Six-hundred-year-old palaces with glass towers behind them, a river splitting the city in two, and mountains at the end of most streets. Four days lets you do the old capital properly and still spend a night out in the districts that made Korean pop culture.
Seoul · 4 days South Korea
Best time: Late April to May for blossom then mild sun, and October for the clearest skies of the year and autumn colour on the mountains.
Palaces and hanokDay 1
🏰9:00 AM
Gyeongbokgung Palace
The main Joseon palace, burned twice and rebuilt, with a changing of the guard at the gate on the hour.
🚶 ~11 min · 🚗 ~1 min · 0.4 mi
📍1:00 PM
Bukchon Hanok Village
Six hundred traditional tile-roofed houses on the hill between two palaces, still lived in. Keep your voice down; residents have asked.
🚶 ~16 min · 🚗 ~2 min · 0.6 mi
📍4:00 PM
Insadong
Tea houses, paper shops, and calligraphy brushes on a lane of alleys running off the main street.
Markets and the towerDay 2
🍽️10:00 AM
Gwangjang Market
A century-old covered market where the food stalls in the middle are the destination: mung-bean pancakes and knife-cut noodles.
🚶 ~15 min · 🚗 ~2 min · 0.6 mi
📍2:00 PM
Dongdaemun Design Plaza
Zaha Hadid's seamless silver building, with a section of the excavated Joseon city wall preserved beside it.
🚶 ~42 min · 🚗 ~5 min · 1.6 mi
🏰6:00 PM
Namsan and N Seoul Tower
Cable car or a wooded climb to the peak in the middle of the city, timed for sunset over the whole basin.
Hongdae and the riverDay 3
📍11:00 AM
War Memorial of Korea
The clearest account anywhere of the war that split the peninsula, free, with hardware in the grounds.
🚗 ~8 min · 2.4 mi
⛴️3:00 PM
Han River park at Yeouido
Bike hire, convenience-store ramyeon on the grass, and the local habit of ordering fried chicken delivered to a riverbank picnic mat.
🚗 ~7 min · 2.0 mi
📍7:00 PM
Hongdae
The university district: buskers on the main street, tiny live venues, and food until very late.
Gangnam and a last marketDay 4
⛩️10:00 AM
Bongeunsa Temple
A working Buddhist temple from 794, sitting directly across from the convention centre towers. The contrast is the whole city in one view.
🚗 ~8 min · 2.3 mi
🌳2:00 PM
Seoul Forest
A former racetrack and water works turned into parkland, with a deer enclosure and cafés in the converted brick buildings.
🚗 ~11 min · 3.0 mi
📍6:00 PM
Ihwa Mural Village
A hillside neighbourhood painted by artists to stop its demolition, with stairs up to the old fortress wall and the city lighting up below.
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Best time to goLate April to May for blossom then mild sun, and October for the clearest skies of the year and autumn colour on the mountains. Winter is bitterly cold and dry; July and August are hot with a proper monsoon.
Getting aroundThe subway is signposted in English, immaculate, and reaches everywhere; get a T-money card. Buses fill the gaps and taxis are cheap by international standards.
Local tip: Two hands when giving or receiving anything, especially with older people. Most palaces close on either Monday or Tuesday, so check before you build a day around one. Wearing a rented hanbok gets you into the palaces free.
The full plan as text
The same day-by-day plan as text. Times are starting points, not homework.
Day 1: Palaces and hanok
9:00 AM
Gyeongbokgung Palace
The main Joseon palace, burned twice and rebuilt, with a changing of the guard at the gate on the hour.
1:00 PM
Bukchon Hanok Village
Six hundred traditional tile-roofed houses on the hill between two palaces, still lived in. Keep your voice down; residents have asked.
4:00 PM
Insadong
Tea houses, paper shops, and calligraphy brushes on a lane of alleys running off the main street.
Day 2: Markets and the tower
10:00 AM
Gwangjang Market
A century-old covered market where the food stalls in the middle are the destination: mung-bean pancakes and knife-cut noodles.
2:00 PM
Dongdaemun Design Plaza
Zaha Hadid's seamless silver building, with a section of the excavated Joseon city wall preserved beside it.
6:00 PM
Namsan and N Seoul Tower
Cable car or a wooded climb to the peak in the middle of the city, timed for sunset over the whole basin.
Day 3: Hongdae and the river
11:00 AM
War Memorial of Korea
The clearest account anywhere of the war that split the peninsula, free, with hardware in the grounds.
3:00 PM
Han River park at Yeouido
Bike hire, convenience-store ramyeon on the grass, and the local habit of ordering fried chicken delivered to a riverbank picnic mat.
7:00 PM
Hongdae
The university district: buskers on the main street, tiny live venues, and food until very late.
Day 4: Gangnam and a last market
10:00 AM
Bongeunsa Temple
A working Buddhist temple from 794, sitting directly across from the convention centre towers. The contrast is the whole city in one view.
2:00 PM
Seoul Forest
A former racetrack and water works turned into parkland, with a deer enclosure and cafés in the converted brick buildings.
6:00 PM
Ihwa Mural Village
A hillside neighbourhood painted by artists to stop its demolition, with stairs up to the old fortress wall and the city lighting up below.
Make this Seoul plan yours
Forward your real booking confirmations to Petrel and it builds this exact day-by-day view for you: flights, hotels, reservations, live flight status, and the travel time between stops. Under a minute.