So you are thinking about travelling to one of our favourite cities? It is near the top of our list for a reason, as there is an endless list of amazing things to see, explore, and eat! We hope that you can make the most of your time in Seoul, and that’s why we’ve created this Seoul Itinerary for First Timers to help you maximize your time here!
Of course, there are SO MANY amazing things to do in Seoul that it is hard to narrow them down to a short list. From our time spent living in Seoul, we found a few of our favourite areas and often used this itinerary as our guide when family and friends visited.
Seoul 3-Day Itinerary
- Day 1: Royal Palaces, Hanok Village & Gwangjang Market
- Day 2: Myeongdong Shopping, Local Markets & Hongdae Nightlife
- Day 3: Noryangjin Seafood, War Memorial & Gangnam Shopping
- Seoul Seasonal Events: When to Visit
- Essential Seoul Travel Tips (Kakao Maps & T-Money)
Seoul Itinerary for First Timers – Interactive Map
Day 1: Royal Palaces, Hanok Village & Gwangjang Market
Gyeongbokgung Palace
Gyeongbokgung Palace is a beautiful palace in Seoul to catch a glimpse of South Korea’s traditional history. It is one of the most prominent landmarks in the country and should certainly be on your list to go and see! There are also Changing of the Guards ceremonies that occur twice daily. Click here for more information!
Admission Fee:
General Admission (Adult): 3000 KRW
Youth: 1,500 KRW
Free Admission if wearing a Hanbok, children under 6, seniors over 25, and on the last Wednesday of every month.
Opening Hours: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm (Mar-Oct) & 9:00 am – 5:00 pm (Nov-Feb) Hours may be extended in the summer.
Subway Location: Gyeonbokgung Station (Orange line 3) or Anguk Station (Orange line 3)
National Folk Museum of Korea
This national museum is a great place to experience and learn more about traditional daily life in South Korea! It is located in the same area as the Gyeonbokgung Palace and also features special exhibitions throughout the year.
Admission Fee: Free
Opening Hours: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm (Mar-Oct) & 9:00 am – 5:00 pm (Nov-Feb). Last entrance time is 1 hour before closing.
Subway Location: Anguk Station (Orange line 3).
Bukchon Hanok Village
Spend a few hours exploring this cultural village and learn more about traditional life and traditional homes in South Korea. There are little stands throughout to help guide you to the popular viewpoints in the village. Keep an eye out for local tour guides! We had a short free tour of a traditional house, and it was a great learning experience!
Admission Fee: Free
Subway Location: Anguk Station (Orange line 3)
Gwangjang Market
If you are looking for a great food market, then this is the place to go! It has been featured in multiple TV shows, and with the variety of food stalls inside, it is certainly a MUST when visiting Seoul! There is a great selection of dishes to try at Gwangjang Market, and so be prepared to stay for an hour or two, trying out new snacks and foods to enjoy!
Recommendation: Try the Mung Bean Pancake (bindastteok), Rice Cakes (Tteokbokki), and Kimbap.
Opening Hours: 9:00 am – 10:30 pm daily (stalls are not always operating on Sundays and during early/late hours)
Subway Location: Jongno 5-ga Station (Blue, line 1)
Day 2: Myeongdong Shopping, Local Markets & Hongdae Nightlife
Myeongdong
Begin day 2 exploring Myeongdong, a very popular shopping area with many tasty eats! One of the main streets in the area is lined with food carts and is an awesome place to try local dishes! You can easily spend many hours shopping around and exploring the area! If you are looking for more traditional items and/or souvenirs, then walk to Namdaemun Market, which is about a 10-minute walk from Myeongdong!
Subway Location: Myeong-dong Station (Blue line 4)
Namdaemun Market
A traditional market perfect for souvenir shopping! This still remains one of my favourite places to go in Seoul, and you can easily spend a few hours shopping around. The market is quite large and also has many food carts as well! Seriously, all of my shopping for our families and friends occurred here!
Namdaemun Market Recommendation: Find a Hotteok Stall! It still remains my favourite snack in South Korea. It’s a delicious pancake snack filled with sugary goodness! Although you can get a few different fillings, the most common you’ll find is simply filled with sugar. For only 1,000krw a piece, you can’t go wrong!
Subway Location: Hoehyeon Station (Blue line 4)
Hongdae
This is a university area, jammed packed with delicious food and street eats. At night, you’ll see street performers singing and dancing to K-pop! It was so fun to see the performers and then dip into restaurants for some tasty eats. A great insight into Korean nightlife can be found here!
