Navigate Like A Pro With This Seoul Travel Guide
South Korea was never really on my list of places to go anytime soon. I just hadn’t heard enough about it and to be honest, I didn’t even know precisely where it was located until about a month before my trip. Yet now I know enough to put together this Seoul travel guide. I know, typical American.
Before you get onto me about how bad my geography is – I don’t study maps and I had a general idea where it was (I thought it was where Mongolia is) – but turns out I was just sliiightly off base, whoops.
I originally wanted to go to Japan because I was craving some sushi but I had spent all summer scrolling reel after reel about Korean skincare. If you know me, you know how obsessed I am with skincare. If I ever settle down and plant roots, I may consider becoming a skin therapist in a new phase of life.
Once I saw on the map that South Korea was literally right next door to Japan, I decided right then and there that I was going to go to Seoul to indulge in alllll the beauty things I had seen online. The skincare products, the beauty clinics, the hair spas, the color analysis, and oh yes – the food.
From the moment I touched down and had a look at the city, I fell in love. I hadn’t done any research before arriving, as I never plan out my trips. It totally blew away any preconceived expectation I had created in my head. It was a gorgeous, clean, SUPER modern, and bustling city. Felt like a different vibe compared to Southeast Asia. I couldn’t wait to start exploring!
If you’re coming in the fall, you’re in for a treat because the fall leaves were everything. The trees are vibrant red, orange and yellow colors. Being from Florida, I was not used to seeing such foliage. Seoul is the perfect fall destination.
Now I’m sure you’re ready to hear the goods to prepare for your trip to Seoul and I’m going to share below everything I learned during my month-long stay there, while working remotely.
♥What makes this area special
♥What apps you’ll need
♥How to get there
♥Where to stay
♥Places to stay
♥How to get around
♥Where & What to eat
♥Things to do
Seoul Travel Guide:
Why This Place Deserves To Be On Your Bucketlist
Seoul is a modern city, competely rebuilt since the Korean war. From K-Pop to palaces, they’ve got ancient history mixed with new-age trends making this destination the perfect spot for all ages and interests. It’s also the perfect destination for fall if you love to see the trees change into vibrant shades of orange, yellows, and reds.
The public transportation I found to be a breeze making it easy to get all around the city. The food is next level with a mix of street food markets and nice in-door restaurants. Don’t even let me get started on the shopping and the skincare! This is heaven for women, trust me.
And the best part – I found it to be extremely affordable for a capital city that is on par with Sydney or New York.
Seoul Travel Guide:
Apps You’ll Need
Transportation
Google Maps
This only works for public transportation. Think trains, subway/metro, buses. It does not work for driving or walking directions. However if you can read a map, you can easily just use it to visual look where to go. If you want to have driving or walking directions laid out for you step by step like normal, then you’ll need a different app.
Naver
This is the app the locals use for getting around. It gives you walking, driving, and public transportation directions. Most of the time you can type in the name of your location and it’ll find it. Other times it won’t recognize it unless you can give it specifically the Korean address or name.
Honestly I got annoyed with that being the case and just stuck with using Google maps for all things public transport and just followed the map roads for anything walking. Another annoying thing to note: it’s not always clear which entrance to go in for the subways so sometimes you might end up on the wrong side. But I am notorious for not being good with subways/trains.
Communication
KorailTalk
If you’re looking to buy train tickets to other parts of Seoul, this is a great way to secure your ticket before getting to the station so you can ensure a spot.
Kakao Talk
A lot of businesses use this app for communication instead of WhatsApp. You might want this to be able to book your beauty appointments and/or communicate for other reasons. Do keep in mind you need a Korean phone number to use this app though so if you have an e-sim from Hongkong, you can’t use it.
Google Translate
If you aren’t already using this when traveling, download it asap! You can download any language so you can use it even when you don’t have data. The best feature is being able to hold the camera over anything with words – think signs, menus, etc – and it’ll translate it in realtime for you on the screen.
Seoul Travel Guide:
How To Get There From The Airport
Leaving the airport is always one of the most stressful moments about landing somewhere new you’ve never been before. You don’t know the language, you don’t know where to go, you most likely don’t have any data yet and you’re really freaking tired from traveling.
