Seoul Bucket List
Palaces from 1395 next to holographic K-pop stores. Soju at 3 AM in a tent bar. The best fried chicken you've ever had, delivered to a bathhouse. Seoul doesn't make sense on paper, but it works perfectly in person.
Why Seoul belongs on your bucket list
Seoul is a fast-paced place. Like, really fast. New cafes pop up and disappear in weeks. Fashion trends change in days. K-pop groups release music at midnight and the entire country is dancing to the choreography the next morning. But the thing is, it's also home to five 600-year-old palaces in the middle of all this. You can walk through a Joseon Dynasty palace gate in a rented hanbok and cross the street to a skincare store with ten floors. The food? Enough said. Korean BBQ where you can grill your own meat till 2 AM. Pojangmacha tent bars with soju and spicy tteokbokki at midnight on a cold winter's night. Fried chicken delivered anywhere in the city in under 30 minutes. Wild in Hongdae, sophisticated in Gangnam, international in Itaewon. What kind of Seoul do you want? And the subway? Best in the world. Ten million people and it all works.
When to go
Cherry Blossom Season (Late March to Mid-April) – Unreal. Yeouido Island is a sea of pink, and the palace grounds are like a watercolor painting. Autumn (Late September to November) – Autumn in Seoul is just as beautiful as the cherry blossom season. The mountains change colors, the air is crisp, and the weather is perfect. Summer? Skip it if you can. July-August is monsoon season in Seoul. Humidity, rain, heat. Winter – While it is freezing cold in the winter in Seoul, there is something magical about seeing snow on the palace grounds of Gyeongbokgung Palace and having dinner in a tiny little restaurant with the windows all steamed up drinking hot stew and drinking soju.
Must-visit places in Seoul
Gyeongbokgung Palace
Seoul's main royal palace. Honestly? It hits harder than you might expect. The throne room, the grounds, the mountains behind it... it's like the set of a Korean soap opera. The changing of the guard at Gwanghwamun Gate happens daily. The costumes? Amazing. Pro tip: rent a traditional Korean dress from one of the places outside the gate and get in for free. Plus, the pictures? Ridiculous. Go in at opening time to avoid the throngs of tourists.
Bukchon Hanok Village
Hundreds of traditional Korean houses with curved tile roofs packed in tight on a hillside between two palaces. Narrow alleys wind up the hillside, with a new photo opportunity around every corner: traditional tile roofs with modern glass skyscrapers in the background. It's the most Instagrammed place in Seoul for a reason. Be sure to go all the way to the top for the view.
Gwangjang Market
This is where you eat. Seoul's oldest market, and the street food is next level. Bindaetteok, thick mung bean pancakes, cooked until they shatter when you bite into them. Knife-cut noodles in broth so rich, it's like a meal and a hug. Raw beef yukhoe if you're feeling adventurous. And mayak gimbap, small rice rolls wrapped in seaweed, literally called "drug gimbap" because you can't stop eating them. It's loud, it's elbow-to-elbow, and it's perfect. Look for the vintage fabric shops upstairs.
Hongdae
The university district, and it feels like it. Cheap, loud, creative, and completely alive at night. Indie bands in basement clubs. Dance crews battling each other on the pedestrian strip. Vintage shops where you'll find a great leather jacket for fifteen bucks. At night on the weekends, the whole area is one giant outdoor concert. Clubs range from small jazz clubs to massive K-pop dance clubs where everyone knows the choreography but you. This is where Seoul's culture actually happens.
Myeongdong
K-beauty central. Innisfree, Laneige, Sulwhasoo – all of them have a flagship here and will give you free samples of whatever you want until you can't carry another bag. Skin consultations are free too. Your suitcase will be 40% sheet masks by the time you leave. The back alleys are all street food – hotteok (Korean pancakes with brown sugar filling that will burn your mouth but is totally worth it), tornado potatoes on a stick, egg bread. There's a Myeongdong Cathedral in the middle of all this – a Gothic brick church that somehow fits in as a breathing room.
