Last Updated on June 5, 2025 by Home in the World
Unless you have been living under a rock, you will probably have noticed the rise and rise of all things South Korean in recent years. From major global brands like Samsung, LG, Hyundai and Kia, to K-Pop hysteria, to Netflix blockbusters, to high-end fashion and beauty, it’s fair to say the world is definitely in the grips of a ‘Korean Wave’. That is the translation of the term ‘Hallyu’, originally coined by Chinese journalists in the late ’90s to describe the increasing popularity of Korean TV dramas and movies across other parts of Asia.
Over subsequent decades, Hallyu has swelled into a veritable tsunami, becoming arguably turbocharged by the release of Psy’s Gangnam Style – a tune that took even the Western world by storm and was the first YouTube video to ever hit one billion views.
Over ten years later, South Korea’s cultural economy is stronger than ever. It seems nearly everyone wants a piece of that Korean ‘coolness’ that has become the country’s number 1 export. Younger audiences in particular are even being inspired to learn the Korean language, which is now one of the most popular among users of language-learning app Duolingo.
So it was most certainly with a sense of great fascination that I decided to take a short trip to Seoul – to get a taste of what this intriguing country, or at least its capital, had to offer. Below is how I spent my four days there. Hopefully it helps give you some ideas on what to see in Seoul.
Table of Contents
Day 1: Gyeongbokgung Palace, Bukchon Hanok Village, Jogyesa Temple
My first foray into South Korean society came in the form of a trip on the subway. With multilingual instructions on how to buy a ticket via the machines, and good signposting everywhere, the system was not hard to navigate – despite a surprising encounter with an old lady who was hovering around the ticket machines ‘helping’ tourists, only to then scam them and run off with any change that came out at the end! We were almost caught out, but managed to stop her.
For some reason, that was not something I was expecting in a country like this. Naïve, perhaps? In any case, that was the only ‘security’ issue we experienced. We headed down to the platform, where waiting passengers had already formed neatly spaced-out lines in anticipation of the arriving train. No pushing or jostling here; just a calm, respectful synchronicity of disembarking and boarding travellers.
Where were we headed on this ever-so-orderly subway? Gyeongbokgung Palace, the largest of all the five grand palaces built during the Joseon Dynasty, serving as the royal residence for centuries. And like many of the country’s palaces and Buddhist temples, it features the traditional, two-millennia-old dancheong decoration system. The palette of predominantly reds and greens is accentuated with lotus motifs, the intricacies further enhanced by elaborate wood carvings and the typical curved-tip roofs.
Guards in bright red garb add pops of colour as they stand stoically at the gates, facing expressionlessly outwards while tourists huddle around them taking selfies. It is also not uncommon to see women gliding gracefully around in traditional hanbok dresses. But they’re not necessarily all Korean; any visitor wearing one gets free entry to the palace. Something to think about for those wanting an extra cultural experience that is also easier on the hip pocket.
And if you happen to find yourself at the Gwanghwamun Gate at 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. (except on a Tuesday, when the palace is closed), you will be able to take in the changing-of-the-guard ceremony. This is a vibrant spectacle reinacting the historic guard-changing procedure from the Joseon dynasty, with replica costumes and weapons. It’s definitely one of the more colourful and interesting changing-of-the-guard ceremonies I have witnessed – because some can be a little on the dull side.
A short walk from the palace was an area I was really keen to visit, having seen numerous photos of it on Instagram. A serene enclave of old-world Korea just a few streets away from the bustle and high-rise of modern-day Seoul, Bukchon Hanok Village is a cluster of laneways lined with hanoks or traditional Korean houses, with their characteristic wooden doors and window frames, patterned brickwork and tiled roofs. Some of them date back 600 years.
As I walked through the pristine, mostly deserted streets and past some of the striking doorways with their imposing handles and knockers, it made me wonder who lived behind them. Had those houses been inhabited by the same family for generations? What were they like inside?