South Korea is one of the first East Asian, NON Southeast Asian country I’ve gone to. Why do I point this out? Because that overwhelming bombardment of people trying to get you into their taxi when you leave the airport just didn’t exist. Normally I’m prepared for my serious face, with all my belongings tight to me but I didn’t need to do that here. I could just chill.
Now you can opt to order an Uber from the airport but you know me, I always take public transportation when I can. By the way, once you have data in South Korea, your Uber app will transform into a different version that’s specific for use in South Korea and you’ll be able to order an Uber like normal, but it’s somehow connected to the drivers that they use there that are non-Uber. Honestly I didn’t really understand how it works but just know that it works lol.
So for the public transportation, you’ll want to head outside of the airport and you’ll find the ticket station to buy tickets on your left hand side. I used google maps to navigate via “bus” transport so that it would tell me which bus number I needed to buy a ticket to that would get me closest to my accommodation.
I was staying in Jongno near Jongno 2-ga bus stop so I bought the ticket for bus 6702. If you want to double check with the ticket agent which one to get, you can show him the location on your phone. Just a note though – South Koreans aren’t exactly a picture of hospitality so you may just be hit with an unhelpful stare.
Once you get your ticket, they’ll tell you where to go stand for that bus and you’ll just follow the row down until you see yours and wait inline. Wait till you see these buses. For public transportation – these buses were something slick. I’m talking about super clean, luxurious and with tons of space. There’s no shoving a bunch of people inside.
In fact, they could have done with adding in more space as I felt there was actually too much free space inside. The ride from the airport into the city is about an hour give or take traffic. There isn’t much to see on the way aside from some eerily empty looking apartment complexes. (Not to worry though – they are fully lived in as I saw another travel influencer being scolded for making a video on the subject).
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Seoul Travel Guide:
Where To Stay In Seoul
There’s several districts to stay in as the city itself is extremely large, boasting a population of nearly 10 million people. I’ll tell you which are the main ones you can choose from and the benefits of each location as well as which one I recommend you to stay in.
Outskirts Of City – Not Near The Main Tourist Attractions
Hongdae
This is probably the most popular place for backpackers, first time visiters and young people. Hongdae is where the University is so there’s more of a younger scene here. You’ll find lots of bars, restaurants and cute places to shop here. There is a big Main Street that’s colorfully painted and by evening time it’s filled with people out and about.
The only downside is it’s about a 20-30 minute ride from the center of the city where all the main sights are. If you are wanting to stay here and don’t mind the commute into town – the good news is it’s a straight shot and you don’t need to change lines.
Itaewon
This area is also another great area to stay in if you don’t mind being out of the main city. There’s so many restaurants and shops here to check out and one of the biggest nighttime scenes, aside from Hongdae.
If you ever heard of the stampede that happened in Itaewon back during Halloween a couple years ago, you’ll see that there is a memorial there for where so many precious lives were taken. The streets where the bars are, are quite narrow so it seems unfathomable how so many people were trying to fit there.
When I was there it wasn’t quite as popping as I heard it used to be, but I imagine that it may go back to normal over time. There are so many bars here you can literally hop from bar to bar. Definitely worth checking out if you enjoy a good night out! I can say that South Koreans definitely know how to drink and have a good time! The only annoying part about this place is that it’s not a straight shot to get to. You have to change buses to get there from downtown.
Gangnam
This is the spot for those of you who are bad and boujee. Gangnam is famous for that song, Gangnam-style and in fact there is a giant statue there of the infamous hand motion that you can check out. This area is high-end. Think luxury high rises, big name shops, and beauty clinics.
For all things beauty – I recommend you go here. I personally didn’t want to stay in this area, well first and foremost I may be bad, but I’m not boujee. And I wanted to stay in walking distance to the main attractions but best believe I took a few bus trips here to check out them beauty spas.
In The Heart Of The City – Near The Main Tourist Attractions
Jongno
This is one of the areas in the heart of the city and this is where I stayed 90% of my time in Seoul. You’re a stepping stone from the CBD (downtown) and the other areas listed next.
You can literally walk everywhere if you like walking. If you don’t, the public transportation system is super easy and you can just hop on and off the trams or buses to get around.
It’s also right near the river which is a lovely place to walk along during the day and at night to see the buildings lit up. You’ll find a lot of bars and restaurants here and the iconic buildings you’ve probably seen online where the signs are all lit up from top to bottom on the buildings.
