City Unscripted

Things to Do in Seoul: A Local's Take on What's Worth Your Time

Written by Taeyang Oh
Knows which alley has the best jeon and the worst lighting.
5 Sep 2025
Table Of Contents

Table Of Contents

  1. Seoul Without the Sugarcoating
  2. Must-See Places That Are Worth Your Time
  3. Overrated Seoul: What to Skip
  4. Where Locals Eat
  5. Seoul’s Leisure Culture
  6. Interest-Based Activities
  7. Seoul Neighborhoods Decoded
  8. Essential Practical Information
  9. Day Trips Worth Escaping Seoul For
  10. Frequently Asked Questions
  11. Why Seoul Is Best Experienced Beyond the Checklist

Seoul Without the Sugarcoating

Let me tell you about Seoul; not the glossy version you see on Instagram, but the city I've been walking through for 38 years.

This is a place where kimchi jjigae bubbles in basement restaurants at 3 AM while office towers gleam overhead, where centuries-old palace walls meet neon-lit shops.

It's also where everybody claims they know the best Korean fried chicken spot, but they're all wrong because it's in an alley behind Euljiro that doesn’t have a proper sign.

I am not giving you the glossy version of Seoul experiences. I'm Taeyang Oh, I was born here and I still walk this city very late when kimchi jjigae boils in basement kitchens under glass towers. Palace walls meet neon, and the best fried chicken is still in an unmarked alley behind Euljiro.

I talk straight. No filter, no brochure sparkle.

This place works hard, drinks harder, and keeps centuries of habit running alongside a future that looks imported from next week.

This city has a way of getting its hooks in you. One day, you’re complaining about the humidity and the pushy ajummas on Line 2, next thing you know, you’re defending Seoul’s superiority over Tokyo to some backpacker in a hostel bar.

Visiting South Korea means dealing with the capital eventually, and I’ll show you how to do it right.

Experiences Created by Locals, Just for You

See the city through the eyes of the people who call it home.

Full day In Seoul with a local
Flexible Full-Day Discovery

Full day In Seoul with a local

See details

The Seoul you want to experience in a day! See the main sites, taste the diverse food scene or go off the tourist trail. It's totally up to you!

$204.4 per person
8 hours
5 (123)
Kickstart your trip to Seoul
City Essentials: First Day

Kickstart your trip to Seoul

See details

The perfect 3-hour experience for your first day in Seoul. Get oriented and gain tips from your host to make the most of the rest of your visit.

$94.4 per person
3 hours
5 (116)
Half day In Seoul with a local
Flexible Half-Day Discovery

Half day In Seoul with a local

See details

4 hours tailored to what you want to see and do. So whether it's ticking off main sites or discovering hidden gems, it's up to you and your host!

$116.4 per person
4 hours
5 (346)
neon-lit shopping street

neon-lit shopping street

I’m not going to sell you on “magical mornings” or “vibrant tapestries.” The city doesn’t need that marketing nonsense. It’s a place that works hard, drinks harder, and somehow manages to preserve centuries of Korean culture while building a future that looks like it came from a sci-fi film.

We’ve got palaces older than some countries’ parliaments standing next to department stores selling ₩3,000,000 handbags.

We eat fermented cabbage for breakfast and consider not drinking soju a personality flaw.

You want the real things to do in Seoul? I’ll give you what locals do, where we eat, and which tourist spots we roll our eyes at.

This isn’t your typical travel guide checklist. It’s the capital as it is; messy, beautiful, exhausting, exhilarating, and completely itself about all of it.

The best things to do in Seoul aren’t always pretty, but they’re always real. These tips come from living here, not visiting.

This isn’t a reconstructed theme park; it’s where kings made decisions that shaped Korea’s history.

Must-See Places That Are Worth Your Time

Not every famous spot is a trap; these few actually earn your ticket.

Gyeongbokgung Palace: Where History Breathes

Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁); yeah, it’s touristy, but there’s a reason.

