If you’re planning a trip to South Korea, chances are you’ll be spending some time in Seoul. The capital is absolutely the center of the action, as nearly half of the country’s population lives in the metro area. With about 25 million people, it’s the 4th largest metropolitan area in the world.
A visit to Seoul is a bit like being in a real-life version of “Back to the Future.” One minute you’re walking around an ancient palace and the next you’re gazing up at a futuristic shopping mall. On your way to explore a Confucian shrine, you’ll see Koreans fixated on their smartphone, enjoying lightning-fast WiFi on the subway.
There’s absolutely an interesting mix of tradition and modernity here.
While standard hanbok clothing is still around, the youth of Seoul have their own special fashion sense. Vendors still cook up classic Korean dishes, but you’ll also find Western fast-food chains around every corner.
There are plenty of fun things to do in Seoul to keep you busy. The city boasts some excellent museums, bustling markets, charming parks, and some pretty wild nightlife. here you can take pleasure in a hike up in the mountains during the day and kick back in a massive day spa complex at night.
I nearly moved to Seoul. It came down to the Korean capital or Beijing, and I opted for the latter so I could check out the 2008 Olympics and study Chinese. We checked out Seoul a few times when we were living in China and had a blast on each trip.
It’s absolutely one of my favorite cities in Asia, and I’m actually returning in 2020 to explore a lot more of the awesome places to visit in the city.
For a in-depth look at what to do in Seoul, read on for some of the very best things to do in South Korea’s capital.
Innholdsfortegnelse
1. explore ancient Palaces
2. visit The Jongmyo Shrine
3. Hike around Namsan Park and N Seoul Tower
4. See standard Hanok Homes
5. indulge in Korean Cuisine
6. walk Along The Cheonggye Stream
7. visit a Jimjilbang (one of the most relaxing things to do in Seoul!)
8. snap photos at Ihwa Mural Village
9. visit the national museum of Korea
10. try Soju
11. peruse local Markets
12. walk Along Seoullo 7017
13. fun on the River
14. explore Bukhansan national Park
15. Experience the Nightlife
Ready for the fantastic things to do in Seoul?
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1. explore ancient Palaces
We’ll begin our journey around Seoul by stepping into the city’s past. The Joseon Dynasty was the last kingdom in Korea, enduring from 1392 up until 1910. Over the centuries, the Joseon kings built several palaces here. checking out a few of the five Grand Palaces must be atop your list of things to do in Seoul.
There are five different palaces that you can visit — Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung, and Gyeonghuigung. I provided them in buy from the most excellent to the smallest. Gyeongbokgung is absolutely the grandest of them all, while Gyeonghuigung is normally overlooked.
How lots of of the palaces you decide to see depends entirely on how long you have in Seoul and what your interests are. At the very least, you must absolutely check out Gyeongbokgung. The name indicates “Palace Greatly blessed by Heaven,” and it’s a beautiful place to explore.
Those who have a strong interest in Korean history and culture would do well to add a few a lot more palaces to their itinerary. Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung are ideal next door to each other so it’s easy to hit both in half a day. The former is especially great to visit thanks to its tranquil “secret garden.”
Gyeongbokgung is open every day (except for Tuesday) from 9:00 AM to either 5:00 or 6:30 PM. between 11:00 and 3:00pm, they do a changing of the guard ceremony every hour on the hour. There are also complimentary excursions in English that start at 11:00, 1:30 and 3:30. Tickets cost about $2.50.
They’re both open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00-5:30 or 6:30. Tickets cost $2.50 for Changdeokgung and an extra $4 or so to visit the gardens. Meanwhile, Changgyeonggung costs less than a dollar. You can also snag combination tickets that grant you access to all of the palaces plus the Jongmyo Shrine for about $8.50.
For a guided morning walking tour, which includes a visit to Gyeongbokgung, click here, or the image below to learn more.
2. visit The Jongmyo Shrine
Next on our list of things to do in Seoul is this Confucian shrine. It’s a UNESCO world Heritage site and an crucial part of the city’s history.
