The back story
Where Seoul sleeps: the palaces, Namsan, Gangnam and the river
The Four Seasons by Gwanghwamun, the Shilla and Banyan Tree on the slopes of Namsan, Signiel high in Lotte World Tower, Josun Palace and the Park Hyatt in Gangnam, and the Mondrian’s rooftop in Itaewon: where to stay in a city of two halves.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Hschrijver · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsSeoul is a city of two halves, split by the Han River, and your hotel decides which one you wake up in. North of the river, the old city of the palaces holds the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, on Saemunan-ro a few minutes’ walk from Gwanghwamun, and the historic Westin Josun and Lotte Hotel Seoul near City Hall and Myeongdong. On the green slopes of Namsan, The Shilla Seoul and the Banyan Tree Club & Spa look over the city. South of the river, Gangnam has Josun Palace, the Park Hyatt and the Andaz; in the east, Signiel occupies the upper floors of Lotte World Tower above Seokchon Lake.
North of the river: palaces and Myeongdong
The Four Seasons Hotel Seoul is at 97 Saemunan-ro, with 317 rooms (MICHELIN), the Cantonese restaurant Yu Yuan (One MICHELIN Star, 2026), the cocktail bar Charles H., a year-round pool and an urban spa. Lotte Hotel Seoul, at 30 Eulji-ro, is the giant of the city centre with 1,015 rooms; L’Escape, at 67 Toegye-ro, is a boutique hotel in the Josun group with the starred L’Amant Secret on its 26th floor.
Namsan and Hannam
The Shilla Seoul, at 249 Dongho-ro, sits on the eastern slope of Namsan with 464 rooms and the two-starred La Yeon on its 23rd floor. Just above, the Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul has 50 rooms, the Moon Bar and the Festa rooftop bar. The Grand Hyatt Seoul, at 322 Sowol-ro, looks down over Itaewon and Hannam, and the Mondrian Seoul Itaewon has its own rooftop, Privilege.
For a first visit, stay north of the river and walk to the palaces; for shopping and dining, Gangnam.
Gangnam
Josun Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, is in the Center Field complex at 231 Teheran-ro, with Eatanic Garden (One MICHELIN Star) on the 36th floor. The Park Hyatt Seoul is at 606 Teheran-ro, by COEX; the Andaz Seoul Gangnam on Nonhyeon-ro; the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas, home of Sushi Kanesaka (One MICHELIN Star), at 521 Teheran-ro.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © kallerna · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsEast and west along the river
Signiel Seoul fills the upper floors of Lotte World Tower at 300 Olympic-ro, with 235 rooms; the Sofitel Ambassador faces it across Seokchon Lake. In Yeouido, the Conrad and the Fairmont Ambassador stand by The Hyundai Seoul and the Han; in Mapo, RYSE is the hotel of Hongdae.
Our advice: decide first which side of the river you want; the metro makes the rest easy, but the taxi ride across can take longer than you think at rush hour.
Why it's on our list
- North of the river: palaces and Myeongdong
- Namsan and Hannam
- Gangnam
- East and west along the river
Check availability
Opens Booking.com in a new tab with your dates. ULTIMATE Seoul City Guide doesn't take bookings or payments.
Location
The map comes from Google Maps, which sets its own cookies once it loads.
More in depth
The back storyFive palaces and a wall: reading Seoul’s great sightsGyeongbokgung below Bugaksan, the gardens of Changdeokgung, the ancestral halls of Jongmyo, the 18.6-kilometre city wall over four mountains, and the towers of the new city: how to read Seoul.History & heritageSeoul: from Hanyang to the city on the HanHanyang, capital of the Joseon dynasty, its palaces and wall; the alphabet of 1446; the twentieth century told plainly; the miracle on the Han and the design city of today: Seoul’s heritage.
The back storyCeladon, ink and white cubes: Seoul’s artsThe national collections in Yongsan, the Leeum on the hill of Hannam, the MMCA beside the palace, the galleries of Samcheong-ro and the stages of the Seoul Arts Center: a city that has made itself an art capital.