Gyeongbokgung
Jongno · 150 min
Enter at Gwanghwamun at 9 a.m., then return to the gate for the 10 a.m. guard change. Closed Tuesdays; hanbok wearers and the National Folk Museum inside are free.
₩3,000
Seoul · South Korea · 4 days
4 days in Seoul
Four days north to south: the palaces and Bukchon's hanok lanes, Jongno's temple, teahouses and market stalls, the river at Yeouido and a Hongdae night, then Namsan and Seongsu's converted factories. One subway ride a day on a T-money card.
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Checked October 10, 2026. That’s the day we last confirmed the hours, prices and closed days.
- 4 days
- 27 stops
- 7 with a ticket
- from ₩70,000 a day
When to go
April for cherry blossom along Yeouido's riverbank and October for clear skies and 50 to 68°F (10 to 20°C) are the weeks to aim for. July and August are the monsoon, 86°F (30°C) and humid; December to February runs from 23 to 36°F (-5 to 2°C) but dry and bright. Palaces and markets close or shrink over Seollal and Chuseok.
Where to base yourself
Jongno or Bukchon for the palaces and a hanok stay; Myeongdong for Namsan, shopping and mid-range hotels; Hongdae for late nights and the airport train at the door. Gangnam is business and far from the north.
Getting around
The subway covers all of it: ₩1,550 a ride with a T-money card, free transfers to buses within 30 minutes. Buy the card at any convenience store (₩4,000) and top up in cash. Use Naver Map or Kakao Map; Google Maps does not route walking or transit here. Trains stop around midnight; taxis are cheap after.
Day 1
Palaces and Bukchon
- FromYour hotel in Jongno and Bukchon
- 1
- 8 min · walk
- 2
Tosokchon Samgyetang
Seochon · 60 min
Five minutes west of the palace in a hanok: ginseng chicken soup, a whole bird stuffed with rice. The line moves fast.
₩22,000
- 20 min · walk
- 3
Bukchon Hanok Village
Bukchon · 60 min
Walk east past the palace wall to Bukchon-ro 11-gil for the view down the tiled roofs. People live here: tourists may enter the core lanes only between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., with a ₩100,000 fine.
- 12 min · walk
- 4
Changdeokgung and the Secret Garden
Jongno · 150 min
The English tour of the Huwon is at 2:30 p.m. (also 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and, March to November, 3:30 p.m.) and takes 70 minutes through pavilions and ponds. Closed Mondays; see the FAQ for booking.
₩8,000
- 23 min · walk
- 5
Samcheong-dong
Samcheong-dong · 60 min
Back west along the palace's eastern stone wall as the light goes: galleries, cafes and the small shops on Samcheong-ro.
- 11 min · walk
- 6
Samcheongdong Sujebi
Samcheong-dong · 75 min
Hand-torn dough soup in anchovy broth, a potato pancake and a bowl of makgeolli. It closes at 8 p.m. and always has a line, so arrive early.
Day 2
Jongno: temple, teahouses, market
- FromYour hotel in Jongno and Bukchon
- 1
Jogyesa
Insadong · 45 min
The head temple of Korean Buddhism, two minutes from Anguk station. Free, and the main hall opens before dawn; in May the courtyard is roofed with lanterns.
- 7 min · walk
- 2
Insadong
Insadong · 75 min
Brush and paper shops, antiques, the Ssamziegil spiral of craft stalls. Sit down for omija tea in one of the hanok teahouses in the alleys off the main street.
- 7 min · walk
- 3
Ikseon-dong
Ikseon-dong · 60 min
Across Jongno: a knot of 1920s hanok turned into cafes, dessert shops and boutiques. Go now; by early afternoon the lanes are shoulder to shoulder.
- 16 min · walk
- 4
Gwangjang Market
Dongdaemun · 75 min
Fifteen minutes east on foot, or one stop on line 1 to Jongno 5-ga. Bindaetteok fried in front of you (₩5,000 to ₩8,000), mayak gimbap (around ₩4,000) and raw beef in the yukhoe alley; bring cash.