This isn’t a reconstructed theme park; it’s where kings made decisions that shaped Korea’s history. Built in 1395, burned down, rebuilt, occupied, and restored, this palace has seen more drama than a K-drama.

The Japanese tore down most of it during the occupation, built their colonial HQ right in front just to be jerks. Now it’s back, and this one deserves the hype among all things to do in Seoul.

The entry fee is just ₩3,000; less than your morning latte.

Traditional guards at Gyeongbokgung Palace

Traditional guards at Gyeongbokgung Palace

Be there around 9:30 on a weekday. Guard change hits 10 AM and 2 PM. Gyeonghoeru’s reflection is the postcard everyone elbows you for, but I walk on to Hyangwonjeong, a small pavilion on its own island where the tour groups get bored and wander off.

Ticket is ₩3,000. It takes about an hour if you move, three if you actually read things.

Island in Gyeongbokgung Palace

Island in Gyeongbokgung Palace

Travel Guides Can Only Take You So Far

We connect travelers with locals who shape days that actually fit your interests, not someone else’s checklist.

Traditional Korean hanok houses

Traditional Korean hanok houses

Bukchon Hanok Village: Living History

Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌 한옥마을) sits between two palaces, narrow alleys of traditional Korean houses with curved tile roofs, and glimpses of Seoul Tower in the distance.

Here’s the catch: most of the hanoks are from the 1920s and 30s, not 600 years old. Still, the architectural style goes back centuries, and the vibe is as authentic as it gets.

Walk it early in the morning or after 6 PM when the tour groups have gone. Bukchon-ro 5-gil has stunning views, and the side alleys hold the oldest surviving homes.

It’s a wonderful thing to see preserved hanoks still in use.

Just remember, it’s a residential area and real people live here, so keep voices down and selfie sticks out of people’s front doors.

Want to Experience Bukchon Hanok Firsthand?

Historic Seoul: explore Bukchon Hanok Village
Traditions & Heritage

Historic Seoul: explore Bukchon Hanok Village

See details

Hanoks, secret courtyards and Changdeokgung Palace.

$160.4 per person
6 hours
5 (61)

Step into the neighborhood, scene, or story with someone who knows it inside out.

PLAN YOUR EXPERIENCE
Path in Namsan Park to Seoul Tower

Path in Namsan Park to Seoul Tower

Seoul Tower and Namsan Park

Every city has that one tower tourists feel obligated to visit. Seoul’s Namsan Tower is a 236-meter beacon sitting on Namsan Mountain.

The love lock fence is cheesy, but it’s become part of modern Seoul romance culture. On rare clear days, you might even glimpse as far as Kaesong in North Korea.

Skip the cable car. I walk it.

Forty minutes through Namsan Park on the northern route from Myeongdong, shaded and quiet enough to hear the city breathing.

Sunset is pretty. Late evening is better when the lights sprawl like a circuit board.

Cheonggyecheon Stream during a festival

Cheonggyecheon Stream during a festival

Cheonggyecheon Stream and Han River

Cheonggyecheon Stream (청계천) is what happens when a city tears down a highway and puts a river back where it belongs.

Eleven kilometers of water cut through downtown. I start at Cheonggye Plaza and head east past old bridges and stone markers, feet in the water in July.

The Han River (한강) is Seoul’s living room.

Twelve parks line the banks; I drop a pin at Ttukseom, order fried chicken to the blanket, rent a convenience-store ramen cooker, and watch cyclists pretend they are not racing. Banpo’s rainbow fountain runs April to October, evenings, every twenty minutes.

Starfield Library and Seoul City Wall

Inside COEX Mall, Starfield Library is a book cathedral: 13-meter shelves stacked high under a glass roof. People act like they are reading. Really they are taking photos.

I sit ten minutes and move on.

