About Seoul
Seoul moves at a different speed to other Asian capitals — faster, sleeker, more technologically ambient. Ancient palaces and Buddhist temples sit between glass towers and neon-lit street markets. Insadong is the antique and craft quarter; Hongdae is university nightlife and street performances; Gangnam is exactly what the song suggested. The food culture is serious and omnivorous: Korean BBQ at midnight, sundubu jjigae for breakfast, tteokbokki from a street cart at 3am. The Han River parks on a summer evening — thousands of locals picnicking, cycling, and eating chicken delivered by scooter — is an experience unique to Seoul.
Highlights
Gyeongbokgung Palace at opening — Joseon dynasty architecture, change of guard ceremony Gwangjang Market — the original Seoul street food market, bindaetteok and raw beef Han River park on a summer evening — BYOB, chicken delivery, and half the city Bukchon Hanok Village at dawn — preserved Korean traditional houses, best before 8am Noryangjin Fish Market — 24-hour wholesale fish market, eat your purchase upstairs Namdaemun Market — Seoul's largest traditional market, open since 1414
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Practical Info
EU, UK, and US citizens can enter South Korea visa-free for up to 90 days for tourism.
The local currency is the South Korean Won (KRW), with roughly 1,300 KRW to 1 USD. Credit and debit cards are widely accepted, but carry cash for small vendors and markets.
Tipping is not customary in South Korea and can even be refused. Service charges are often included in bills at upscale restaurants and hotels.
Seoul is very safe with low crime rates, but be cautious of pickpockets in crowded areas like markets and public transport.
Purchase a prepaid SIM card (e.g., from SK Telecom or KT) at Incheon Airport for around 30,000-50,000 KRW for 5-10 days of data.
Korean is the official language; English is widely understood in tourist areas but less so in rural or residential neighborhoods.
18 Local Tips
I always tell people to find the nearest traditional market to wherever they're staying and just walk through it slowly without buying anything the first time — just watch how transactions happen, how vendors interact with regulars, and where the crowd naturally clusters. That observation lap tells you more about a neighbourhood than any guidebook.
The areas around university campuses completely transform depending on the academic calendar — during exam season everything feels subdued and studious, but when semester kicks off properly the streets come alive with pop-up stalls, performances, and students who genuinely want to talk to strangers. Timing your visit around university culture changes the whole energy.
Gangnam is less interesting than people expect and more interesting than they give it credit for — skip the main boulevard and head into the quieter residential pockets just behind it where young designers and independent bookshops have quietly set up shop. Most tourists never make it past the first busy intersection.
The hills in the older residential neighbourhoods are genuinely worth climbing, even when your legs are screaming at you. The hanok villages and fortress wall paths up there feel like a completely different city from the commercial streets below, and on weekday mornings you'll basically have them to yourself.
Locals know that the alleys running behind the main streets in any neighbourhood are where real life happens — you'll find grandmothers selling homemade banchan out of buckets and tiny hole-in-the-wall spots that have been feeding the same families for decades. If a street looks too polished and photogenic, keep walking until it gets a little rough around the edges.
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