Subway Location: Hongik University Station (Green line 2, Blue line 4, Blue dotted lines)
Day 3: Noryangjin Seafood, War Memorial & Gangnam Shopping
Noryangjin Fish Market
This is a place to certainly check out if you enjoy eating seafood! It’s a large indoor seafood market with plenty of seafood to choose from, and it also has an eating area upstairs. It is quite a sight to walk around the market and check out all of the local seafood!
Opening Hours: Open 24/7
Subway Location: Noryangjin Station (Blue line 1, Tan line 9)
The War Memorial of Korea
The museum provided a very interesting experience. The museum is really well done and provides great insight into the Korean War. If you are looking to gain more insight into South Korea’s history, then you’ll certainly want to spend time here.
Admission Fee: Free
Opening Hours: 9:30 am – 6:00 pm Tues-Sun (closed Mondays)
Subway Location: Samgakji Station (Blue line 4, Brown line 6)
Gangnam
The perfect place for a night out with many restaurants and delicious eats! They also have a “Gangnam Style” sign that lights up at night, located by exit 12 of the metro! Be sure to spend some time in the underground, as it is massive with so many shops to explore!
Above ground, you’ll find a plethora of restaurants and shops, including our favourite bingsu (ice-shavings dessert) chain, which you HAVE TO TRY!
Subway Location: Gangnam Station (Green line 2)
Gangnam Recommendations:
Gangnam Underground: This underground shopping area is HUGE! It is mainly a clothing shopping area, but it also has many food options to choose from! You’ll see lots of jewellery, socks, and electronics shops around.
Korean BBQ: Located one station over at Yeoksam Station (one stop East of Gangnam), it is our favourite Korean BBQ restaurant. We lived in this area for 2 years, and by far, this was our go-to place! Find its location here!
Jamsil Stadium: Nothing really compares to the experience at a baseball game in South Korea! Located at the Sports Complex metro stop (a few stops East of Gangnam), you’ll be able to experience the energy at a baseball game that is like no other! For baseball fans, this is a MUST!
There are two main baseball stadiums in Seoul: Jamsil Stadium and Gocheok Sky Dome. We have only been to Jamsil Stadium. You can purchase tickets directly at the stadium (especially at the beginning of the season, which runs from late March to early October. However, closer to the end of the season, tickets may sell out in person.)
Seoul Itinerary for First Timers: Seasonal Things to Do!
Depending on when you visit Seoul, you might be able to enjoy seasonal events and festivals that are being held! We tried our best to make the most of our time in Seoul and sought to visit new areas at different times during the year! Be sure to check out any of these events or festivals while you are there!
See the cherry blossoms at Seokchon Lake in April! (Jamsil Station, Green line 2)
Watch a baseball game at the from March-October! (Jamsil Stadium – Sports Complex Station, Green line 2)
Hike a mountain at Bukhansan National Park…anytime really!
Watch the International Fireworks Festival in October!
Visit the Seoul Lantern Festival at Cheonggyecheon Stream in November! (Jonggak Station, Blue line 1)
Go for a skate at Olympic Park from December to February! (Jamsil Station, Green line 2)
Essential Seoul Travel Tips (Kakao Maps & T-Money)
Download Kakao Maps App
This will be your go-to app for exploring all over South Korea. This app is also in English and has all of the different ways of transit to help you get to and from your destinations. If you are specifically looking to stay within the metro lines, then downloading Kakao Metro will also be helpful. It shows you which metro lines to take and gives you alternate routes based on time.
Google Maps isn’t as prominent in South Korea, so Kakao Maps and Naver Maps are popular alternatives.
Getting from the Airport to your Accommodation
The three main ways to get to your accommodations are by metro, bus, and taxi. All three ways are convenient; however, I am slightly more partial to the bus. As I stayed closer to the Gangnam area, I could expect to pay around 5,000krw for the metro, and it would take me approximately two hours to reach my destination. The bus, however, has more of a direct route and only takes about an hour from Gangnam and costs around 15,000krw. Although taxis are fairly cheap in South Korea, the bus has limited stops in the major areas of Seoul. If you are interested in looking at the bus schedules, you can find them here.
T-Money Metro Card
If you are looking to use the metro frequently during your stay, it is best to pick up a T-Money metro card at a local convenience store (GS25, 711, etc.). The card itself will cost you a few thousand won (few dollars), and I would advise loading up at least another 10,000krw for travel. Each trip on your card will deduct approximately 1,200krw.
Seoul is a wonderful city to explore, and there are so many amazing things to see! There are many places we could certainly add to this list of “must-sees” in South Korea, and I hope that this Seoul Itinerary for First Timers helps take out the overwhelm of planning an awesome visit to this city! Let us know what your favourite areas are to visit in Seoul! Happy travelling!