The Seoul City Wall, 18.6 kilometers of stone built in 1396, once circled the whole city. The Seoul City Wall still wraps the city in pieces.

Naksan Park is the sweet spot, close to the center and kind to knees. Give it a half day and touch stone that pre-dates your country while looking at apartments that got built last year.

Massive bookshelves COEX Mall library

Massive bookshelves COEX Mall library

Too Many Lists, Not Enough Clarity?

We make exploring simple by connecting you with someone who knows the city and helps you spend your time on what matters to you.

Overrated Seoul: What to Skip

Save your won and your patience; here is what I skip and why.

Myeongdong and Cable Cars

Myeongdong is skincare and markups. Street food that should cost ₩3,000 gets sold for ₩15,000. If you need products, go to any other Olive Young and save your money.

Same story with cable cars.

The Namsan Cable Car is ₩14,000 for a ride that skips a perfectly decent walk. I keep the cash and take the stairs. You get shrines, springs, and views the gondola never shows you.

Bustling Myeongdong street

Bustling Myeongdong street

Gangnam’s Premium Everything

Gangnam is Seoul’s Beverly Hills; plastic surgery clinics, K-pop agency buildings, and coffee shops charging double for the same latte.

Sure, it’s flashy, but unless you’re here to shop luxury or people-watch, it’s mostly skippable.

That said, there are two exceptions I defend: Seonjeongneung Royal Tombs (선정릉) (a UNESCO site hidden between skyscrapers) and Garosu-gil, where Seoul’s trendsetters drink overpriced wine.

Otherwise, Gangnam is better avoided in favor of the Seoul neighborhoods with more soul.

High-rise buildings and street traffic in Gangnam

High-rise buildings and street traffic in Gangnam

Go Beyond the Seoul Checklist

Top 10 Seoul in a day
Iconic Sights & Hidden Gems

Top 10 Seoul in a day

See details

Uncover Seoul's highlights in a day, from vibrant Myeong-dong to buzzing Hongdae, peppered with hidden gems in an experience tailored for you

$204.4 per person
8 hours
5 (65)

Discover the city guidebooks don’t cover with a local by your side.

PLAN YOUR EXPERIENCE

Where Locals Eat

Where we end up at midnight when we want dinner, not a photo.

Heritage Restaurants

At Andongjang (안동장), it’s still 1948: wood panels, bow-tied waiters, and a fiery oyster jjamppong that earned it Seoul Future Heritage status.

The oysters come from Tongyeong, the broth could strip paint, and we locals wouldn’t want it any other way. This is Seoul, what to eat, regardless of your state of inebriation.

I go when the weather is unfair or when I deserve it.

Cheongjinok (청진옥) has been Seoul’s unofficial hangover clinic since 1937. Their haejangguk looks murky but works miracles.

The ajummas serving it have seen every kind of hangover and judge none of them. Cash only, no English menu, and it’s perfect that way.

Spicy seafood jjamppong noodle soup in a red broth

Spicy seafood jjamppong noodle soup in a red broth

Euljiro Nogari Alley

Forget craft cocktails. Euljiro Nogari Alley (을지로 노가리 골목) is the capital stripped to drinking essentials: plastic stools, dried pollack, draft beer that costs less than a subway line ride.

By day, printing shops. By night, where the city drinks without pretense. Nogari gets torn by hand, beer disappears, someone orders round two before you finish round one.

Hungry to Try Seoul's Food Yourself?

Ultimate Korean food experience
Local Food & Drink Tastings

Ultimate Korean food experience

See details

Taste your way through 6-8 authentic Korean street foods, from savory dakkochi skewers to spicy topokki rice cakes, on a culinary journey with a local

$171.4 per person
4 hours
5 (47)

Taste and explore the flavors locals actually love.

PLAN YOUR EXPERIENCE
People eating fried chicken and drinking beer, a picnic beside the Han River

People eating fried chicken and drinking beer, a picnic beside the Han River

Seoul’s Leisure Culture

How the city actually relaxes, river blankets, convenience store tables, slow walks, small rituals.

