Seoul is a beautiful place to simply exist and take in the beauty and the culture. But if you’re visiting the city for the first time, you’ll probably want to prioritize some of the city’s most important tourist hot spots. These are the top things to do in Seoul for first-time visitors.
Tour Gyeongbokgung Palace
Gyeongbokgung Palace is a 14th century royal palace that was built during the Joseon dynasty and served as a royal residence for over 500 years. It even predates China’s Imperial Palace. The grounds of the palace are massive so it’s worth spending some time especially because the crowds thin out as you get away from the main entrance. Around the gardens, you’ll find tree-lined paths, and peaceful pavilions that sit on ponds. If you’re interested in learning more about the palace, there are free guided tours every day at 11 am, 1:30 pm, and 3:30 pm in English. The tours begin at the information center and last about 1-1.5 hours.
You can also watch the changing of the guard at Gwanghwamun Gate without a ticket at 10 am and 2 pm every day. The program lasts 20 minutes and English explanations are also included. There’s also a 10-minute guard dispatch ceremony at 11 am and 1 pm, and a 15-minute public training of the royal guards at 9:35 and 1:25 pm. Some parts of the palace like Geunjeongjoen Hall are only accessible with a paid ticket, but it’s only 3,000 won, and free if you’re wearing a hanbok. Your ticket also includes entrance into the National Palace Museum and the National Folk Museum, which are also on the palace grounds.
Visit the Buddhist temples
Even nestled among Seoul’s high-rises, you’ll find the peaceful temples to be a nice respite from the hustle and bustle of the city. Jogyesa is probably the most visited of those, since it’s located in the downtown area near Gyeongbokgung Palace. Some of the most visited sites in Jogyesa are the main hall with its 16-foot tall golden Buddha statues, and Baeksong, the 500-year old pine tree, which is adorned by colorful lanterns at different times of the year.
Another temple worth a visit is Bongeunsa, located in the Gangnam District. This is convenient to visit if you’re in the area to see the Insta-famous Starfield Library or the Gangnam Style sculpture that is adjacent to the Starfield Mall. Though the temple has seen better days and some if it is undergoing reconstruction, it’s a nice place to enjoy a peaceful walk along the greenery.
At both Jogyesa and Bongeunsa along with five other Seoul temples, you can sign up for a Templestay program where you can live and eat like the monks in the temple. These can be done for a couple of hours or with an overnight stay.
Take the Namsan Cable Car to N Seoul Tower
This is perhaps the busiest of Seoul’s attractions, and one that you may end up waiting up to an hour or more to experience. The Namsan Cable Car takes you up to Namsan Mountain, a spot which is particularly popular in the afternoon for golden hour. After waiting 45 minutes to an hour, you’re packed like sardines on the standing-only cable car, which takes about 5 minutes to get you to the top of the mountain. To make it worth your while, there is a ton of stuff to do up at the mountain, including restaurants and cafes where you can soak up the view, or you can get an even higher view by going to the Observatory in the N Seoul Tower. Many visitors leave a love lock on one of the railings up in Namsan. If you forgot to bring your own, you can buy one from a vending machine.
My favorite part of visiting the area was walking down. I don’t recommend getting a round-trip ticket because then you have to wait in line for the cable car twice. The walk down has much better views than you can get at the top and it’s not too strenuous.
Check out the city’s modern architecture
Sure, some of the architecture might trigger your trypophobia, but there are a lot of incredible modern buildings in Seoul that are worth at least stopping by for a look. One of which is the National Museum of Korea, where you can additionally visit to see artistic and historical artifacts dating back to ancient times.
One of the other top modern marvels in Seoul is Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), a structure that can be best described as a spaceship waiting to take flight. You can go under, inside, and on top of the thing, where there is a vast green space with spinning top chairs to get a bit of rest. At DPP, there are some places to shop and eat as well as an exhibition hall, and it serves as an event space for fashion shows, conventions, and pop-ups. You can also take a free architecture tour that is held in English from Tuesday to Sunday at 1:30 pm.
Do a food tour
If like me, you weren’t very familiar with Korean food before visiting Seoul, a night market food tour is just the thing to initiate you. Almost everyone on the tour was a Westerner who had just arrived in Seoul. We were shuttled around the market and tried everything from gimbap to dumplings before visiting two different restaurants to try a variety of traditional Korean dishes and drinks. Since drinking culture is so big in Korea, this is something you don’t want to miss so you can taste all different kinds of Makgeolli (rice wine) and learn some drinking games you can play with when you drink soju and beer.
The most valuable thing about doing a food tour versus exploring the culinary landscape on your own is that you get to skip the line for market stalls and restaurants that have become internet famous. I also probably would have never had “live” octopus (not actually alive, but still moving) were it not for the encouragement of our guide and the other people on the tour. I don’t recommend that as much…
Visit a traditional Hanok Village
For first-time tourists, one of the top things to do in Seoul is to see one of the Hanok villages, which are small neighborhoods that are made up of traditional Korean houses. The largest and most popular in Seoul is Bukchon Hanok Village which is located just outside Gyeongbokgung Palace. That’s because it used to be where nobles and high-ranking officials lived during the Joseon dynasty. The village is full of cute alleys lined with cafes, restaurants, and shops. It also offers some immersive cultural experiences like calligraphy and cooking workshops. I recommend buying souvenirs from here, where postcards and trinkets are handmade instead of mass-produced in China.
Explore Seoul’s unique neighborhoods
Seoul neighborhoods all have so much character that sometimes you don’t feel like you’re in the same city. Myeongdong is a good starting point for shopping and to try the local street food at Myeongdong Shopping Street. You can also buy everything from food to clothing at the city’s largest market, Namdaemun Market.
Many visitors also enjoy neighborhoods like Hongdae and Itaewon for their varied nightlife that includes both chill local bars and high-end clubs that are open until 6 am. Since Hongdae is in a university area, much of the fashion and bar-hopping trends toward younger people. Itaewon also has a variety of nightlife spots, including a small area of LGBT clubs and bars, lovingly known as Homo Hill. Gangnam also offers a unique view of the city that is more adult. Even Bongeunsa Temple is full of professionals in suits taking a break in the middle of their day, so nightlife is considerably older and has more high-end cocktail bars rather than rowdy dives. Gangnam also notably has some of the best sushi in Seoul.
For a vibe that puts the hip in hipster, Seongsu has transformed a former industrial area into a youthful place to shop, dine, and enjoy local art. In addition to enjoying boutique shopping out of shipping containers, you can also pass the time in Seoul Forest, an ideal place to see fall foliage and cherry blossoms in the spring. It’s considered the Brooklyn of Seoul, and it’s probably on its way to becoming overrun with tourists so check it out before it becomes Hongdae.
Get your skincare on
You’ll never be quite as acutely aware of the size of your pores until you visit Korea. These guys are masters at skin care, and one of the best things you can do when you’re in Seoul is take advantage of the skin treatments and products they have to offer. There are plenty of skin clinics where you can get skin analysis and beauty treatments like laser treatments and facials. I was a little afraid of walking around for 10 days with super irritated skin, so I recommend the next best thing… going to Olive Young 800 times and buying every toner, mask, and moisturizer you can fit into your luggage. Though I caution that Olive Young is definitely expensive, and certain products can be bought at dozens of other beauty stores for half the price. So do a bit of research and visit a couple of different places with your skin care wish list so you get the best bargain.
I very rarely spend almost a week in one city alone, but there are so many things to do in Seoul that it was one of those rare instances where even 6 days didn’t feel like enough time.
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