The Ultimate Seoul Travel Guide: Best Things to Do + How to Visit the DMZ
South Korea was always at the top of our list to visit, and since we were already going to Japan, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity! Seoul is a city where ancient history and modern culture collide in the best possible way. While many people know Seoul as theee place for K-Beauty (Korean skincare and beauty) and the ever-growing popularity of Korean Pop Culture (yes, we’re looking at you, K-Pop Demon Hunters and Squid Games fans), there’s so much more to discover here. From bustling night markets and incredible shopping to cute cafes and historic palaces, Seoul is a city that constantly surprised us and we ended up liking it so much more than we thought we would!
Where to Stay in Seoul
There are so many great neighborhoods in Seoul, but we decided to stay in Myeongdong because it felt very central. We stayed at the L7 (Lotte brand Hotel) in Myeongdong and through it was absolutely perfect! It was modern and trendy while still being affordable, and in such a great location in walking distance to almost everything we wanted to do. Other neighborhoods we were looking at staying in were Itaewon, Gangham, and Hongdae, but you can’t go wrong with any of them!
Explore other hotels in Seoul here on Hotels.com!
Best Things to do in Seoul
Starfield Library
Gyeongbokgung Palace
Olive Young
Bukchon Hanok Village
Visit Gyeongbokgung Palace - the largest of Seoul’s royal palaces. It was built in the 1300s and there are 2 museums on the palace grounds as well. Also if you choose to wear or rent the traditional Korean clothing called Hanbok, you can usually get free entry to the palace and take some great photos!
Explore Bukchon Hanok Village - a beautiful, historical cultural village in Seoul that used to be used for Korean nobles. It’s also home to hundreds of traditional Korean houses. This is also a great spot for photos (but please be quiet and respectful).
Go shopping for K-Beauty at Olive Young - the famous K Beauty and Skincare store in South Korea! You can think of it like Sephora in the USA. There are tons of locations all around the city and there you will find all the best K Beauty brands and products!
Explore the Jogyesa Temple - Buddhist Temple which serves as the headquarters of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, the largest sect of Buddhism in Korea.
Visit the Starfield Library in Coex Mall - a gorgeous library that is great for shopping and taking photos! Also outside the mall is a statue to the global hit K-Pop song Gangham Style so make sure you don’t miss that either!
Go shopping in Myeongdong & Hongdae - There’s tons of thrifting/vintage stores, cool shops, and more! We loved the store NYUNYU, a wholestore store with amazing jewlery and clothing!
Day trip tour to the DMZ (Demilitarized zone that borders N. Korea) - more info below
Find other activities and tours in Seoul here on Expedia!
Day trip to the DMZ
DMZ tour
DMZ tour
One of the most interesting things you can do in Seoul is do a tour of the DMZ aka the Demilitarized zone between N. and South Korea. On the tour you learn a lot history about the tensions between N. and South Korea, the Korean War, and get to visit important sites as well as the DMZ itself.
We booked our tour through Get Your Guide, and what made our tour so amazing was our tour guide Julie. She was so knowledgeable and friendly and told us all the facts straight up without sugarcoating anything.
Visiting the DMZ, learning all the history, and getting to see N. Korea from the Dora Observatory ended up being one of the most compelling tours we have ever done while traveling. We highly recommend anyone visiting Seoul to do a DMZ tour to fully understand the history between the two nations and how it shapes the countries and the world today.
Where to Eat + Drink in Seoul (Vegan)
Nuldam Space
Osegye Hyang
ALT.a
Myeongdong Night Market
Vegan Kitchen (Myeongdong)
Plant Cafe (Hongdae)
ALT.a (Itaewon)
Osegye Hyang (Insadong)
Myeongdong Street Market (tons of food, drinks, snacks) - make sure to try Hottek, Japchae, Korean hot dogs, kimchi dumplings, + more!
Nuldam Space (cafe where you can write letters to your future self!)
Rush (LGBTQ+ bar)
If you want to see almost everything we did in Seoul, including the DMZ tour, make sure to check out our YouTube video below!
As always, all opinions are honest and our own. Some links on this post are affiliate links of which we receive a small commission, but the price is the same for you.