Visas & entry
Entry rules depend heavily on passport: many nationalities can enter visa-free for short tourism, while others need a visa or K-ETA/advance authorization. Check the official Korea Visa Portal and your embassy guidance before booking, as K-ETA exemptions and requirements change.
Getting in
- Incheon International Airport: The main international gateway, about 45–70 minutes from central Seoul by AREX train, airport limousine bus or taxi depending on the hotel district and traffic. Use it for almost all long-haul arrivals.
- Gimpo International Airport: The convenient city airport for domestic flights and selected regional routes, especially from Japan, China and Jeju. It is much closer to central Seoul than Incheon and connects directly to the metro.
- Seoul Station: The practical rail gateway for KTX arrivals from Busan, Gyeongju via Singyeongju, Daegu and other Korean cities. It is central, linked to multiple metro lines, and also the AREX endpoint from Incheon.
Getting around
Stay in one hotel base; changing hotels to cover Gangnam or Jamsil is usually wasted effort. The metro is the default for almost everything, but central districts still take 25–45 minutes apart and cross-city trips can take 60–90 minutes at busy times. Use taxis for late nights, luggage, or awkward mountain-edge connections, but expect traffic; reserve a full day for Bukhansan rather than treating it as a quick add-on to palace sightseeing.
Money
South Korean won (KRW, ₩). Cards work almost everywhere, including cafés, chains and metro-ticket machines, but carry some cash for small market stalls, older eateries and loading a transit card. Tipping is not customary; upscale hotels or restaurants may already include service.
Daily budget · KRW (₩)
- Value
- ₩90,000–₩160,000
- Mid-range
- ₩180,000–₩350,000
- High-end
- ₩500,000–₩1,000,000+
- Bands exclude international flights and major shopping; they assume two people share a room. Solo travelers should expect the hotel component to rise sharply.
- Value covers a hostel dorm or modest guesthouse, inexpensive Korean meals, metro/bus travel, free sights and one paid attraction.
- Comfortable mid-range covers a good shared 3–4-star room, cafés and restaurants, occasional sensible taxis, paid sights and some nightlife.
- High-end means five-star or design hotels, premium barbecue or tasting menus, cocktails, private guides and frequent taxis.
- Accommodation is the biggest swing factor. Hostel beds typically run about ₩30,000–₩50,000; business hotels roughly ₩90,000–₩150,000 per room; luxury hotels start around ₩250,000 and climb quickly on peak dates.
- Keep costs sensible by using the metro, treating palaces and museums as inexpensive anchors, and choosing local beer or makgeolli over nightly cocktail bars. Premium beef, beauty treatments, K-beauty/fashion shopping, concerts and late-night taxis are the usual budget breakers. Tipping is not customary, though upscale venues may add service charges.
Eating well
- For seolleongtang, go at breakfast or for a restorative late lunch; it is comfort food, not a formal dinner event.
- Do not order jokbal solo unless you want leftovers: portions are built for at least two people.
- Approach Pyeongyang naengmyeon with the right expectation. It is clean, mild and savory, not sweet or aggressively spicy.
- Use Gwangjang Market for snacks and atmosphere, then eat a proper meal elsewhere if you want Seoul's more distinctive cooking.
- Tipping is not customary; upscale hotels and restaurants may already include service charges.
- Reserve sought-after tasting menus and high-end barbecue on weekends, but most everyday soup, noodle and neighborhood restaurants are walk-in affairs.
Book before you land
Bukhansan Dulle-gil Uiryeong-gil trail reservation: required at least one day ahead; bring ID to the trailhead. · Changdeokgung Secret Garden guided entry, especially for an English-language slot in spring or autumn and on weekends.
- Buy and load a T-money transit card soon after arrival; it works on metro and buses and makes transfers painless.
- Do not underestimate scale: schedule north-of-Han palace districts, Hongdae, Jamsil and Bukhansan as separate geographic days.
- Avoid rush-hour cross-city taxi rides if possible. The metro is often faster, even when the route looks indirect.