Han River Rituals

When the city needs to take a breather, it heads to the Han River.

Delivery apps deliver chicken and beer to your picnic blanket. Convenience stores lend you ramen cookers.

There are cherry blossoms in spring, fireworks in autumn, and joggers and strollers year-round.

Convenience Store Society

Convenience stores are neutral ground. Buy anything, claim a plastic table, and talk until the clerk starts mopping around your feet.

Students cram, couples split ice cream, strangers trade lighters and life advice. Beers are ₩1,500 and better than they need to be at 1 AM.

Row of retro arcade game machines

Row of retro arcade game machines

Photo Booths and Retro Arcades

The “insaeng 4-cut” photo booth craze has taken over. ₩4,000 for four shots, and you walk away with a strip of your best or worst faces.

Add in late-night arcades, basketball hoops, claw machines, button-mash classics, and you’ve got a night out that feels more Seoul than any club.

Colorful street mural on a corrugated wall in Mullae

Colorful street mural on a corrugated wall in Mullae

Mullae Art Village

Once an industrial steel zone, Mullae now hums with artist studios, indie cafés, and street art layered on corrugated shutters.

Tourist blogs are catching on, but it’s still rough around the edges and alive with local energy.

Don’t go looking for perfection; go for the grit.

It was a great overview of Seoul and the various landmarks around town. We got a wonderful overview of life in the city. Our guide, Hans, was great. He listened to our needs and was actually able to start the tour earlier than we had scheduled. Lynn, Seoul, 2025

Interest-Based Activities

Pick your obsession, art, outdoors, shopping, and I will point you to the good stuff.

Arts and Culture

The National Museum has 220,000 artifacts and is free to enter. But the capital's art scene lives in smaller spaces. Art galleries in Samcheong-dong occupy converted hanoks.

Ihwa Mural Village gets called one of those "hidden gems"; it's not hidden, but the murals are legitimately good. The fish stairway everyone photographs is fine, but real art is in the alleys.

A wall painted with murals in Ihwa Mural Village

A wall painted with murals in Ihwa Mural Village

Outdoor Seoul

Beyond the obvious mountains, Naksan Park, Seoul, at night, when the elderly do tai chi.

Fortress wall sections nobody hikes. Cycling the Han River requires strategy: rent at Mangwon, not Yeouido.

Go upstream toward Paldang Dam, where the path empties. Seoul Forest: deer you can feed, butterflies, and enough space to forget you're in a city of 9.7 million.

Curious What You Won’t Find Online About Seoul?

Hiking Seoul
Outdoor Experiences

Hiking Seoul

See details

From breathtaking views of the city to peaceful temples on summits, join your host on an adventure through the stunning landscape of vibrant Seoul

$204.4 per person
8 hours
5 (61)

Discover the side only locals talk about.

PLAN YOUR EXPERIENCE
People practicing tai chi at an outdoor square

People practicing tai chi at an outdoor square

Shopping and Nightlife

COEX Mall and Namdaemun Market are obvious choices. But Ikseon-dong (익선동) went from quiet hanoks to boutiques in about five minutes. Buildings are real, prices are modern.

You will get lost, find a bar, get more lost, and come out lighter by ₩50,000 with photos that look like everyone else’s. I go weekday afternoons if I go at all.

Bustling Namdaemun Market with rows of clothes

Bustling Namdaemun Market with rows of clothes

Nightlife peaks in unexpected places. Eulji-ro's (을지로) hip-hop bars in former printing shops. Live music exists beyond K-pop; Hongdae's back alleys, where bands play to twenty people.

The best nights end at Seoul Station, waiting for the first subway line at 5:30 AM.

Seoul Neighborhoods Decoded

Match the neighborhood to your mood and Seoul stops fighting you.