- 15 min · walk
- 5
Dongdaemun Design Plaza
Dongdaemun · 60 min
Zaha Hadid's silver building beside the old city wall, ten minutes further east; the plaza and walkways are free and only exhibitions are ticketed. The wholesale fashion malls across the road open at night.
- 2.7 km · transit or taxi
- 6
Cheonggyecheon walk to Gwanghwamun
Jongno · 90 min
Drop below street level and follow the restored stream five kilometers west under the bridges to Cheonggye Plaza, then up into Gwanghwamun Square with the King Sejong statue and the palace gate ahead.
- 8 min · walk
- 7
Deoksugung
City Hall · 60 min
The palace by City Hall, the only one open until 9 p.m. and the one with a Western-style stone hall. Closed Mondays; on a Monday walk Jeongdong-gil along its wall instead.
₩1,000
- 1.6 km · transit or taxi
- 8
Jongno 3-ga pojangmacha alley
Jongno · 90 min
Two stops back on line 1, or a 15-minute walk. Street tents with plastic stools go up at dusk for grilled pork skin, clams on a burner and soju; Ikseon-dong next door has roofs.
Day 3
The river and a Hongdae night
- FromYour hotel in Jongno and Bukchon
- 1
Yeouido Hangang Park by bike
Yeouido · 120 min
Exit 2 or 3 of Yeouinaru station; the rental kiosks are four minutes toward the river and open at 9 a.m. It is ₩3,000 for the first hour and ₩500 per 15 minutes after, with photo ID; ride west under the bridges and back.
₩3,000 an hour
- 9 min · walk
- 2
The Hyundai Seoul food hall
Yeouido · 75 min
Ten minutes inland, in the department store that opened in 2021. The basement food floor has Korean counters, bakeries and a dozen things to eat standing up, open from late morning.
- 4.5 km · transit or taxi
- 3
Yeonnam-dong and the Gyeongui Line Forest
Hongdae · 120 min
Line 5 to Gongdeok, line 6 to Hongik University, about 25 minutes. The old railroad turned into a long lawn, the cafes and vintage shops of Yeonnam-dong either side of it.
- 1.6 km · transit or taxi
- 4
Mangwon Market
Mangwon · 60 min
Fifteen minutes west on foot, or one stop on line 6, to a covered market for tteokbokki, fried chicken by the cup and hotteok. Eat a little; dinner is coming.
- 12 min · walk
- 5
Mangwon Hangang Park at sunset
Mangwon · 60 min
Ten minutes south to the river. Cook a cup of ramyeon at the convenience store's machine and sit on the grass as the lights come on, or take a Han river cruise from Yeouido (₩19,900 to ₩25,900).
- 2.6 km · transit or taxi
- 6
Tuk Tuk Noodle Thai, Yeonnam-dong
Hongdae · 75 min
Back up to Yeonnam-dong for Bangkok-style noodles and a Bib Gourmand. Get in line early or put your name down and walk the park.
- 13 min · walk
- 7
Hongdae busking
Hongdae · 90 min
Hongik University station exit 9 and the Red Road: dance crews and singers from late afternoon until around midnight, busiest Friday and Saturday. Bars in Sangsu and Hapjeong after.
Day 4
Namsan from the top, then Seongsu and Gangnam
- FromYour hotel in Jongno and Bukchon
- 1
Namsan and N Seoul Tower
Namsan · 150 min
Exit 4 of Myeongdong station, ten minutes to the free Namsan Ormi inclined elevator (closed Monday mornings). Then the cable car from 10 a.m. (₩15,000 round trip) or 25 minutes up the steps; the plaza is free and the observatory is cheaper online.
₩15,000
- 18 min · walk
- 2
Myeongdong Kyoja
Myeongdong · 60 min
Back down into Myeongdong. One thing to order: kalguksu, knife-cut noodles in a thick chicken broth with dumplings, and the garlicky kimchi that comes with it.
