One day in Seoul

Day by day

1. Day 1: Gyeongbokgung Palace and Gwangjang Market

   Gyeongbokgung Palace, Gwangjang Market, Changdeokgung and the Secret Garden and Bukchon Hanok Village, then N Seoul Tower and Namsan in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Gyeongbokgung Palace

      Visitors wearing hanbok, rented from shops near the gate, enter the palaces free; arrive early to photograph Gyeonghoeru before tour groups. Allow 2–3 hours.

   2. Late morning

      Gwangjang Market

      Sit at a counter with a pancake and a bowl of makgeolli; go mid-afternoon on a weekday to avoid the evening crush. Allow 1–2 hours.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Korean barbecue

      Barbecue restaurants in every district; Mapo and Sinchon are known for pork, and the alleys behind Jongno 3-ga for inexpensive grills.

   4. Afternoon

      Changdeokgung and the Secret Garden

      Spring blossom and late-October foliage are the best times for the Secret Garden. Allow 2–3 hours.

   5. Late afternoon

      Bukchon Hanok Village

      This is a residential area with restricted visiting hours in its busiest lanes; keep voices low and avoid peering into homes. Allow 1–2 hours.

   6. Evening

      N Seoul Tower and Namsan

      Walk up through Namsan Park from Myeongdong in about 40 minutes, and stay for the city lights after sunset.

Before you go

• Changdeokgung and the Secret Garden: Secret Garden tours have limited places; reserve online in advance, especially in spring and autumn.

If it rains

• Swap in National Museum of Korea (Yongsan): Don't miss the dimly lit Room of Quiet Contemplation, which displays two gilt-bronze pensive bodhisattva statues side by side.
• Swap in War Memorial of Korea (Yongsan): Combine it with the National Museum of Korea, about 15 minutes away by subway or taxi.
• Swap in Lotte World Tower and Seoul Sky (Jamsil): Clear autumn and winter days give the longest views; check the visibility forecast before buying tickets.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 8–12 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 9.6 hours in December to 14.7 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Metro. Trains run from about 5:30am to around midnight and are frequent, clean and inexpensive, with distance-based fares and free transfers to buses.

More or fewer days

• 2 days in Seoul
• 3 days in Seoul
• 4 days in Seoul
• 5 days in Seoul
• 7 days in Seoul

Questions travellers ask