T-money. Buy the card at any CU, GS25 or 7-Eleven, or at a station machine, for ₩3,000 to ₩4,000 with nothing on it, then load it. The machines take cash only; convenience stores top it up at the till. It works on the subway, every bus, taxis and the convenience stores themselves. A subway ride starts at ₩1,550 and a bus a little less.
The transfer rule. Tap in and tap out, on buses too: if you tap out within 30 minutes of leaving the last vehicle (an hour late at night), the next leg is a transfer and costs almost nothing. Skip the tap-out on a bus and you pay the full fare again. Two people cannot share one card.
Closed days. Gyeongbokgung closes Tuesday. Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung close Monday. Adult entry is ₩3,000 at Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung and ₩1,000 at Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung, and palace fees are due to rise on January 1, 2027. The Secret Garden at Changdeokgung is a separate ₩5,000 guided visit: online slots open six days ahead at 10 a.m. and a share is kept for the gate each day, with a few English tours daily.
Free in hanbok, or one ticket. Anyone in hanbok, rented or owned, enters all the palaces free, though not the Secret Garden. The integrated ticket covers the four palaces and Jongmyo; its price and validity have changed more than once, so check both at the window. Ask whether the Secret Garden is included, and do the sum against the single fares above before you buy it.
Naver Map, not Google. Google Maps cannot route you on foot or by car in Korea. Download Naver Map or Kakao Map, set the language to English, and it gives the bus number, the exit and the walk.
Markets. Gwangjang’s food alley runs daily from about 9 a.m. until late: bindaetteok, mayak gimbap and yukhoe at a stool, cash or card. The fabric stalls and the vintage floor keep shorter hours. Namdaemun opens around 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is largely shut on Sunday, apart from the food lane near the main gate.
Eating out. Grilled meat, jjigae stews and bossam are priced per portion with a two-portion minimum, so solo diners pick a rice dish. Water, kimchi and side dishes come free and are refilled; press the button on the table for staff. Cards work everywhere, you pay at the counter, nobody tips. Cafés stay open until 11 p.m. or later, and the rule is one drink each.
Before you leave the hotel. Check which palace is shut; Waystop’s hours check flags one placed on its closed day. Book the Secret Garden the moment the six-day window opens, and carry ₩10,000 or so in notes for market stools and the T-money machine.