Palaces & Night Markets: A 4-Day Seoul Itinerary | Travileer

Q: Where should I stay in Seoul, South Korea?

L7 Myeongdong by Lotte in Myeongdong. Myeongdong sits between the palace district and the river, on the lines that reach everything in this plan, and the hotel is the rare one here that is quiet at night.

Four days between five-hundred-year-old palaces and neighbourhoods that reinvent themselves every season.

Seoul is cheap to move around, cheap to eat in and expensive only when you want it to be. The subway costs about a dollar a ride, palace entry is under three dollars and a bowl of hand-cut noodles at the city's most famous noodle house is under ten. This plan spends the first two days in the old royal district north of the river, then heads to the markets and the neighbourhoods where the city goes out at night.

Trip details

Destination: Seoul, South Korea
Duration: 4 days
Budget: moderate ($1,000 - $1,600)
Best season: April - May or late September - October
Best for: First-time Korea visitors, food-first travellers, groups of friends
Interests: food, history, markets, nightlife, cafes, shopping

Day-by-day itinerary

Day 1: The royal district

palaces, hanok lanes and a bowl of ginseng chicken soup

09:30 — Gyeongbokgung Palace · Gyeongbokgung Palace, Jongno
The largest of Seoul's five palaces, first built in 1395. Entry is 3,000 won, and free if you arrive wearing a rented hanbok from one of the shops outside the gate. The changing of the royal guard at the main gate runs at 10:00 and 14:00.
Tip: Closed on Tuesdays. Gyeongbokgung station on line 3, exit 5, puts you at the gate.
12:00 — Lunch at Tosokchon Samgyetang · Tosokchon Samgyetang, Jongno
A whole young chicken stuffed with rice, ginseng and jujube, simmered and served in its own broth. The restaurant, a cluster of hanok buildings a few minutes west of the palace, has been the city's reference for the dish for decades. Expect a queue at noon; it moves.
13:30 — Bukchon Hanok Village · Bukchon Hanok Village, Jongno
Six hundred traditional hanok houses on the hill between the two palaces, still lived in. The lanes off Bukchon-ro 11-gil have the classic view of tiled roofs stepping down toward the city. Free, but residential: keep voices down.
Tip: The village asks visitors to leave the residential lanes by 17:00.
15:30 — Jogyesa Temple and Insadong · Jogyesa Temple, Jongno
The head temple of Korean Buddhism sits a block from Insadong, the street of galleries, brush shops and tea houses. In spring the temple courtyard is roofed with thousands of paper lanterns.
18:00 — Dinner in Ikseon-dong · Ikseon-dong, Jongno
Seoul's oldest hanok neighbourhood, now a maze of tiny restaurants, bakeries and bars inside restored courtyard houses. Korean barbecue, handmade dumplings or a pasta place in a hanok: all within three alleys of each other.

Dining highlight: Tosokchon Samgyetang — Ginseng chicken soup, $15-20. One dish, done for forty years, next to a palace. The definition of a Seoul lunch.

Day 2: Secret garden to the design plaza

the prettier palace, market feasts and a walk along the stream

09:00 — Changdeokgung Palace and its Secret Garden · Changdeokgung Palace, Jongno
The palace the kings actually preferred, and the one on the UNESCO list. Entry is 3,000 won; the Secret Garden behind it, a wooded valley of pavilions and lotus ponds, is a separate 5,000-won guided tour that sells out, so book it online a few days ahead.
Tip: Closed on Mondays. English garden tours run a few times a day; the 10:30 slot is the easiest to get.
12:30 — Gwangjang Market · Gwangjang Market, Jongno
Seoul's oldest market and its best lunch. Sit at a stall for bindaetteok (mung bean pancakes fried in front of you), mayak gimbap and knife-cut noodles. Ten to twenty dollars feeds two.
Tip: Many stalls sell the same things. Walk the whole aisle once, then sit where the most locals are.
14:30 — Cheonggyecheon Stream walk · Cheonggyecheon, Jongno
A restored stream running below street level through the centre of the city, with stepping stones, waterfalls and shade. Walk east from the market toward Dongdaemun; it takes about half an hour.
16:00 — Dongdaemun Design Plaza · Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Jung
Zaha Hadid's silver spaceship of a building, free to walk through and best at dusk when the LED rose garden on the lawn lights up. The exhibitions inside charge separately.
19:00 — Fried chicken and beer in Dongdaemun · Dongdaemun, Jung
Chimaek, chicken and beer, is the Korean night out. The blocks around the plaza and the wholesale fashion towers stay open past midnight; pick any chicken place with a queue.

