UltimateCity Guide Seoul
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The grasslands of Haneul Park, with Bukhansan on the horizon The stones of the Seoul City Wall in evening light Seoul at dusk from Namsan, the Han and the towers of the south bank lit up A bowl of bibimbap: carrot, mushroom, cucumber and gochujang over rice Cheonggyecheon at sunrise, with stepping stones and office towers

The city guide to Seoul, South Korea

Best of Seoul · This week

Article of the weekWild Seoul: Granite Peaks, River Islands and the City’s Own BirdsA national park inside the city limits, wetland islands in the Han, a mountain wall of granite, ginkgo avenues and the magpie, the city’s own bird…Read the article In depthSeoul fun factsFun facts about Seoul, each with its source: the city wall’s 18.6 km over four mountains, Jongmyo (UNESCO 1995) and Changdeokgung (UNESCO 1997)…Read the article In depthSeoul on film: from The Host to Past LivesSeoul on film: Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite (2019) and The Host (2006), Yeon Sang-ho’s Train to Busan (2016) from Seoul Station, and Celine Song’s Past…Read the article In depthSeoul at the table: Mingles, the stars and the noodle housesOne three-star, ten two-stars, thirty-one one-stars and fifty-one Bib Gourmands: Seoul’s table runs from Mingles in Cheongdam to buckwheat noodles in…Read the article Coming upChristmas in SeoulChristmas in Seoul: the Christmas village of the Gwanghwamun Market, the Seoul Lantern Festival along Cheonggyecheon, the lit façades of Myeongdong’s…Plan your Christmas

Launch edition · Autumn 2026

The red carriages of the Glacier Express crossing the stone arches of the Landwasser Viaduct below a snow-capped peakSister guideULTIMATE Rail JourneysThe story of the train, the great journeys and where to book themA cruise ship in the Bay of Kotor, MontenegroSister guideULTIMATE CruisesLines, ships and itineraries, from river to expeditionThe Matterhorn in winter above ZermattSister guideULTIMATE Ski ResortsSeason dates, hotels, après and ski schools, resort by resortThe Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and its gardens, Saint-Jean-Cap-FerratSister guideULTIMATE PropertyHannam, Seongsu, Gangnam and the permit zones

Seoul, from the palaces to the river

Seoul is two cities joined by the Han. North of the river lies the old capital of the Joseon kings: Gyeongbokgung below Bugaksan, Changdeokgung and its garden, the hanok of Bukchon, Insadong and the city wall running over four mountains. South of it, Gangnam holds most of the city’s starred tables and flagship stores, and Jamsil its tallest tower. Here are the grand hotels, all 42 MICHELIN-starred restaurants of 2026 and the Bib Gourmand noodle houses, the museums and galleries, the parks and walks, and journeys to Suwon, Incheon, Nami Island, Jeonju, Busan and the DMZ. Every listing is checked against the venue’s own website or an official source, and anything we can’t confirm is left out.

Five palaces and a wall: reading Seoul’s great sights

In depth

Five palaces and a wall

Seoul·In depth

Gyeongbokgung below Bugaksan, the garden of Changdeokgung, the halls of Jongmyo and a wall over four mountains: how to read the old capital.

Read the story

Seoul, neighbourhood by neighbourhood

Nine neighbourhoods, each with its own guide: the palaces and hanok of Jongno, the shops below Namsan, the galleries of Hannam, Gangnam’s starred tables, Seongsu’s warehouses, the museums of Yongsan, the island of Yeouido, the music of Hongdae and the tower at Jamsil.

Bukchon-ro 11-gil and its hanok at blue hourNeighbourhood guideJongno & the palacesThe old capitalThe lit façade of the Myeongdong Theater at duskNeighbourhood guideMyeongdong & NamsanShops below the mountainNeighbourhood guideHannam & ItaewonGalleries and rooftopsThe great standing Buddha of Bongeunsa looking over the temple to the towers of Samseong-dongNeighbourhood guideGangnamStars and flagshipsPalms and walkways inside the glasshouse of Seoul Botanic ParkNeighbourhood guideSeongsuWarehouses and the forest

North or south

For a first visit, stay north of the river and walk to the palaces; for shopping and dining, Gangnam. The metro makes the rest easy.

  1. Neighbourhood guideYongsanThe museums in the middle
  2. Neighbourhood guideYeouidoThe island in the Han
  3. Neighbourhood guideHongdae & MapoMusic and soup houses
  4. Neighbourhood guideJamsilThe tower by the lake

History & heritage

The capital of the Joseon kings, its palaces and wall, the alphabet of 1446, the twentieth century told plainly, and the city that grew along the Han.