Insadong
This place is also in the heart of the city and is known for it’s tea houses. The Main Street and side streets here are lined with little tea houses, restaurants and shops. The main street runs through the center where there’s little street stalls selling snacks and souvenirs.If you’re looking for some souvenirs to buy and a cute place to enjoy tea, this is your place.
Myeongdong
This is the Mecca for skincare. Very touristy location but for good reason. There is street food markets at night, so many shops for cute clothing and accessories, restaurants, and store after store selling alllll the skincare products you can dream of.
The best part? They are much cheaper here in Seoul than back at home. AND it’s cheaper in Myeongdong than it is in Olive Young, the popular skincare store. If you like being near the action this could be a great place to stay.
The three of these areas are quite close to each other. I often would walk between them daily. So if you cannot find an accommodation in a specific area that’s to your liking, you can easily just stay in another area nearby.
Seoul Travel Guide:
Places To Stay In Seoul
I’m not a boujee travel influencer as you know and I travel on a budget. So when I am solo traveling, I’m almost always staying in a hostel. This trip was no different – even though I was working (Maybe I should have splurged?). I’ll tell you where I stayed and give you my opinions on it.
Also note that Seoul is quite busy and I found that the accommodation was always selling out and I had to move around quite a bit in my month there. I definitely recommend booking in advance.
Seoul Cube Jongno:
I absolutely loved it here. It might not be because the place itself was so nice but I think compared to the other places I ended up staying at, the people I met there, and just the fact I spent so much time there, it really holds a special place in my heart. I still think about it and want to go back – is that weird? lol!
It was right next door to a 7-11 which was perfect for me. I was working remotely until 2am so anytime I wanted to hop down for a snack or a drink, it was literally just outside the elevator.
The place offered free breakfast (which was basic to be fair. Slices of ham, white bread, cereal and milk, juice, and these weird hard brown eggs. Supposedly they’re cooked in the oven or they’re smoked and that’s why they look like that).
There is a small common area where I worked facing the window every night and it was usually pretty quiet for me to take my meetings. The bathrooms were stocked with fresh towels, soap, a hair dryer and straightener. The perfect place to get ready.
Now the weird things were that you couldn’t bring your suitcase into the room because of how small the room was, but on the one hand it was nice because you never heard anyone going through their bags, and that there was a girls dorm and a guy dorm.
Each room held like 36 beds but they were pods with curtains. It was dark and quiet when you slept so I didn’t mind it at all! Everyone gets a locker to keep their stuff and also slippers to wear inside the rooms.
G Guest house Itaewon:
I wanted to check out staying in this area for a few days so I moved from Seoul Cube to here. I will say that it was not my cup of tea. This place has that classic backpacker vibe with the concrete walls covered in paint/graffiti.
It looked like a party hostel even though it didn’t have that vibe. There was an area for me to work in the receptionist area where they have breakfast, but it closed at midnight meaning I had to finish out my shift by working in one of the hallways.
I even took a meeting once in a bathroom because there was no where else to go. The bathrooms were kinda gross and there was only 3 for the entire hostel which didn’t make any sense. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who’s working and traveling.
However if you aren’t working, you’re young or you don’t mind where you stay, it did have a cool vibe when it came to the travellers it attracted. I think I might have enjoyed it more had I been younger and/or not working. A lot of the people staying there would hang out with each other and there was a rooftop for drinks. I do think if you’re backpacking you’d probably enjoy it.
Step Inn Myeongdong 1:
This place was weird as hell and I only booked here because I forgot to extend at Seoul Cube and they were out of beds for a couple days. A lot of travelers were staying in this place and to be honest it wasn’t that bad but it just was weird.
The set up was more like a run down motel/apartment building that you shared a dorm room with 3 bunkbeds. The rooms themselves were clean, beds were nice and so were the bathrooms but the building hallways itself was just weird.
No vibes, dark dingy and didn’t seem like it would be a good place to meet people. However it did come with free breakfast that was pretty good. Honestly maybe I just didn’t give it a real chance but I probably wouldn’t stay again lol.
The location though was top tier. Right in the heart of Myeongdong.
