What You Need to See in Seoul, South Korea
Jun 17, 2018
I went on a trip to Japan, South Korea, and North Korea last May 2017. It was an incredible, eye opening experience that I will never forget.
I received a lot of great advice and insights from friends that I used to my plan my trip, so I wanted to share all of it with you too!
For your reference, this is the google doc I created for this trip, with my itinerary and all the research:
These are my top recommendations for what to see in Seoul, South Korea:
- Korean War Museum
- Myeong Dong Kyo Ja ~ the BEST Korean dumplings!
- Jogyesa Temple ~ we stumbled upon this Temple as we were wandering around the city, I highly recommend checking it out
- Explore Bukchon Hanok Village ~ go for sunset
- Gyeongbokgung Palace ~ guard changing
- Changdeokgung Palace
- Take the cable car up Mount Namsan ~ Seoul Tower
- Common Ground ~ container park
- Insadong ~ souvenirs!
- Hongdau ~ trendy uni neighborhood / bars
- Traditional Teahouse
- Edae ~ for shopping
- Dongdaemun Design Plaza ~ DDP
- Cheonggyecheon Stream
- Innisfree ~ beauty brand came highly recommended, and they have great prices too
Where to stay in Seoul:
- My friend Erin and I stayed at the Loisir Hotel Seoul in Myeongdong
- My friend Kristina (who gave me all these great tips) stayed at the Plaza Seoul Autograph Collection
Have you considered North Korea while you’re in the area?
A big shout out to my friend Kristina for the inspiration to do this. I didn’t even know this sort of tour was possible until she went.
- I made the decision to go on the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and JSA Panmunjom Tour to cross the North Korea border. It’s a day trip from Seoul, and worth the intense experience.
- I met Francisco Cepeda on the tour, and he did an excellent job capturing the experience here on his travel blog.
→ Would you go on the North Korea tour!? Let me know if you have any recommendations that you would add to my doc for this Seoul trip!
