needs its own ticket. The all-stop train takes longer but calls at Gimpo Airport, Hongik University (Hongdae) and Gongdeok, which may put you closer to your hotel. Some flights, including those from Tokyo Haneda, land at Gimpo instead, where Lines 5 and 9 and AREX meet at Gimpo Airport Station. Between neighboring areas like Jongno and Euljiro or Bukchon and Ikseon-dong, walking a stop or two is how you'll catch the old restaurants and workshops in the alleys between them. Heading home, express-train passengers can use the City Airport Terminal on B2 of Seoul Station for check-in and bag drop (5:20 a.m.–7 p.m.) and immigration (5:30 a.m.–7 p.m.). Participating airlines vary, so check yours, and note that check-in closes 3 hours before departure for Terminal 1 and 3 hours 20 minutes for Terminal 2.

Four days, three nights

Day 1 — Land at Incheon → AREX to Seoul Station → hotel around Jongno or Euljiro → Deoksugung's stone-wall road and Deoksugung after dark → Euljiro 3-ga nogari alley Day 2 — Gyeongbokgung → Bukchon hanok lanes → lunch at Tongin Market in Seochon → Suseong-dong Valley → dinner in Ikseon-dong Day 3 — Changdeokgung and the Huwon → bindaetteok at Gwangjang Market → Naksan wall trail from Heunginjimun at sunset → Ihwa-dong and Daehangno Day 4 — Seoul Forest and Seongsu-dong → Mangwon Market → Mangwon Hangang Park → AREX from Hongik University to Incheon

What to eat

• Bindaetteok and yukhoe (Gwangjang Market)
• Pyongyang naengmyeon (old-school spots in Euljiro and Mapo)
• Dakhanmari (Jongno 5-ga alley)
• Nogari and draft beer (Euljiro 3-ga alley)

Handy tips

• Palaces and Jongmyo close on different days: Gyeongbokgung and Jongmyo on Tuesdays; Changdeokgung, Deoksugung and Changgyeonggung on Mondays. Entry is free if you're wearing hanbok (top and bottom), or if you're a foreign visitor aged 18 or under or 65 or over. The Huwon at Changdeokgung is the exception: there, only children 6 and under, plus Korean national-merit honorees and Koreans with disabilities, go free.
• In Bukchon's red zone (around Bukchon-ro 11-gil), sightseeing visits are allowed only from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Since March 2025, sightseeing there outside those hours can get you fined.
• Riding the subway and buses several times a day? Look at the Climate Card short-term pass (1, 2, 3, 5 or 7 days). The 1-day pass is ₩5,000 (the 2024 launch price; the card itself is extra) and covers unlimited rides on Seoul's subway and Seoul city buses. Buy the card at the Myeongdong or Seoul Tourism Plaza tourist information centers, a Line 1–8 station's customer safety office or a convenience store near a station, then top it up; the clock starts the day you top up. It works only within Seoul and for rides ending at Incheon Airport.