Other Options
If you have a bigger bugdet and don’t want to stay in a hostel, here are a few more recommendations:
Koreana Hotel – This hotel is highly rated and located in an excellent area. You can book it here.
4 Points Sheraton – This is for those of you who like to book with the classics. Located conveniently near the metro station so you can easily get around the city to the different suburbs. You can book it here.
Seoul Travel Guide:
How To Get Around Seoul
The public transportation here is one of the easiest to navigate. There’s several methods of getting around and at different price points. You can use Uber (which honestly for a capital city the prices were cheap – I think I took a 20-30 minute ride across the city and it was only $12).
There’s also the underground subways, the above ground trams and buses. And if you’re traveling outside of Seoul you can take the trains.
What you will need if you plan on taking the bus, subway or tram is a T Money Card. You can buy these at any convenience store like a 7-11. You just prepay to top up the card, which can only be done with cash. Then you use it to tap when you want to use the public transport.
The public transport is also very cheap, at like $1-$3 per ride depending on how far you’re going. However, I stayed in Jongno and I like walking so I can feel, see, and experience the city, so I ended up walking everywhere that was within the heart of the city.
Seoul Travel Guide:
Where & What To Eat
The food scene here is so good. It’s no secret Asians live long healthy lives and that Koreans are known for having that good skin. I believe a lot of it has to do with their diet and the fact they eat so much kimchi. Which is fermented vegetables that can help regulate the immune system, promote weight loss, fight inflammation and slow the aging process. Wow, I should start eating it!
Lets breakdown some of the food I 100% know you need to try. For a full list of WHERE to go, check out this post here.
Korean BBQ
Did you even go to South Korea if you didn’t have Korean BBQ? If you haven’t done this before, you basically have a table with a big hot plate and you cook your own meat. It’s served with rice, vegetables and kimchi. The server will come over and ask what meat you’d like, I recommend getting a variety! It’s fun to go with a group as you can all cook together and share a lot of food.
Korean Fried Chicken
This is a popular favorite amongst foodies. Korean fried chicken and beer is a must! The popular flavor is Gochujang but there are so many that you can choose from. I went with a group of girls to this place and we had one with I want to say it was garlic or sweet onions and it was so damn good. Definitely recommend you trying out different kinds! It’s known for being super crispy and extra flavorful.
Mandu
These are Korean dumplings. If you love dumplings, this is your place. You can get the fried or steamed with various fillings. The main ones are pork, vegetables, shrimp or kimchi. I am telling you try the kimchi ones, they’re PHENOMENAL! I was eating mandu almost daily.
Hotteok
These are a popular pancake that can be filled with various fillings. The most common is a cinnamon or brown sugar filling with nuts. It’s so good! I was walking once and saw a huge queue. I decided to stand in it too even though I dind’t know what we were waiting for. Turns out it was for this street food stall who specializes in these. Once I tasted one, I was so happy I decided to join that queue. Soo worth it!
Bindaetteok
This is a mung bean pancake that is famously served at the Gwangjang market. As soon as you arrive you’ll see a lot of stalls selling it. It’s fried and has a savory taste. Me and a friend each got one but it was quite large and filling. I ended up not eating it all just so I could make room for more mandu.
Soondae
If you’ve had black pudding, apparently this is similar. Soondae is a blood sausage that has some glass noodles in it. It’s a popular street food snack you’ll find at almost all of the food stalls. I actually didn’t try it because the idea of blood put me off, however a lot of people love it including my cousin so maybe I should have tried it afterall. If you end up trying it let me know if you liked it!!
Odeng or Eomuk
These are fishcakes on a stick cooked in a hot broth. Also another popular street food snack you’ll find at almost every stall. You can also drink the broth, which is nice to do when it’s cold out.
Tteokbokki
Another popular streetfood snack that kind of reminds me of pasta. It is little rice cakes that are cooked in a spicy red sauce. They are very chewy and personally I didn’t care for it, and I tried it twice. Maybe it’s just not for me but it’s definitely a must-try as it’s very popular.
Bimibap
This is a Korean rice bowl with bulgogi. . Filled with rice, meat, vegetables, a fried egg, sesame seeds and a special sauce. Definitely yummy, I had one where I had to construct it myself.