Hongdae and Ikseon-dong

Hongdae is youth culture ground zero; buskers compete for attention like it's the Hunger Games with guitars, dance crews battle for territory marked by boom boxes and chalk circles, and everyone aged 18-25 in Seoul somehow squeezes into ten blocks that smell like beer, hormones, and bad decisions.

Friday nights are mayhem. Saturday nights are mayhem with more tourists.

The main strips are chain stores now; the same shops you'll find in Myeongdong, Gangnam, and probably your hometown mall.

But the side alleys still have the weird stuff; vinyl bars run by guys who will judge your music taste, underground clubs where the floor is literally underground and possibly illegal, shops selling things you didn't know existed and aren't sure should.

Ikseon-dong alleyway on a rainy evening

Ikseon-dong alleyway on a rainy evening

Ikseon-dong (익선동) materialized from nowhere around 2017; one day, it was elderly residents complaining about the price of cabbage and repair shops fixing things that should've been thrown away in 1987, the next day, every building had Edison bulbs, succulents, and sold ₩12,000 lattes served in mason jars by baristas with architecture degrees.

Seoul's most Instagrammed neighborhood, tells you everything you need to know.

The hanoks are real (mostly), the prices aren't. The alleys are a maze; you will get lost, find a bar, get more lost, find another bar, eventually emerge somewhere near where you started, but ₩50,000 poorer.

Go on weekday afternoons when influencers are elsewhere ruining some other authentic neighborhood.

Hongdae Is Not Just a Place on a List

Explore the lively streets of Hongdae, the coolest neighborhood in Seoul
Neighborhood Discoveries

Explore the lively streets of Hongdae, the coolest neighborhood in Seoul

See details

Explore Hongdae's vibrant university atmosphere, discover unique street art as you shop for unique items, and try delicious street food

$94.4 per person
3 hours
5 (34)

Experience it through hidden corners and stories most visitors miss.

PLAN YOUR EXPERIENCE

Gangnam to Jongno

Gangnam is new money where luxury is the default. Entertainment companies for K-pop stalking (don't).

Plastic surgery clinics outnumber coffee shops. Skip unless you want to see the 1% in their habitat.

Jongno is old Seoul, holding on. Jogyesa Temple sits between office buildings.

Back streets have the last traditional shops, paper makers, and hanbok tailors. Find second-floor tea houses where time stopped in 1975.

Jogyesa Temple courtyard decorated with lanterns

Jogyesa Temple courtyard decorated with lanterns

Itaewon and Emerging Areas

Itaewon: the main drag is global food and tourist bars. Hills hide Haebangchon's artistic crowd, Gyeongnidan's cafes. International restaurants are run by immigrants.

Weekend nights are messy but real.

Seongsu-dong has Brooklyn vibes; former shoe factories turned into coffee shops. Yeonnam-dong is Hongdae, overflowing with better restaurants and fewer drunk students.

The Gyeongui Line Book Street, an old rail line turned park with indie bookshops.

Essential Practical Information

The unsexy details that save time, money, and arguments on the sidewalk.

Transportation

Get a T-Money card immediately. Not tomorrow morning, not after your first Instagram post; get it the moment you land.

This plastic rectangle is your key to the city. It works on every subway line, every bus, taxi, and even convenience stores when you need that 2 AM ramyeon fix.

Load it with ₩50,000 and stop thinking about transport. Essential travel tips for visitors who don't want to look like tourists fumbling with cash at the turnstile while angry commuters pile up behind them.

AREX express train stopped at Incheon Airport platform/Replace

AREX express train stopped at Incheon Airport platform/Replace

The airport railroad connects Incheon to Seoul Station: 43 minutes on the express for ₩9,500, or take the all-stop train for ₩4,950 if you're patient and poor. The express has assigned seats and luggage racks.

The regular train has neither, but you save enough for two beers. Choose wisely.

Buses are harder; destination names are in Korean, routes follow logic known only to urban planners and possibly shamans, and drivers treat stop requests as suggestions.

