With over 25 million people living in Seoul and its surrounding area, Seoul is one of the largest cities in the world. When travelling to South Korea you are also most likely to start off your trip in Seoul, by flying into Incheon (ICN) airport which is South Korea’s biggest airport and about an hour away from downtown Seoul by bus. You can easily spend multiple days in Seoul and never run out of things to do, but if you have some more time, there are also some great day trips from Seoul.
Seoul is an incredible city, there is so much to see and do, the food is incredible and public transportation makes it super convenient to travel across the city. While studying abroad in Busan, I have spent a couple of days in Seoul over the Chuseok holiday, which is the Korean Thanksgiving. And here are just 5 out of many amazing things to do in Seoul!
1. Go up the N- Seoul Tower
Going up the tower costs 10000KRW and from all the way up you get a lovely view of Seoul. The top of the tower is 480metres above sea level. Opening times are 10am to 11pm on every day of the week, only on Saturdays it is open until midnight.



2. Rent bikes and take a tour along the Han River
Take the Line 5 to Yeouinaru Station and get off at Exit 3. There is 15km route that you can follow including several stops on the way such as Mapo Bridge, Seoul Marina or Seonyudo Park. This tour took us about 3 hours and was a nice way of experiencing Seoul, especially if the weather is nice.




3. Visit Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁)
One activity that you should definitely not miss out on if you have a day in Seoul is to visit the impressive Gyeongbokgung Palace.




4. Banpo Bridge at night
These pictures don’t do it justice at all but at night the bridge started doing some kind of water show that appeared in all kinds of colours which was really nice.



5. Hongdae District
This is my favourite district in Seoul and it is also where most university students are located. They have great food here and it is also great for shopping. Prices are a little cheaper and also the nightlife should not be missed out on when visiting Hongdae District.


I’m sure there is a lot more to do in South Korea’s capital. But I can only recommend places to you guys that I have personally visited, otherwise what would be the point of this blog? These 5 activities I really enjoyed and i would probably do again if I ever get back to Seoul.
If you have an extra day in Seoul then you might be interested in a day trip to the North Korean DMZ which separates North and South Korea. You can visit the area as part of a group tour.
That was my little list of what to do in Seoul. What should I see on my next visit? Let me know in the comments!
Talk to you later x

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11 comments
So many wonderful places to explore, didn’t know south Korea is so amazing, will plan a trip to South Korea really soon with my family.
I really want to visit Seoul and Jeju Island… the Hongdae District sounds like a fun place to stay!
You should, Seoul is great! I haven’t been to Jeju but I only heard good things about it as well 🙂
This looks like a beautiful place to travel! Thank you for the tips I will keep in mind the places I will need to visit!
Great post! I loved the shrines and temples of Japan, so Gyeongbokgung Palace would be a must visit for me. Of course, everything else looks fun too!
It looks like you had a great time in Seoul. Your food photos look delicious! In such a big city it would be hard to see everything, but you’ve picked some great highlights to see.
I’ve never thought about visiting Seoul yet. It seems to be a very photogenic city and I might re-think about this city. I love to explore a new city by bike. Thanks for sharing!
Nice to have activities listed that are in general inexpensive. Soul has been on my list for some time, so thank you!
I loved all your photos! The view from the N-Seoul Tower especially looks amazing! I’d love to go to South Korea one day 🙂
I have never been to Korea but really want to visit Seoul. Thanks for the write-up. And the food also looks really good.
I had no idea that South Korea had a Thanksgiving! Who knew? Hongdae District sounds perfect for me – I love seeking out those neighbourhoods in new cities, good nightlife + good food + fun young people = the dream! Thank you so much, I’m saving this post for when I make it to Seoul 😉