It is incredible and wonderful that such a precinct still exists today so close to the main downtown area. Here, too, it is not uncommon to see women floating around in the fairy-tale-like hanbok dresses, adding to the feeling of having been transported back to a Korea of old. As you get closer to the main road, however, you return to the 21st century as you walk past souvenir shops and hole-in-the-wall eateries. Yet it still doesn’t feel unbearably touristy; just a sweet mix of history and modernity.
The final stop on day 1 was Jogyesa Temple. It was one of two Buddhist temples I wanted to see on this trip, and was about a half-hour walk from Bukchon Hanok Village. Despite its downtown location in the bustling Insa-dong district, the Jogyesa is a little patch of serenity. First founded in 1395, with its modern version being established in 1910 in a different location, it moved to its present-day location (where it was reconstructed) in 1937.
I walked around the perimeter of Daeungjeon (the Main Dharma Hall), peeping through the huge turquoise wing doors and quietly observing the locals as they engaged in their own private moments of reverence and reflection, often in front of three large (4.8 metres/16 feet) gold statues of Amitabha Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha and Bhaisaiya Buddha.
The exterior featured the same intricate carvings and vivid colours as those described earlier for the palace – and the eye-catching details continued inside, complete with lotus and lantern installations hanging from the ceiling.
It is also worth exploring the surrounding courtyard, where clouds of incense smoke gently waft around several striking trees, the most notable being the protective Hoehwa Tree or ‘Chinese scholar tree’. The tree is often decorated during particular Buddhist festivals, and, when I visited, it had strings of rainbow-coloured lanterns dripping off its branches. If you want to experience a brief glimpse into Korea’s spiritual side, regardless of whether you are religious or not, I would highly recommend making a stop at Jogyesa – it’s an enchanted, tranquil oasis amongst the honking horns and soaring high-rise of inner-city Seoul.
Day 2: The DMZ
Day 2 saw us venture out of the city and into a very, very different world indeed: the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea. It’s worth a blog post in itself, so I’ve written a separate piece on it here.
Day 3: Myeong-dong, Dongdaemun, Shinsegae department store
Day 3 catapulted us straight back into the hubbub of downtown Seoul; we were heading to one of the city’s most famous and popular districts – Myeong-dong. Emerging from the subway station, you are immediately met with an onslaught of colourful signage and storefronts, hole-in-the-wall eateries – and row upon row of street-food vendors.
My first stop, however, was Artbox, because I simply cannot get enough of the stationery in this part of the world. Note paper, journals, calendars, pens, pencils, erasers, paper clips… Korea and Japan are the undisputed champions at turning these otherwise rather boring everyday items into super cute, fun utensils. It’s Hello Kitty on steroids. I dare anyone to step into an Artbox store and not come away with at least ONE quirky item purchased in a frenzy of office-desk envy. Just quietly: I somehow also ended up buying a lamp and several plush toys – which I then had to lug around with me for the rest of the day!
But Myeong-dong is undoubtedly best known as a haven for street food. If it’s flavour on a stick or in a bucket that you’re looking for, you will find it here. Among the laneways of cat cafés, sock shops (!), fashion-brand stores and cosmetic clinics (a huge industry in South Korea), your nostrils will constantly be tantalised by wafting aromas from the omnipresent food stalls serving up everything from Korean-style crumbed hot dogs, fried shrimp and chicken, fishcakes, vegetable rolls, skewered meats, dumplings and the ambiguous ‘cheese snack’ – all of which can be washed down with an iconic 32-cm-tall (12 in) soft-serve ice cream.
A short subway ride later, we had been transported from the mouth-watering mazes of Myeon-dong to the futuristic architectural universe of Dongdaemun Design Plaza (or DDP for short). This landmark urban development complex and cultural hub is centred around a silver spaceship-like structure designed by Samoo and iconic British-Iraqi architect, the late Zaha Hadid, whose trademark curved façades and unique angles are on full display here (another example of her work that I have been fortunate to see is the Heydar Aliyev Centre in Baku, Azerbaijan, which I write about in this post).