- Bukchon is residential: go early, keep voices down, and follow restricted-access and quiet-hour signs.
- For restaurants, expect shared dishes, limited space and occasional queues. Popular Korean barbecue, jokbal and market meals are better with two or more people.
- Mountain trails can be steep, rocky and icy or humid depending on season; proper shoes matter more than athletic confidence.
Entry rules change — verify visa requirements for your passport before booking this region.
Season by season
March–May
March is still cold and brown; April brings blossoms and heavy crowds, while May is mild and attractive but can be very busy around public holidays, with dry air and occasional fine-dust episodes.
first visitspalace walkscaféscity hiking
Peak blossom dates and early-May holidays raise hotel demand and make Yeouido and Han River parks especially crowded.
June–August
June turns wet from roughly mid-month, July is typically the rainiest month, and August is hot and intensely humid, with occasional typhoon-related disruption.
nightlifebaseballnight marketsair-conditioned museums
All-day sightseeing and mountain hiking are uncomfortable; expect rain, slippery trails, school-holiday hotel prices and the need to shift activity to mornings and evenings.
September–November
September can still feel warm and humid, but October is usually Seoul’s best month for clear, comfortable walking weather; November is crisp with ginkgo and maple color.
first visitsBukhansan hikingphotographyfood-focused trips
Chuseok can bring reduced hours or closures at independent businesses and crowded, sold-out domestic transport; dates change yearly.
December–February
Winter is dry, cold and often bright, with bitter winds and occasional snow; temperatures can fall below -15°C and daylight is short.
museumsshoppingserious eatinglower-season hotel stays
Street wandering and hiking are less pleasant, mountain paths can be icy, and Seollal brings holiday closures and crowded transport.
Events worth planning around
Cherry-blossom season · Usually early to mid-April; exact bloom dates vary each year. · Yeouido and Han River parks, plus major palace and park areas
This is one of Seoul’s busiest periods: expect crowded riverfronts, higher accommodation demand and little chance of a quiet weekend stroll at peak bloom.
Chuseok · Usually September or October; dates vary with the lunar calendar. · Citywide
Check dates before booking: many independent restaurants and shops reduce hours or close, while domestic transport sells out around the holiday.
Seollal (Lunar New Year) · Usually January or February; dates vary with the lunar calendar. · Citywide
Expect some closures or reduced hours and very busy intercity transport around the holiday period; reserve domestic travel early if it overlaps your trip.
What to eat
Eat Seoul as a capital city rather than a single regional cuisine: prioritize its old soup houses, Seoul-style beef dishes, market food, northern-Korean diaspora cooking and late-night shared drinking food. Use historic central districts for the classics—Euljiro for old-school beef and noodles, Jangchung-dong for jokbal—and do market eating as a snack crawl, not as every meal.
Seolleongtang: plain, milky ox-bone soup seasoned at the table with salt, pepper and kimchi; a defining Seoul comfort food.Seoul-style bulgogi: thin marinated beef simmered in a shallow pan with broth, mushrooms, vegetables and often glass noodles; more soupy and communal than standard tabletop barbecue.Pyeongyang naengmyeon: restrained chilled buckwheat noodles in savory broth. Originally from Pyongyang, but Seoul is its major South Korean home; the subtle flavor is intentional.Jokbal: sliced braised pig's trotters served for sharing with salted shrimp, garlic, greens and banchan.Gwangjang Market snacks: treat the market as a grazing stop rather than a substitute for Seoul's older restaurant traditions.Late-night drinking food: Seoul excels at communal meals built around soju or beer, barbecue and neighborhood restaurants open well beyond normal dinner hours.
Euljiro: Old-school Seoul-style bulgogi · Pyeongyang naengmyeon · Historic beef and noodle restaurants, including Wooraeok
Jangchung-dong: Jokbal · Jangchung-dong Jokbal Alley
Central historic Seoul: Seolleongtang · Historic soup houses such as Imun Seollongtang
Gwangjang Market: Korean market-snack grazing