During the Joseon Dynasty, this was a place of worship for the kings. Here, they would do a memorial ritual known as Jongmyo Jaerye for the deceased royalty. These continue til i dag akkompagnert av standard musikk og dans. Det sies at musikken inviterer humøret til å komme tilbake fra himmelen.
Jongmyo -helligdommen er åpen hver dag bortsett fra tirsdag. På hverdager og søndager kan du bare besøke som en del av en tur. Deres engelske utflukter skjer klokka 10:00, 12:00, 2:00 og 4:00. Gå dit på en lørdag eller den siste onsdagen i måneden for å utforske helligdommen på egen hånd.
Billetter koster i underkant av $ 1 for Jongmyo -helligdommen hvis du ikke har kombinasjonspasset. Det er lett å kombinere et besøk i helligdommen med turer til de nærliggende palassene. Klikk her for å få veibeskrivelse.
3. Fottur rundt Namsan Park og N Seoul Tower
Til tross for at han er en megasitet på over 25 millioner, er Seoul fremdeles hjemsted for mange eksepsjonelle offentlige parker. Den største parken i byen er Namsan (South Mountain), og det er et flott sted å besøke.
Sørkoreanere elsker å gå på tur, og det er mange stier her på Namsan. Unn unnslippe kaoset i bygatene litt og gå opp til toppen. På 262 meter vil du glede deg over noen episke visninger av Seoul herfra.
For en enda bedre utsikt, ta turen til toppen av N Seoul Tower. Dette tilfører ytterligere 262 meter og leverer de beste panoramaene i byen. Det er åpent hver dag fra klokka 9 til 23 eller midnatt og koster omtrent $ 9 for voksne. Du kan også unne deg et fantastisk måltid på toppen av N Seoul Tower, klikk her for informasjon om det.
Forsikre deg om at du legger en tur til parken og toppen av tårnet til reiseruten din, dette er en av de beste Seoul -attraksjonene. Det er flere innganger for å få tilgang til parken. Sjekk kartet for veibeskrivelse.
4. Se standard Hanok -hjem
En ting jeg elsker med Seoul er hvor fornøyd byen er fra fortiden. Det er flott å se hvordan denne travle fremtiden fremdeles holder fast i tradisjonen. Namsangol Hanok -landsbyen er et av de beste stedene å ta et innblikk i seoul av år som har gått.
Mens massive leiligheter eller leilighetsbygninger dominerer skyline i Seoul i disse dager, bodde folk her i standard Hanok -hjem. En håndfull av disse er restaurert og fylt med antikke møbler, kunst og andre husholdningsartikler. Det er en interessant kontrast som går rundt de restaurerte Hanok -hjemmene når du ser kraner ruvende i det fjerne og bygger morgendagens Seoul.
Her finner du også byens tusenårige tidskapsel. Dette ble gravlagt her i 1994 for å Mark Seouls 600 -årsjubileum, og det åpnes i 2394 for sin tusenårsfeiring.
Hanok -landsbyen ligger ved foten av Namsan, klikk her for veibeskrivelse. Det er åpent fra tirsdag til søndag fra klokka 9 til enten 20:00 eller 21:00 avhengig av måneden. Det beste av alt er at det er helt gratis å besøke! Hvis du vil kombinere Hanok -landsbyen med noen av palassene som er gitt ovenfor, kan du sjekke ut denne vandreturen.
5. Unn deg koreansk mat
Hvis du noen gang ikke er sikker på hva du skal gjøre i Seoul, bare stopp for en matbit. Det er så mye munnvekkende koreansk mat på hver gate her, så grave i!
Når det gjelder koreansk mat, er Kimchi kongen. Denne krydret, gjærede kålen regnes som den nasjonale retten i Korea. Det er på bordet ved hvert måltid her og er en essensiell del av koreansk kultur.
Mens Kimchi er deilig, er det mye mer side enn et måltid. Faktisk har koreanske måltider normalt en haug med sider som samlet er kjent som Banchan. I tillegg til kimchi, spenner andre sider fra potetpannekaker, rullede omeletter og tofu simmet i soyasaus. one of the best parts about eating Korean food is getting to sample many dishes in one sitting without feeling guilty!