With an exterior clad in more than 40,000 aluminum panels that display light projections at night, the DDP is like a vision from another galaxy. It features 24-hour shopping and dining options, edgy modern art, a design museum and venues for hosting exhibitions, fashion shows, product launch shows, forums and conferences. I spent an hour or so wandering its vast public spaces and relaxing under umbrellas watching the world go by. And even if you’re not into cute character goods, it’s still worth taking a look inside the large Kakao Friends shop – you’re in Korea, after all!
I also made a point of exploring some of the streets in the immediate vicinity of the complex. They definitely gave off Asian-megapolis vibes: huge crosswalk-rimmed multi-lane intersections towered over on all sides by huge metal & glass buildings integrated with giant billboards and LED displays, juxtaposed alongside smaller, low-rise, moped-lined streets teeming with local activity and all manner of colourful shopfronts selling everything from cosmetic products to electronics to fried dumplings. One even had a little open-air clothes market. So definitely allow an hour or two to spend in this part of town.
Day 3 was rounded off with a visit to a Shinsegae department store to get a taste of Korean shopping culture. While the brand now has a network of 13 outlets across the country, it started off as Korea’s very first department store in 1960. It prides itself on providing customers with a fusion experience of shopping and culture, showcasing both luxury and emerging brands.
But I was most keen to see the food hall, and I was not disappointed. Exquisitely decorated character cakes (of course), a wide range of kimchi (a traditional, spicy Korean side dish made from fermented cabbage or radish), fresh fish of the day – and some other curious ‘people’ keeping a watchful eye on the kiwi fruit (see photo below).
Day 4: Bongeunsa Temple, Starfield Coex Mall, Gangnam
Day 4, our last day in the South Korean capital. Where had the time gone?! The plan for today was to once again experience a mix of old and new Seoul. For the former, we took the subway to Bongeunsa Station, which incidentally has some pretty cool modern-art sculptures of oversized silver heads (unsure who the artist is), and walked a few short blocks to the famous Buddhist temple of the same name.
Like the Jogyesa Temple I had visited on the first day, Bongeunsa Temple, too, is flanked by tall glass skyscrapers and busy streets, but it definitely felt less frenetic and more secluded, more removed from its contemporary urban surroundings. The grounds are larger, half-sprawling up a wooded hillside, and therefore having more space for lush greenery. The gardens lining the avenue leading up to the Daeungjeon (Main Hall) are dotted with zen-looking statues and stone shrine-like structures, and once again the pervasive fragrance of incense fills the air.
During my visit, there were what appeared to be large streamer-esque banners in green, white, yellow, red and blue running between the Main Hall and the Beopwang Dharma Hall in front, providing a mini canopy of sorts over the temple courtyard. I’m not sure what these signified; perhaps, as at Jogyesa, a celebration of a particular Buddhist festival? And as with all temples and palaces in this part of the world, all the buildings featured the dancheong decoration system, with intricate carvings and a striking colour scheme of reds, greens and golds.
What you are most likely to see in travel photos and Instagram posts of Bongeunsa Temple, however, is the imposing statue of the Mireuk Daebul, the Maitreya Buddha, which happens to be the tallest stone statue in Korea (23 m/75 ft). In Buddhism, the Maitreya is a ‘future Buddha’, a current boddhisatva who will eventually descend to earth and teach enlightenment in the next age.
From atop its pedestal, which bears carvings of protective Vajra Warriors, it looked serenely out over the temple complex and the high-rises beyond. I noticed the odd worshipper come and sit cross-legged on a mat on the vast tiled area in front, paying their respects and engaging in silent prayer. The semicircular wall running behind, defining this sacred enclave, was filled with rows and rows of mini Buddha statues about 30 cm (1 ft) in height. Offerings had even been put alongside some of them, effectively creating little shrine compartments of their own. The whole thing really made for a striking, contemplative sight.
Then it was time to step out of this sanctuary and back into the ‘real’ world, the world of modern-day Seoul. And we didn’t have to step very far at all. Virtually opposite Bongeunsa Temple is the Starfield Coex Mall, which markets itself as ‘the first shopping theme park of Korea’. I’m not entirely sure what a ‘shopping theme park’ is, but we decided to walk in, partly as a reprieve from what had turned out to be quite a hot day and partly because I wanted to try and find the Starfield Library, which I had seen pictures of on social media.