₩12,000
- 4.9 km · transit or taxi
- 3
Seoul Forest
Seongsu · 90 min
Take line 4 to Dongdaemun History and Culture Park, then line 2 to Ttukseom, about 25 minutes. The park on the old racecourse has a deer enclosure, a bridge to the river and a cafe street; free, always open.
- 1.7 km · transit or taxi
- 4
Seongsu-dong
Seongsu · 105 min
Walk east into the old shoe-factory district. Daelim Changgo, a rice mill turned cafe and gallery (11 a.m. to 10 p.m.), Cafe Onion in a 1970s warehouse, and the brand pop-ups along Yeonmujang-gil that change weekly.
- 7 min · walk
- 5
GLOW Seongsu
Seongsu · 75 min
A food hall of ten counters near Seongsu station, open to 11 p.m.: prawn noodles, Korean barbecue bowls, a beer. Eat early; the next stop is a temple.
- 3.6 km · transit or taxi
- 6
Bongeunsa and the Starfield Library
Gangnam · 90 min
Take line 2 six stops to Samseong. The temple above the COEX mall stays open until 10 p.m. with its Buddha lit at night, and the Starfield Library's bookshelves downstairs are free until 10 p.m.
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The practical bits
From the airport
From Incheon (ICN), the AREX express runs to Seoul Station in 43 minutes from Terminal 1 and 51 from Terminal 2 for ₩13,000 (around ₩11,500 online); the all-stop train on the same line is slower but cheaper with T-money and calls at Hongik University. Limousine buses (₩17,000 to ₩18,000) take 60 to 80 minutes and stop outside the big hotels. From Gimpo (GMP), the AREX or line 5 reach the center in 20 to 30 minutes.
What a day costs
About ₩70,000 to ₩110,000 a day per person. Meals run ₩10,000 to ₩25,000, palace tickets are ₩1,000 to ₩3,000, a subway ride ₩1,550; the cable car and the tower observatory are the only expensive tickets in the plan.
Where to stay
Got a day to spare?
Worth knowing
- Buy a T-money card at the airport convenience store before the train. Subway rides are ₩1,550 and buses transfer free within 30 minutes; the Climate Card tourist pass (₩5,000 a day) only beats it if you ride four or more times.
- Palaces close on different days: Gyeongbokgung on Tuesdays, Changdeokgung and Deoksugung on Mondays. Day 1 needs a Wednesday to Sunday; a ₩10,000 integrated ticket covers all four palaces and Jongmyo for three months.
- Rent a hanbok near Gyeongbokgung for ₩15,000 to ₩20,000 and every palace is free that day.
- Bukchon's core lanes are off limits to tourists before 10 a.m. and after 5 p.m. Photograph the roofs, not the doors.
- Cards work almost everywhere, including taxis, but market stalls and street tents want cash. There is no tipping.
Things you can ask once it’s in the app
Plans change. Ask Chat and it proposes a reshuffled day you can apply, or just answers the question.
Is the Secret Garden tour open on Thursday afternoon, and how do I book it?Swap day 3 for the DMZ and move the river to the morning afterMy friend is vegetarian, what can they eat at Gwangjang?How do we get from Hongdae to Incheon at 6 a.m.?Which palace is open on Monday?
Questions
Do I need to book the Secret Garden?
Yes if you want a particular slot. Half the hundred places per tour sell online from 10 a.m. six days ahead at royal.khs.go.kr; the other half go at the gate from 9 a.m. on the day and are gone by late morning in spring and fall.
T-money or the Climate Card?
T-money for most people: ₩4,000 for the card, pay as you go, and it works in taxis and convenience stores too. The Climate Card tourist pass at ₩5,000 a day only wins on a day of four or more rides.
Which day works in the rain?
Day 2 has the most cover: Jogyesa, the Insadong arcades, Gwangjang's roof and the DDP. Or swap in the National Museum of Korea, which is free and open until 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Waystop's rain plan can set that up as a second version of the day for you to switch to.
Is the DMZ worth a day?
Half a day, by tour only: ₩50,000 to ₩60,000 for the Third Tunnel and the Dora observatory, back in Seoul by early afternoon. Bring your passport and book a week out.
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