N Seoul Tower
It's a communication tower on top of Namsan Mountain, and the view is actually kind of nuts – Han River splits the city in half, mountains surround the edges of the horizon, palaces nestled in between towering skyscrapers. The hike is about 30 minutes and is a classic Seoul date spot. Yeah, the love locks on the fence are kind of cheesy. The rotating restaurant is kind of cheesy too. Still, you'll take pictures of both. Come in the evening and watch the lights turn on across the entire basin like a switch has been flipped.
Seongsu-dong
Everyone just calls it "the Brooklyn of Seoul" and that's kind of lazy but kind of accurate. Old shoe factories converted into specialty coffee shops and other weird and wonderful boutiques. The turnover is incredibly rapid – a cafe that was full last month will probably be gone next month and something even weirder and better will have taken its place. That's just the vibe of this place. The Seoul Forest park is literally just next door if you want to get out of here and relax a bit.
Ikseon-dong
A bunch of hanok buildings from the 1920s that some smart person decided to turn into cafes and boutiques instead of knocking down. The streets are so narrow that you can barely walk two abreast, and that's kind of the charm – it's like a little secret neighborhood in the middle of a massive metropolis. Each hanok is different. One is a tea house with floor seating, one is a dessert cafe with a lovely little garden out back. It's all doable in two hours, making it a great break between visiting all the palace sights.
Lotte World Tower
555 meters tall. There's a glass floor at the top. Your legs will go numb and you'll pretend they didn't. On a clear day, you can see the mountains that divide South Korea from North Korea. That's a rather sobering thought when you're in a luxury mall. The complex down below has an aquarium and the Lotte World theme park. Go there in the evening. Watching the city change from golden hour to full-on neon at sunset from 500 meters up is an experience you won't soon forget.
Itaewon
Used to be a military camp town. Now it's the most international part of Seoul. Global restaurants, gay-friendly bars, vintage clothing stores, and the best cocktail bars in the city. Gyeongnidan-gil is the side street that runs off the main road, uphill. This is where the good restaurants are. The War Memorial of Korea is nearby. It's heavy, but it's worth your time. Itaewon is really hopping Thursday through Saturday nights. Weekends are a different animal.
Seoul insider tips
- T-money card: Pick one of these up at a convenient store. It's good for the subway, buses, and even a taxi. The subway system in Seoul is absurdly good. You don't need a car. You don't need Uber. The subway is good for everything.
- Korean BBQ Etiquette: The kid at the table is in charge of the grill. This is just how it is. Put your meat in a lettuce wrap with garlic, ssamjang sauce, and kimchi. Soju shots come between courses. Your clothes will smell like smoke after this. Let them. This is your souvenir.
- Convenience Stores: Korean convenience store chains like GS25, CU, or 7-Eleven are really something amazing. Triangle gimbap for a dollar, instant ramen stands where you can pour hot water and eat at the counter, fried chicken at midnight. This is not gas station food. This is real food, 24 hours a day.
- Wifi & Connectivity: Free public WiFi is pretty much everywhere. Get an eSIM card at the airport if you want to have internet access outside of public WiFi. Big Tip: Don't use Google Maps. Naver Maps is the way to go. Google Maps is basically useless in Seoul. Naver knows where everything is.
- Jjimjilbang: Go to a Korean bathhouse. Seriously. Dragon Hill Spa in Yongsan is probably the most accessible for first-timers because of its multiple floors of saunas, hot pools, cold pools, and sleeping areas. Yes, you have to be nude in the bathing areas, but separated by sex, of course. Get over it, because you'll be comfortable in about five minutes.
- DMZ: The border between North Korea and South Korea. It's serious, it's interesting, and it's only an hour outside of Seoul. You cannot go here without a tour, but trust me, go through USO or Koridoor. It'll be the most memorable day trip of your life.
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