Gyerann – ppang
If you’re on the go, this is a nice quick snack to get some carbs and protein in. It’s essentially an egg bread. And it looks exactly how it sounds. Egg on bread lol. It is actually very sweet tasting though which took me by surprise. The bread tasted more like cake.
Kal-guksu
This is handmade, knife-cut noodles. So delicious. I tried two different kinds while there and both were good. I highly recommend going to the Netflix famous lady’s stall at the Gwangjang Market. She is known for her dumplings and knife cut noodles. Hers were soo tasty and flavorful. The line is always long but don’t worry it moves fast.
Naengmyeo or Bibim Gusku
These are both cold buckwheat noodle dishes. I don’t know which one I tried so I’m listing them both but they are very good. I don’t know about you but I personally don’t like cold food but this didn’t disappoint. I went with these group of girls to this very popular Michelin-rated restaurant and we ordered the whole menu to share (don’t worry it was small lol) and this was one of the dishes. Very flavorful and refreshing.
Donkkaseu
A Korean version of the Japanese tonkatsu. It’s. abreaded, deep-fried pork cutlet. I loved this when I was there and ate it as often as I could. Especially ones with delicious sauces to choose from to pair with it.
Bingsu
This is a shaved ice dessert. Comes in many different flavors like green tea, red beans, mango, cheesecake and cookies. Beware of the size when ordering. Me and a friend both ordered our own and we should have known by the $20 price tag it was going to be big…and it was. We couldn’t eat it all lol.
Tanghulu
I saw this online and just knew I had to try it. It’s basically fruit on a stick, typically strawberries and grapes, that are covered in a rock hard clear sugar coating. Careful biting into it as it’s like a hard candy but they are so yummy!
The Infamous 7-11
Okay yall so I had to give this it’s own section. If you’ve been to Southeast Asia you know how it slaps. Of course it’s popular back at home for it’s slurpees but in Asia people actually eat out of it. And for good reason. It’s got the goods. Now I hear that the ones in Japan are top notch but I haven’t been there yet. I do know though that in South Korea, it’s my jam.
When I was working in Seoul, I often worked late until 3 or 4am. This meant on working nights I was eating a lot out of the 7-11 because it was downstairs. They have so many yummy things but I’m going to list my favorites.
They have these perfectly cooked soy hardboil eggs. I was eating these for breakfast often. The instant noodle game here is wild. SO many flavors to choose from – even ones with cheese! Beware though the spice is next level. These triange shaped rice snacks filled with meat wrapped in seaweed. Learning how to open these is a skill. They come in a bunch of different flavors but my most favorite ones were the spicy egg, spicy tuna and spicy chicken. YUM!
For drinks they have this banana milk that is so good. And this soda called Milkis. Guys I don’t even drink soda but when I had this the first time, I had bought two because they were on sale. As soon as I tasted it, I chugged the whole thing and opend the second one. It was that good. The flavor tastes like if sprite and yogurt had a baby. That might sound gross but I promise you it’s soo good. Apparently people mix Milkis with Soju – which is a local rice liquor similar to vodka.
Seoul Travel Guide:
Things To Do In Seoul
I spent a month here but I was also working, so I was able to do a lot but slowly over a long period of time. And honestly the city is so large I’m sure there’s heaps I missed but of course here all of the things I can think of below! I’d go through and pick what ones to do that align with your timeframe and your personal interests.
Here’s a quick list of 25 things to do.
To read a full description of things to do in Seoul, click here.
1. Rent a Traditional Hanbok & Explore
2. Explore Gyeongbokgung Palace
3. Explore The Other Palaces
4. Free City Walking Tour
5. Shopping For Skincare
6. Get Treatments at Beauty Clinics
7. Head Spa
8. Color Analysis & Korean Nails
9. Visit The Markets
10. Explore Bukchon Hanok Village
11. Explore Ikseon-Dong Hanok Village
12. Sky Tower
13. Namsan Tower
14. DMZ Tour
15. Day Trip to Nami Island
16. See The Gates
17. Shrines
18. Starfield Library
19. Museums
20. Eat Korean BBQ
21. Visit a Tea House
22. Eat at Michelin-rated restaurants
23. Subway DJ Party
24. Shop, Eat, Party in Hongdae & Itaewon
25. Go To A K-Pop Concert
xx, christine
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