I don’t know which entrance we came in from, but it was definitely quite a trek through a maze of fashion outlets and restaurants, following the arrows and signs that sporadically mentioned the library, in the hope that we were actually going in the right direction.
Finally, at what seemed like a far end of the mall from where we had entered (turns out there is also a street-facing entrance too..), was a two-level, atrium-style library. The fabled Starfield Library. Natural daylight floods in from the upper level, and each corner is ‘supported’ by floor-to-ceiling towers of books. I counted about 27 rows of shelves, each split into about 20 compartments containing as many books as they could fit – all organised by genre. The vast majority of the shelves do not even appear accessible, though I assume there is some way for staff members to retrieve them. Either way, you certainly get a good close-up view as you go up and down the escalator alongside them.
On the upper level, there are little nooks ‘inside’ the towers, plus most of the other walls are lined with books, and there are free-standing shelves too. The lower level, meanwhile, is essentially a public space for reading, studying and taking photos (!), and the stage area hosts various lectures and performances too. Even if you’re not a bookworm, the Starfield Library is still definitely worth a visit. It’s like a cross between the library from Beauty and the Beast and some kind of sci-fi movie!
Both Bongeunsa Temple and the Coex Mall were located in the district known as Gangnam, which I’m sure rings a few bells. The hit song Gangnam Style by Psy was written about this upscale part of Seoul, albeit to parody the ostentatious wealth and narcissism for which it is known. It is indeed home to towering glass skyscrapers, luxury fashion boutiques and swanky nightclubs – and there is even a sculpture of the iconic pair of hands doing the Gangnam Style pose.
While in this famed neighbourhood, I wanted to check out the Samsung D’light store-cum-exhibition space in the Samsung Electronics building, showcasing the latest Samsung technology and innovations. Samsung is of course a major Korean (and global) brand, and I am personally a big user of their products. It seems the exhibit is no longer running, so I won’t waste too much time talking about it, but it was essentially an interactive electronic experience and vision for the future over three levels, with mobile devices on the ground floor and working its way up to entire IoT-based living on the upper levels – all under the motto of ‘live your tomorrow’.
Final thoughts on what to see in Seoul
And with that, our time in Seoul had come to an end, yet we had barely scratched the surface! I definitely could have done with a few more days. No sooner had we arrived than we were back at the futuristic Incheon Airport, being greeted by information service robots and traditional Korean musical performances.
Seoul had only really come onto my radar in recent years after hearing good reports from a few separate people. It’s fair to say that, despite the K-hysteria, it’s probably still not seen as a must-visit city of Asia like perhaps Tokyo, Bangkok or Singapore. And yet it has so much to offer. My advice would be to most definitely ride that ‘Korean Wave’ and add it to your bucket list. You won’t be disappointed.
I hope you found this article to be of use in helping you plan your Seoul itinerary. If you have any other suggestions or recommendations on what to see in Seoul feel free to leave a comment below.
** This post, like everything else on this website, has been written entirely by me. No ChatGPT or any other AI tool has been used. It takes longer to create, but I value 100% human-generated content and I hope you do too! **
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You might also like to read my blog post on the DMZ day trip from Seoul, or download my free one-page guide containing all the most important information you need to help you plan and enjoy your trip to Seoul.
For more Seoul travel inspiration, you may want to consider some of these tours in and around the city:
Ready to book your flights to Seoul? I recommend using Skyscanner to find and compare the best fares.
Looking for somewhere to stay on your trip to Seoul? Check out my comprehensive review of the JW Marriott Seoul! Or find a property suiting your needs by searching below:
For more Asia travel content, feel free to check out my posts from Cambodia, Japan and Taiwan, as well as my older travel memories (more narrative style than blog style) from China, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia and Singapore.
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Your post will certainly ensure Seoul gets more visitors. The information you provide is so detailed and beautifully worded. The wonderful photos bring it all to life
Thanks so much! I certainly hope more people get the chance to visit Seoul. It’s a cool city.