But they go places subways don't, and the late-night buses (prefix N) run until 4 AM when you've missed the last train because "just one more drink" turned into seven.

17,500+ 5-Star Reviews and Counting

Trusted and recommended by travelers worldwide, including 99% on Google and TripAdvisor.

recommended by 99% of travelers on google
recommended by 99% of travelers on tripadvisor
We don’t make deals with businesses - giving you unbiased and authentic local experiences.
Suwon Hwaseong Fortress

Suwon Hwaseong Fortress

Day Trips Worth Escaping Seoul For

Sometimes Seoul’s noise gets too loud, even for those of us who love it. That’s when you get out for a day and come back, reminded why you live here.

If you’re planning a couple of Seoul day trips, these two should be at the top of your list.

Take the train east to Suwon: home of Hwaseong Fortress, a UNESCO site where 18th-century walls still wrap around a living city.

Forget the bus tours; walk the ramparts at sunset when locals are out jogging and the floodlights turn the gates into something cinematic. Bonus: Suwon galbi (beef ribs) is its own religion.

Incheon’s Chinatown entrance

Incheon’s Chinatown entrance

Or head west to Incheon’s Chinatown and Wolmido. Incheon is less than an hour by subway, but it feels like another world.

You’ve got Korea’s only official Chinatown with red gates, dumpling shops, and walls painted with Journey to the West murals. Walk it off at Wolmido boardwalk, where old-school arcades, seafood stalls, and salty air remind you Korea’s still a peninsula, not just a capital. It’s chaotic, colorful, and refreshingly low on selfie-stick battalions.

Safety and Etiquette

The capital is stupidly safe. Women walk alone at night, and kids take the subway solo. North Korea? That's a separate matter. We've been technically at war for 70 years.

The biggest threat from the DMZ tour is boredom.

Take your shoes off indoors. Don't tip. Pour drinks for others first.

Use two hands when receiving from elders. Naver Map works better than Google Maps here; Google Maps can't access Korean mapping data properly.

Cards are accepted at most places, but street food and older restaurants want cash.

Wish You Could Just Ask a Local?

Pre-Trip Planning Session

Seoul trip planning video call

See details

Video chat or email with a local to plan your perfect trip or get answers to all your questions

$25 per person
30-90 minutes
5 (96)

Book a quick video call and get insider answers to your trip questions.

PLAN YOUR EXPERIENCE

Frequently Asked Questions

1) What are the best things to do in Seoul at night?

Han River until 2 AM with chicken delivery. Dongdaemun Design Plaza's LED rose garden. Night hiking on Namsan. Or just convenience store culture; the real social scene. Essential things to do in Seoul happen after dark.

2) Where can I try authentic Korean BBQ?

Skip tourist areas with picture menus. Find second-floor restaurants in Jongno where smoke stains the ceiling. No English menu means good meat. Genuine Korean BBQ is one of those things to do in Seoul you can't fake.

3) Which palace offers free entry?

Gyeonghuigung Palace and Changdeokgung Palace's outside grounds have free entry. But palace entry fee amounts are like ₩3,000; less than a coffee. Budget activities exist everywhere.

4) How do I reach central Seoul from the airport?

Airport Railroad Express to Seoul Station: 43 minutes, ₩9,500. To reach central Seoul, the train is the simplest.

5) When should I visit Bukchon Hanok Village?

Before 9 AM or after 6 PM. Midday is tourist hell. Early morning has residents starting their day, evening light hits roofs perfectly. Timing matters for things to do in Seoul.

6) What's worth buying?

Korean skincare from Olive Young, not Myeongdong. Gochugaru is from Namdaemun Market, not souvenir shops. Makgeolli is available from any convenience store. Shopping is one of those things to do in Seoul that locals know better.

7) Where should I try street food?