Geunjeongjeon, the throne hall of GyeongbokgungHistory & heritageSeoul: from Hanyang to the city on the HanHanyang, the palaces and the city on the Han

Before you go

Visa-free entry and the K-ETA exemption, the AREX railway from Incheon, T-money and the metro, the palace closing days and Bukchon’s visiting hours, and three days that work for a first visit.

Gwanghwamun Square looking north to the gate and BugaksanBefore you goSeoul essentialsEntry, K-ETA, 119 and the seasonsA KTX-Cheongryong train at Seoul StationGetting aroundGetting aroundAREX, the metro and the KTXGeunjeongjeon, the throne hall of Gyeongbokgung, across its empty stone courtyard under a blue skyItinerarySeoul in three daysPalaces, museums and MinglesLotte World Tower and Seokchon Lake at nightLuxury guideLUX LivingThe finest addressesLotte World Tower above Seokchon Lake at dawnItineraryThe Gold weekendSigniel and the 81st floor
  1. ItineraryThe Platinum weekendThe Four Seasons and Mingles

Our advice

Begin at Gyeongbokgung at opening time

Begin at Gyeongbokgung at opening time, walk east through Bukchon to Changdeokgung for a garden tour, and climb Namsan for the sunset. The great sights

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Beyond Seoul

Hwaseong Fortress at Suwon to the south, the port and canal towers of Incheon to the west, Nami Island and the Garden of Morning Calm to the east, Jeonju and Busan by KTX, and the border area of the DMZ on an official tour.

The walls and a watchtower of Hwaseong Fortress in SuwonBeyond SeoulSuwonThe fortress of HwaseongTowers of Songdo reflected in the canal of Central ParkBeyond SeoulIncheon & SongdoChinatown and canal towersAutumn maples on Nami Island by the riverBeyond SeoulGapyeong & Nami IslandAutumn avenues and a gardenThe tiled roofs of Jeonju Hanok Village from the hillBeyond SeoulJeonjuThe hanok cityThe painted houses of Gamcheon Culture Village at sunsetBeyond SeoulBusanBeaches and the port
  1. Beyond SeoulThe DMZThe border area

Our advice

Walk the wall at dusk

The Naksan section of the city wall is the gentlest of the four, 3.2 km and about an hour and a half on foot: walk it at dusk, as the city lights come on. Walks in Seoul

In depth: the stories behind Seoul

Five palaces and a wall, the Korean table from Mingles to the noodle houses, celadon and white cubes, the hotels on both sides of the river, the metro and the KTX, and what a foreign buyer should know: the stories behind Seoul.

Gwanghwamun and MyeongdongChristmas in SeoulThe Gwanghwamun Market and lanterns on CheonggyecheonThe Moonlight Rainbow Fountain arcing from Banpo Bridge at nightIn depth: nature & wildlifeWild SeoulGranite peaks, river islands and magpiesA bowl of mul-naengmyeon, cold buckwheat noodles in broth with egg and beefThe back storySeoul at the tableMingles and the noodle houses

At the table

Book the starred tables well ahead; the noodle houses take no bookings, so go early.

  1. The back storyCeladon, ink and white cubesSeoul’s arts
  2. The back storyWhere Seoul sleepsNorth or south of the river

Asia with the ULTIMATE guides

Seoul is one of the ULTIMATE guides of Asia: west to Shanghai, south to Hong Kong and Singapore, out to sea from Busan, and the great train journeys beyond.

The Lujiazui skyline lit up at night across the Huangpu RiverULTIMATE ShanghaiShanghaiThe Bund and the new cityHong Kong Island and the harbour at night from Victoria PeakULTIMATE Hong KongHong KongThe harbour cityThe towers of the Central Business District lit up at night, reflected in Marina BayULTIMATE SingaporeSingaporeThe garden city

The ULTIMATE City Guides around the world

See all Asia & Indian Ocean

Planning a longer journey? Each city in the network has its own independent guide, written with the same care and checked place by place. Here are the guides that are live, with more on the way.

Pura Tanah Lot on its rock in the sea in late-afternoon lightIndonesiaULTIMATE BaliTemples on the rocks and the cliffs, the rice terraces of a UNESCO landscape, resorts above Ubud’s gorges and the beach clubs of the west coast.The Grand Palace reflected at dawnThailandULTIMATE BangkokThe Grand Palace and Wat Arun on the river, the grand hotels of Charoen Krung, MICHELIN stars from street food to tasting menus, rooftop bars and the Thai islands.The red Thê Húc bridge on Hoàn Kiếm LakeVietnamULTIMATE HanoiHoàn Kiếm Lake and the Old Quarter, the Temple of Literature, the Metropole, phở and the MICHELIN stars, and Hạ Long Bay beyond.Hong Kong Island and the harbour at night from Victoria PeakOur sister guideULTIMATE Hong KongThe harbour from the Peak, the Star Ferry, Cantonese dining rooms with MICHELIN stars, dim sum in the lanes of Central and the museums of West Kowloon.An aerial view of a small island ringed by reef in the MaldivesOur sister guideULTIMATE MaldivesUndersea restaurants and overwater bars, Hanifaru Bay’s mantas, the whale sharks of South Ari, private islands and the little capital, Malé.The Taj Mahal Palace and the Gateway of India from the harbourIndiaULTIMATE MumbaiThe Taj and the Gateway of India, Marine Drive’s Queen’s Necklace, three UNESCO sites, modern Indian restaurants and day trips to Elephanta and the Ghats.

