Seoul Highlights
A curated tour of Seoul's most captivating landmarks, blending 600-year-old royal palaces, vibrant street markets, traditional hanok villages, and a sky-high tower with sweeping city views.
Trip Stops
- 1
The grandest and largest of Seoul's Five Grand Palaces, built in 1395 as the seat of the Joseon Dynasty. Visitors can witness the spectacular Changing of the Guard ceremony at the iconic Gwanghwamun Gate. Fun fact: Hangul — Korea's native alphabet — was created by King Sejong the Great while ruling from this palace in the 15th century. Wearing a traditional hanbok grants you free entry to the palace.
📍 Seoul, Seoul, South Korea
- 2
A beautifully preserved neighbourhood of traditional Korean hanok houses nestled between two royal palaces, dating to the Joseon Dynasty. Its winding hilltop alleys offer iconic views of curved tiled rooftops against the modern Seoul skyline. Fun fact: in 2024 the village received 6.4 million visitors — nearly 1,000 times its resident population of just 6,100 — prompting the city to restrict visiting hours to 10 am–5 pm to protect residents' quality of life.
📍 Seoul, Seoul, South Korea
- 3
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the best-preserved Joseon palaces, uniquely designed to blend harmoniously with its natural surroundings rather than imposing rigid symmetry. Its crown jewel is Huwon (the Secret Garden) — 78 acres of forested paths, lotus ponds, and royal pavilions. Fun fact: unlike other palaces, Changdeokgung was built by following the natural contours of the hillside, making it a masterpiece of landscape architecture that influenced gardens across East Asia.
📍 Seoul, Seoul, South Korea
- 4
Seoul's beloved cultural and arts district, famous for its galleries, antique shops, traditional tea houses, and craft stores selling handmade Korean pottery, calligraphy, and souvenirs. The main street, Insadong-gil, has been a cultural marketplace for hundreds of years. Fun fact: Insadong is one of the only places in Seoul where you can still find storefronts with signage written in the traditional direction — top to bottom — making it a living museum of Korean visual culture.
📍 Seoul, Seoul, South Korea
- 5
A 10.9 km elevated urban stream and public park that flows through the heart of downtown Seoul, beautifully restored in 2005 after being buried under a highway for decades. Lined with walking paths, sculptures, and stepping stones, it's a peaceful green oasis in the middle of a bustling metropolis. Fun fact: the restoration project removed an elevated highway carrying 168,000 vehicles a day — and rather than causing gridlock, traffic in the area actually decreased as commuters switched to public transport.
📍 Seoul, Seoul, South Korea
- 6
One of Seoul's oldest and largest traditional markets, established in 1905 and still thriving today with over 5,000 stalls. It's paradise for street food lovers — famous for bindaetteok (mung bean pancakes), mayak kimbap (mini seaweed rolls), and yukhoe (beef tartare). Fun fact: Gwangjang Market was the first permanent market in Korea and became so famous globally that it was featured in Netflix's 'Street Food Asia', bringing a surge of international visitors who come specifically for the food stalls.
📍 Seoul, Seoul, South Korea
- 7
Seoul's premier shopping and street food district, packed with cosmetics stores, international fashion brands, and countless street food stalls serving everything from tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) to tornado potatoes. It's particularly famous for being the K-beauty capital of the world. Fun fact: Myeongdong has the highest commercial land value in South Korea — rents here rival those of Fifth Avenue in New York City — yet its street food stalls have operated in the same spots for generations.
📍 Seoul, Seoul, South Korea
- 8
An iconic 236-metre communication and observation tower perched atop Namsan Mountain, reaching 480 metres above sea level. It offers a 360° panoramic view of Seoul and is accessible by cable car — South Korea's first aerial tramway, opened in 1962. Fun fact: the tower's open-air terrace is blanketed in thousands of 'love padlocks' placed by couples who attach a lock and throw away the key as a symbol of eternal love — a tradition that has since been adopted by couples at the Eiffel Tower and hundreds of other landmarks worldwide.
📍 Seoul, Seoul, South Korea
- 9
A vast and moving museum dedicated to Korea's military history, with particular focus on the Korean War (1950–1953). Its outdoor grounds display over 200 pieces of military hardware including tanks, fighter jets, and warships. Fun fact: the outdoor plaza features a large bronze sculpture called 'Brothers' — depicting two soldiers from opposite sides of the Korean War embracing — symbolising the tragedy of a nation divided, and it is one of the most photographed monuments in Seoul.
📍 Seoul, Seoul, South Korea
- 10
Seoul's most glamorous and affluent district, south of the Han River, renowned for luxury shopping, cutting-edge architecture, and a world-class dining and nightlife scene. Home to the COEX Mall, Bongeunsa Temple, and the Dongdaemun Design Plaza. Fun fact: Gangnam was a rural farming area as recently as the 1970s — developed almost overnight as part of a government push to expand Seoul southward. It became globally famous through PSY's 2012 hit 'Gangnam Style', the first YouTube video ever to reach 1 billion views.
📍 Seoul, Seoul, South Korea
Trips Made by AI, Explored by You
Follow real AI-crafted travel guides. Download Guyde and start exploring.