Not Myeongdong. Gwangjang Market for bindaetteok. Namdaemun Market for hotteok. Or any subway station where ajummas sell tteokbokki. The best Korean street food has no Instagram presence.

8) Is the DMZ tour worth it?

If you're into Cold War history, sure. Otherwise, it's a long day of buses and gift shops. The DMZ tour is more interesting as a concept than an experience. There are better things to do in Seoul.

9) How do I use the subway?

Get a T-Money card. Tap in. Follow colors and numbers. Tap out. It's the world's most user-friendly subway line system. Master this first among things to do in Seoul.

10) Can I visit all royal palaces in one day?

If you hate yourself, you can visit Seoul's five royal palaces in one day. Pick two: Gyeongbokgung Palace for the main event and Changdeokgung Palace for the secret garden. Trying to see everything in an entire day leaves you exhausted.

11) Is Seoul expensive?

Street food costs about ₩3,000, restaurant meals around ₩8,000-15,000, coffee shop Americanos ₩4,000-6,000, and subway rides ₩1,250. Budget things to do in Seoul exist if you look.

12) Do I need to speak Korean?

No, not for tourist areas. It helps in real local life. Learning Hangul takes two hours and changes everything. Translation apps work; pointing works better.

13) What's uniquely Seoul?

Seoul is defined by its unique things to do: photo booth culture, delivery to Han River parks, 4 AM convenience store philosophy, ajummas in hiking gear, and love locks at towers.

14) Should I get a city pass?

No need. Most good stuff is cheap or free. Your T-Money card is the only pass you need for real things to do in Seoul.

15) Where can I see K-pop?

Entertainment companies in Gangnam (don't stalk). COEX Mall for events. But K-pop is more of a corporate product than an accessible culture. K-pop activities are mostly disappointing.

Why Seoul Is Best Experienced Beyond the Checklist

You can hit every palace, tick every market off your list, get every Instagram shot, and still miss the capital entirely.

The city lives in its routines: morning hikers on mountains wearing more gear than Everest climbers, evening crowds by the Han River pretending exercise is why they're there and not the chicken delivery, late-night convenience store congregations solving problems that seemed unsolvable before the third beer.

It's in subway line announcements that everyone knows by heart but still listens to, seasonal menu changes that everyone complains about but secretly loves, and unspoken rules about escalator sides and shoe removal that nobody teaches you but everybody knows.

A quiet Seoul alley at night

A quiet Seoul alley at night

Real things to do in Seoul aren't planned; they happen when you miss the last train and discover the city's 3 AM personality, when you accidentally order intestines thinking it was regular meat and realize you like it, when you find yourself defending kimchi to someone who called it "just spicy cabbage" and realize you've gone native.

I've walked these streets for 38 years.

Still find alleys I've never seen, restaurants that have been there since the war serving the same three dishes, stories nobody's telling tourists because they're too busy trying to sell them palace tickets.

South Korean experiences reward the wanderer, not the planner. It's better when you're slightly lost, definitely hungry, probably confused, and open to whatever happens next.

This city will exhaust you. The pace is relentless, the crowds are constant, the sensory assault of neon and K-pop and kimchi and soju never stops.

But it will also feed you at any hour, show you 600 years of history before lunch, and make you feel like you're living in tomorrow while standing in a palace from yesterday.

So forget the checklists. Get your T-Money card, pick a direction, and walk until something interesting happens. In Seoul, it always does.

Ready to plan your perfect day in Seoul?

Start your experience

What If Exploring a City Felt More Personal?

City Unscripted pairs you with someone who lives there, so you can see iconic sights and hidden corners in a way that feels like yours.

Google Can’t Answer This One

Pre-Trip Planning Session

Seoul trip planning video call

See details

Video chat or email with a local to plan your perfect trip or get answers to all your questions

$25 per person
30-90 minutes
5 (96)

A local can, in a 1-to-1 video call tailored to your trip.

PLAN YOUR EXPERIENCE
Start planning