Det er så mange velsmakende koreanske måltider at denne guiden vil fortsette for alltid hvis jeg snakket om dem alle. Husk absolutt å prøve litt bibimbap (blandet ris), japchae (stekte nudler), og selvfølgelig koreansk BBQ. Kjøp opp en tallerken med bulgogi (marinert storfekjøtt), kast den på grillen og gjør deg klar for et ekstraordinært måltid.
Les mer: Hvordan spise deg gjennom Sør -Korea på et budsjett
6. walk Along The Cheonggye Stream
Since you’ll be stuffing your face with delectable Korean snacks for a few days, it’s a good idea to lace up your walking shoes. Thankfully this bustling metropolis is actually quite pedestrian-friendly.
One of the best places to choose a stroll in Seoul is along the Cheonggye Stream. There was a stream here lots of centuries ago during the Joseon Dynasty. Makeshift homes along the stream led the city to build a road over it at one point to kick the people out.
Thankfully, Seoul has been striving towards a lot more environmentally-friendly development in recent decades. The city made a decision to restore the stream and set up a great pedestrian path along it. While it took several years and a lot of money, it’s mainly checked out as a success.
Walking along the stream feels absolutely removed from the busy city streets, as it’s a few meters below street level. It’s particularly picturesque at night when you can see a light and sound show on some of the fountains. You can head to the Cheonggye Plaza and start from there.
7. visit a Jimjilbang (one of the most relaxing things to do in Seoul!)
One of the quintessential things to do in Seoul is chilling out at a jimjilbang. “What on earth is a jimjilbang?”, you may be asking. Well, this is a little slice of heaven ideal in the middle of Seoul.
Basically, a jimjilbang is a large facility for relaxation and entertainment. They typically have a variety of pools and saunas in addition to day spa treatments, restaurants, arcades, and so much more. A trip to a jimjilbang is always high on my list of things to do in Seoul.
There are lots of premium jimjilbang across the city, but on both of our visits to Seoul, we frequented Dragon Hill. This huge complex has it all, including a full gym and a cinema. Admission is good for 12 hours here, so you can even save on a night of accommodation costs and just crash in the sleeping room.
Tickets cost $11 during the day from Monday to Friday and about $13.50 for nights, weekends, and holidays. It’s always open 24/7 so you can come anytime you like! Klikk her for å få veibeskrivelse.
8. snap photos at Ihwa Mural Village
If you’re trying to find that best artsy pic to post to the ‘gram, head on over to the Ihwa Mural Village. once upon a time, this neighborhood was slated to be demolished. The city started a public art project here in 2006 to try and save the area, with about 70 artists participating.
While lots of are delighted with the results of the project, it hasn’t been all great for residents. lots of complain about the noise and litter that tourists bring with them. Some residents even painted over some of the most popular murals to try and deter visitors. Not everyone was delighted that their neighborhood unexpectedly became a vacationer attraction.
That being said, it’s still worth it to visit, especially if you take pleasure in street art and photography. just remember that this is a residential area and show the proper respect to locals. As long as you’re not poking into people’s homes and snapping pictures of them, you’ll have a pleasurable experience.
Try to speak some Korean to locals and drop into local services for a snack or drink to show your support. Ihwa Mural village is located on a hilltop near Naksan Park. Klikk her for å få veibeskrivelse.
9. visit the national museum of Korea
Learning a lot more about Korean history and art is absolutely one of the best things to do in Seoul. That’s why you’ll want to be sure to include a stop at the national museum of Korea on your itinerary.
This is far and away the largest and a lot of crucial museum in the country. learn about ancient history up to early modern times as you visit exhibitions on painting, calligraphy, Asian arts, and more.
The national museum is open every day at 10 AM. It stays open until 6 PM on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 7 on Sunday, and 9 on Wednesday and Saturday. It’s located in Yongsan Park (click here to get directions) and is complimentary to visit the main exhibitions.
10. try Soju
No post on what to do in Seoul would be complete without a bit of soju. Korea’s a lot of popular booze is generally distilled from rice, bar