SEOUL, South Korea – Seoul is one of the most populous cities in the world, home to some 10 million people in the city proper and about 25 million in the wider metropolitan area.
Yet Seoul is not a city that overwhelms you through sheer size.
If you’re looking for a diverse travel destination in Asia, it is an ideal choice.
The city is well organized and easy to navigate, nestled among mountains and steeped in history, a history found not only in museums but also on the streets, along city walls and in palace courtyards.
If you can, spend five days here. Even that is not enough to fully understand Seoul, but it will give you a chance to discover why you will want to return.
The palaces of the Joseon kings
Your first day in Seoul is all about the kings. Gyeongbokgung Palace, built in 1395, destroyed during the Imjin War and reconstructed over decades, opens behind its entrance gate like a city of its own.
It features sprawling ceremonial courtyards, curved roofs in shades of blue and green, and guards in historical uniforms who perform the changing of the guard several times a day.
The ritual is choreographed down to the last detail. But it is more than just a spectacle, serving as a reminder that this place was the center of power on the Korean Peninsula for five centuries.
If you use Gyeongbokgung as your starting point, head to the neighboring Changdeokgung Palace in the afternoon, which many historians consider the more architecturally accomplished of the two.
A guided tour of the Biwon, or Secret Garden, is a must. Ponds, pavilions and ancient trees fill grounds that were reserved for the king and his court for centuries.
One of the best ways to spend the evening is strolling through Bukchon, the neighboring hanok district, where cobbled lanes wind between traditional wooden houses that are still inhabited.
Bear in mind that anyone wearing traditional hanbok attire receives free admission to all of Seoul’s royal palaces. Rental shops are located just outside the entrance gates.
Seoul from above: The old city wall
The Hanyangdoseong, Seoul’s historic city wall, is one of the Korean capital’s greatest surprises. Originally built in the 14th century to enclose what was then the capital of the Joseon dynasty, it still winds for more than 18 kilometers through the city today.
The section along the Bugaksan ridge is particularly impressive. Between granite cliffs and secured areas, you suddenly get a sweeping view of the metropolis.
Here, Seoul’s logical layout becomes clear. The city is framed by four mountains, almost like natural ramparts. The wall followed this topography, and the walking trail still does today.
Over Naksan, the route leads down into the Ikseon-dong neighborhood, one of the liveliest in the city center, with small cafes and Korean bistros in restored hanoks, or traditional Korean houses.
Day 3 – Gangnam: Across the Han River
The Han River does more than divide Seoul geographically. It separates the city into two distinct worlds. North of the river lies the historic, somewhat rugged city center with its palaces and markets.
Because the city was barely able to expand northward after the Korean War, development continued on the other side of the river. New neighborhoods sprang up on the Han’s southern bank, the best known being Gangnam.
The neighborhood, which became world famous thanks to a pop song, is less of a cliché than you might expect, although it is also exactly what it claims to be: a hub of wealth, lifestyle and ambition. The COEX underground complex is home to the Starfield Library, whose multistory walls of bookshelves have made it one of the city’s most photographed interiors.
Farther west, Garosu-gil, a tree-lined avenue in Apgujeong, winds past coffee shops, galleries and fashion boutiques. Gangnam is also a center of Korean nightlife. Head here after midnight to experience another side of the city.
Then there is the ultimate test for anyone with a fear of heights, not far from Gangnam: Lotte World Tower in the Jamsil-dong district. At 555 meters, it is South Korea’s tallest building and offers breathtaking views over the city, including from a glass observation platform.
You can cross the Han River on a rental bike and stop at one of several riverside spots that are ideal for a coffee break, including Cafe Vinyl Hanriver in Ttukseom Hangang Park. Each table has its own record player, with a selection of about 5,000 records ranging from classical music to pop and jazz.
Day 4 – 5,000 years of history: The museums
The National Museum of Korea in the Yongsan district is one of the largest museums in the world and, at the same time, one of Seoul’s most underrated attractions.
The permanent exhibition takes visitors through five millennia of Korean cultural history, featuring bronze swords from the pre-Christian Gojoseon period, Buddhist sculptures of serene precision, and celadon ceramics from the Goryeo period in their distinctive light green hue. Give yourself plenty of time here.
The adjacent National Folk Museum reconstructs everyday life in earlier eras through tools, clothing, household goods and rituals. The fourth day ends at the Leeum, the private museum of contemporary Korean art in Itaewon. The museum’s three buildings were designed by Mario Botta, Jean Nouvel and Rem Koolhaas, with three architectural styles offering three perspectives on contemporary Korea.
It is also worth visiting the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, which opened in 2013. It is architecturally distinctive. Designed by Mihn Hyun-jun, it blends into the historic area surrounding Gyeongbokgung Palace and skillfully contrasts traditional court architecture with modern museum design.
Some of the original walls and sections of earlier buildings have been incorporated into the new structure, so visitors unexpectedly encounter historic features while walking through the museum.
The MMCA features both permanent exhibitions and temporary displays. The National Museum is open until 9 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Visitors ages 65 and older receive a 50% discount on admission.
Day 5: The border with North Korea
The final day takes you out of the city into a landscape where the history of the 20th century remains unresolved. The Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ, begins about 50 kilometers north of Seoul. What sounds like a simple day trip is, in reality, one of the most unusual experiences Korea has to offer.
Your starting point is Imjingak Park, a sprawling site along the Imjin River where guided tours depart. They are the only way to visit the DMZ.
Amid the relics of war and memorials, there is also a statue of peace. Two seated girls commemorate the women from South and North Korea who were forced into prostitution by the Japanese military during World War II. Euphemistically, they were called “comfort women.” It is a quiet place before the larger excursion.
Your journey farther north begins with a reminder of where you are heading. The bus stops at a checkpoint, soldiers board, walk silently through the rows and check identification cards. It is calm and professional, which makes it all the more unsettling.
At the Dora Observatory, the nearest civilian observation point to the border, you look through binoculars at the North Korean city of Kaesong on the horizon. You see houses, chimneys and, beyond them, nothing but uncertainty.
Sometimes, with a bit of luck, you see people: someone riding a bicycle or someone walking. Ordinary movements in an ordinary landscape, yet you sense you are observing them through a pane of glass that cannot be opened.
In the Third Infiltration Tunnel, which North Korean soldiers dug south beneath the border strip in the 1970s, each visitor receives a helmet.
The tunnel, discovered by South Korea in 1978, leads steeply downward before climbing sharply upward again. The ceiling hangs low, and even visitors who are not particularly tall will bump their heads. Skip this if you are claustrophobic. Everyone else emerges into daylight sweaty and with a new appreciation of the word “threat.”
The Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice agreement, but a peace treaty between North and South Korea has never been concluded. The DMZ serves as a reminder that, formally speaking, the Korean Peninsula remains at war, and Seoul, one of the world’s most dynamic cities, is only about an hour’s drive from the border.
To further explore the military history of this divided country, visit the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul’s Yongsan-gu district. It serves as both a memorial and a museum.
Again, bear in mind that you can visit the DMZ only as part of an authorized guided tour. Book several weeks in advance. You must bring a passport. Strict rules of conduct and a dress code also apply.