Dining highlight: Gwangjang Market — Street food, $10-20. Bindaetteok sizzling in a foot of oil, cut with scissors, eaten standing. Seoul on a plate.

Day 3: Myeongdong, the mountain and Hongdae

noodles, a view from the tower and the student quarter at night

10:30 — Namdaemun Market · Namdaemun Market, Jung
The wholesale market by the old south gate: cameras, ginseng, kitchenware, hornbread and hotteok pancakes from carts. Less polished than Gwangjang and better for browsing.
12:30 — Kalguksu at Myeongdong Kyoja · Myeongdong Kyoja, Jung
Hand-cut noodles in a rich chicken broth and plump dumplings, at a restaurant that has served little else since 1966 and holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand for it. A bowl is around 11,000 won; the garlic-heavy kimchi is the thing people write home about.
14:00 — Myeongdong shopping street · Myeongdong, Jung
The K-beauty district. Every skincare brand has a flagship here and samples are handed out freely; accept them. Street food carts fill the main street from mid-afternoon.
16:30 — Namsan cable car to N Seoul Tower · N Seoul Tower, Yongsan
The cable car from the edge of Myeongdong climbs to the tower plaza, about ten dollars return, for the city-wide view. The plaza and the padlock fences are free; the observatory inside the tower charges extra. Arrive an hour before sunset and stay for the lights.
Tip: The walk up from Myeongdong takes 40 minutes on a paved path and is free if you would rather save the fare.
20:00 — Hongdae after dark · Hongdae, Mapo
The university neighbourhood on the west side: buskers on the main drag, indie bars, noraebang (karaoke rooms) and barbecue joints that fill at eleven. Korean barbecue for two runs thirty to fifty dollars with drinks.
Tip: Hongik University station, line 2. The last trains leave around midnight; taxis after that are cheap.

Dining highlight: Myeongdong Kyoja — Kalguksu noodles, $8-10. Michelin-listed, under ten dollars, and the same four-item menu since 1966.

Day 4: The new Seoul

cafes in an old factory district, a library in a mall and sunset on the river

10:00 — Coffee and brunch in Seongsu-dong · Seongsu-dong, Seongdong
A district of former shoe factories and warehouses turned into cafes, concept stores and roasteries. This is where Seoul's design crowd spends its weekends; the red-brick lanes around the Seoul Forest side are the prettiest.
12:30 — Common Ground · Common Ground, Gwangjin
A shopping village built from two hundred blue shipping containers, full of small Korean streetwear labels and food trucks. A short walk from Konkuk University station.
14:30 — Starfield Library at COEX · Starfield Library, Gangnam
Thirteen-metre bookshelves inside a shopping mall, free to enter and Seoul's most photographed interior. Take the subway across the river to Samseong station; the mall is attached.
17:00 — Sunset at Yeouido Hangang Park · Yeouido Hangang Park, Yeongdeungpo
The river park where Seoul goes to sit on the grass. Order fried chicken to the lawn from any of the convenience stores, which is a local institution, and watch the sun go down behind the bridges.
Tip: In April the park's cherry trees along Yeouiseo-ro draw the whole city.

Dining highlight: Convenience-store picnic on the Han — Delivery chicken and ramyeon, $10-15. The most Seoul dinner there is: fried chicken delivered to a patch of grass by the river.

Where to stay

L7 Myeongdong by Lotte — Mid-range design hotel, $120-200 per night, Myeongdong.

Myeongdong sits between the palace district and the river, on the lines that reach everything in this plan, and the hotel is the rare one here that is quiet at night.

Walking distance to Myeongdong, Namdaemun and the Namsan cable car
Two subway lines within five minutes
Rooftop bar with a view of the tower

Frequently asked questions

How many days do you need in Seoul, South Korea?

We recommend 4 days to experience the best of Seoul, South Korea.

When is the best time to visit Seoul, South Korea?

The best season to visit Seoul, South Korea is April - May or late September - October.

What budget should I plan for Seoul, South Korea?

This itinerary is designed for a moderate budget of approximately $1,000 - $1,600.

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