5-Day Seoul Itinerary — Palaces, Markets & the Han River

Gyeongbokgung Palace

📍 Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu

Start at Seoul's grandest Joseon palace. Time your arrival for the 10:00 royal guard changing ceremony at Gwanghwamun Gate, then walk the throne hall and Gyeonghoeru Pavilion pond.

National Folk Museum of Korea

📍 Inside Gyeongbokgung grounds

On the palace grounds — a compact primer on how Koreans actually lived through the Joseon era. Free with your palace ticket.

Tosokchon Samgyetang

📍 Jahamun-ro 5-gil, west of the palace

The famous ginseng chicken soup house a short walk from the palace's west wall. Expect a line; it moves fast.

Bukchon Hanok Village

📍 Bukchon-ro, between Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung

Lanes of lived-in traditional hanok houses on the hill between the two palaces. Keep voices down — people live here — and hunt for the eight classic viewpoints.

Ssamziegil, Insadong

📍 Insadong-gil, Jongno-gu

Insadong's spiral craft mall and the surrounding antique-and-tea-house street. Best place in the city for hanji paper, ceramics and a traditional tea break.

Jogyesa Temple

📍 Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu

Head temple of Korean Zen Buddhism, glowing with lanterns at dusk — a quiet close to the first day, two minutes from Insadong.

Changdeokgung Palace

📍 Yulgok-ro, Jongno-gu

The UNESCO-listed palace the kings actually preferred. Book the Huwon Secret Garden tour slot when you buy your ticket — the garden is only accessible on the guided entry.

Ikseon-dong Hanok Village

📍 Ikseon-dong, Jongno-gu

Seoul's oldest hanok district reborn as narrow alleys of cafés and small restaurants. Lunch here before the market crowd of the afternoon.

Gwangjang Market

📍 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu

The city's great covered food market. Order bindaetteok (mung-bean pancake) straight off the griddle and a roll of mayak gimbap — the 'narcotic' rice rolls.

Cheonggyecheon Stream

📍 Cheonggyecheon-ro, city centre

Drop below street level and walk the restored stream west — herons, stepping stones and office workers on breaks, all below the traffic.

Dongdaemun Design Plaza

📍 Eulji-ro, Jung-gu

Zaha Hadid's silver spaceship, at its best after dark. Catch the LED rose garden and the night market energy of the surrounding fashion blocks.

Bongeunsa Temple

📍 Bongeunsa-ro, Gangnam-gu

A 1,200-year-old temple facing down the glass towers of Gangnam, with a 23-metre stone Maitreya Buddha. The contrast is the point.

Starfield Library, COEX Mall

📍 COEX Mall, Yeongdong-daero, Gangnam-gu

The two-storey open library under COEX's glass ceiling — directly across the road from Bongeunsa. Coffee stop and the city's most photographed bookshelves.

Samgyetang alley at Jamsil — Seokchon Lake

📍 Seokchon Lake, Songpa-gu

Ride two subway stops east to Jamsil, lunch near Seokchon Lake, then walk the lake loop under Lotte World Tower.

Seoul Sky Observatory, Lotte World Tower

📍 Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu

Korea's tallest building — the 117th-floor observatory has a glass floor 478 m over the city. Aim to be up top as afternoon haze softens toward golden hour.

Songridan-gil

📍 Songpa-dong, east of Seokchon Lake

The low-rise café-and-bistro streets beside Seokchon Lake — Jamsil's answer to Gyeongridan. Dinner among locals, not tour groups.

Namdaemun Market

📍 Namdaemungsijang-gil, Jung-gu

Korea's oldest and largest traditional market — 10,000 stalls of everything. Snack on hotteok (sweet filled pancakes) while you browse.

Myeongdong Street Food Alley

📍 Myeongdong-gil, Jung-gu

Lunch as a moving target: tornado potatoes, grilled cheese lobster, gyeranppang egg bread. The carts fill in from late morning.

Namsan Cable Car

📍 Sopa-ro, Jung-gu

Ride up from the Myeongdong side rather than climbing in the afternoon heat — the cabin ride itself is the preview of the view.

N Seoul Tower

📍 Namsan Mountain

The classic 360° view of how enormous Seoul really is, ringed by mountains. The love-lock fences on the terrace are free; the observatory is optional.

Hongdae Street

📍 Hongik-ro, Mapo-gu

Cross town to the student quarter for the evening — buskers on every corner, indie shops, and dinner in the backstreets toward Yeonnam-dong.

War Memorial of Korea

📍 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu

Far more moving than the name suggests — the Korean War told room by room, with aircraft and armour parked outside. Free entry.

Gyeongridan-gil

📍 Hoenamu-ro, Yongsan-gu

Lunch on Itaewon's quieter parallel street — smash burgers, makgeolli bars and third-wave coffee on a hill below Namsan.

National Museum of Korea

📍 Seobinggo-ro, Yongsan-gu

The country's flagship museum, free for the permanent halls. Head straight for the Pensive Bodhisattva in its own dark room — worth the trip alone.

Banpo Hangang Park

📍 Sinbanpo-ro, Seocho-gu

Cross to the Han River's south bank for the last evening: rent a picnic mat, order chicken to the riverside like locals do.

Banpo Bridge Moonlight Rainbow Fountain

📍 Banpo Bridge

The bridge itself becomes the show — 570 m of fountain jets lit in colour, running on a published evening schedule April to October. End the trip watching it from the grass.