See all 83 guides

HOT TOPICS · Have Your Say

The latest from our readers: visitors and locals swapping notes on Seoul’s palaces, noodle houses, galleries and neighbourhoods on both sides of the Han.

    Have your say in HOT TOPICS

    This week's pick

    The city wall over Naksan

    Jongno·Walk

    The Naksan section of the city wall, from Hyehwamun past Heunginjimun to Gwanghuimun, is 3.2 km and about an hour and a half on foot, the gentlest of the four (seoulcitywall.seoul.go.kr): walk it at dusk, as the city lights come on.

    Find out more

    Every list in the guide

    Plan your day

    ItineraryA noodle and soup trailOne dayItineraryThe city wall in a weekendTwo daysThe towers of Yeouido reflected in the HanItineraryA property viewing day: Hannam, Seongsu and GangnamOne day

    Know your neighbourhoods

    Our favourites right now

    Restaurants

    1. 1Seoul at the table: Mingles, the stars and the noodle housesSeoul · In depth
    2. 2Korean CuisineSeoul · In depth: food
    3. 3Yu YuanJongno · Chinese
    See all 60

    Cafés

    1. 1Fritz Coffee CompanyMapo · Roaster and bakery
    2. 2Anthracite CoffeeHannam & Itaewon · Roaster
    3. 3Center CoffeeSeongsu · Roaster
    See all 7

    Bars

    1. 1Charles H.Gwanghwamun · Cocktail bar
    2. 2H. BarGwanghwamun · Hotel bar
    3. 3Moon BarNamsan · Hotel bar
    See all 6

    Hotels

    1. 1Where Seoul sleeps: the palaces, Namsan, Gangnam and the riverSeoul · In depth
    2. 2Four Seasons Hotel SeoulGwanghwamun · Grand hotel
    3. 3Lotte Hotel SeoulMyeongdong · Grand hotel
    See all 22

    Sights

    1. 1Five palaces and a wall: reading Seoul’s great sightsSeoul · In depth
    2. 2Seoul: from Hanyang to the city on the HanJongno · In depth: history and heritage
    3. 3GyeongbokgungGwanghwamun · Royal palace
    See all 18

    Arts & Culture

    1. 1Celadon, ink and white cubes: Seoul’s artsSeoul · In depth
    2. 2National Museum of KoreaYongsan · National museum
    3. 3Leeum Museum of ArtHannam · Art museum
    See all 26

    Parks

    1. 1Wild Seoul: Granite Peaks, River Islands and the City’s Own BirdsSeoul · In depth: nature & wildlife
    2. 2Bukhansan National ParkNorth Seoul · National park
    3. 3Namsan ParkNamsan · City park
    See all 7

    Walks

    1. 1The city wall over BugaksanJongno · Walk
    2. 2The city wall over NaksanJongno · Walk
    3. 3The city wall over InwangsanSeochon · Walk
    See all 8

    Shopping

    1. 1The Hyundai SeoulYeouido · Department store
    2. 2Shinsegae Department Store, main storeMyeongdong · Department store
    3. 3Starfield COEX MallSamseong · Shopping centre
    See all 9

    Health

    1. 1Emergencies: 119, 112 and 1330Seoul · Emergency numbers
    2. 2Severance HospitalSinchon · Hospital
    3. 3Seoul National University HospitalJongno · Hospital
    See all 10

    Property

    1. 1Buying in Seoul: Hannam, Seongsu and the permit zonesSeoul · In depth
    2. 2Reporting a purchaseSeoul · The rules
    3. 3Land-transaction permit zonesSeoul · The rules
    See all 5

    Developments

    1. 1GTX-A express lineNorth–south · Development
    2. 2Hangang BusAlong the Han · Development
    3. 3Yongsan International Business DistrictYongsan · Development
    See all 5

    Cars & drivers

    1. 1Taxis and Kakao TSeoul · Taxis
    2. 2Driving in KoreaSeoul · The rules
    3. 3Lotte Rent-a-CarSeoul · Car hire
    See all 5

    Getting Around

    1. 1Getting around Seoul: the metro, the airport railway and the KTXSeoul · In depth
    2. 2Incheon International AirportIncheon · Airport
    3. 3Gimpo International AirportGangseo · Airport
    See all 6