7-Day Seoul Itinerary — Royal Palaces, the DMZ & Nami Island

Gyeongbokgung Palace

📍 Jongno-gu

Start at the largest of the Joseon palaces; catch the changing of the Royal Guard ceremony at Gwanghwamun Gate (10:00, not Tuesdays).

National Folk Museum of Korea

📍 Gyeongbokgung grounds

Inside the palace grounds — how Koreans actually lived through the Joseon era, from kimchi-making to coming-of-age rites.

Tosokchon Samgyetang

📍 West of Gyeongbokgung

The famous ginseng chicken soup house in a hanok complex — a whole young chicken stuffed with rice, jujube and ginseng.

Bukchon Hanok Village

📍 Between Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung

Climb the lanes to the famous viewpoints where tiled hanok roofs frame N Seoul Tower. Residential area — keep voices low.

Ssamziegil

📍 Insadong

Insadong's spiral craft mall — ceramics, hanji paper goods, and the poop-bread stand on the top floor.

Jogyesa Temple

📍 Insadong

Head temple of Korean Zen Buddhism; the courtyard's paper lanterns glow after dusk and the main hall stays open late.

Changdeokgung Palace

📍 Jongno-gu

The UNESCO-listed palace the kings actually preferred — book the guided Huwon Secret Garden tour in advance; it sells out.

Ikseon-dong Hanok Village

📍 Jongno-gu

Seoul's oldest hanok district reborn as narrow alleys of cafes and dessert houses — lunch and coffee among the low tiled roofs.

Gwangjang Market

📍 Jongno-gu

The classic covered market: mung-bean bindaetteok pancakes fried in front of you and 'narcotic' mayak gimbap rolls.

Cheonggyecheon Stream

Walk a stretch of the sunken stream that runs below street level through downtown — herons fishing in the middle of the city.

Dongdaemun Design Plaza

📍 Dongdaemun

Zaha Hadid's silver spaceship of a building; the LED rose garden lights up after dark and the night markets around it run late.

Deoksugung Palace

📍 City Hall

The palace that mixes Joseon halls with neoclassical stone buildings; the stone-wall road along its side is Seoul's favorite walk.

Namdaemun Market

📍 Jung-gu

Korea's oldest market — 10,000 stalls; look for the hotteok (brown-sugar pancake) and kalguksu alley vendors.

Namsan Cable Car

📍 Namsan

Ride up Namsan mountain rather than queueing for the bus — 3 minutes to the summit area.

N Seoul Tower

📍 Namsan summit

360° observation deck over the whole basin — on clear days you can trace the Han River to the sea. Love-lock fences on the terrace.

Myeongdong Shopping Street

📍 Myeongdong

K-beauty flagships and the evening street-food carts: grilled cheese lobster, tornado potatoes, hotteok.

Myeongdong Kyoja

📍 Myeongdong

Four-item menu since 1966 — the kalguksu knife-cut noodle soup and garlicky mandu are the order.

Bongeunsa Temple

📍 Gangnam

1,200-year-old temple facing off against COEX's glass towers — the 23m stone Maitreya Buddha is the image of Gangnam's two worlds.

Starfield Library

📍 COEX Mall, Gangnam

The two-story open library under COEX's atrium — 13m bookshelf towers; free to wander.

Lotte World Tower Seoul Sky

📍 Jamsil

Korea's tallest building — the Seoul Sky decks on floors 117–123 include a glass-floor skywalk 478m up.

Seokchon Lake

📍 Jamsil

Loop the lake below the tower — cherry trees ring the whole shore and the Lotte World castle sits on its island.

Banpo Hangang Park

📍 Banpo

Grab a convenience-store ramyeon by the river and catch the Banpo Bridge Moonlight Rainbow Fountain show (evenings Apr–Oct).

Imjingak Park

📍 Paju

The southern gateway to the DMZ — the Freedom Bridge POWs crossed in 1953 and a bullet-riddled steam locomotive left where the line was cut.

The 3rd Infiltration Tunnel

📍 Paju DMZ

Walk down into the tunnel North Korea dug under the border, discovered in 1978 — hard hats required, and you will use them.

Dora Observatory

📍 Paju DMZ

Binocular deck looking straight across the border — on clear days you see Kaesong city and the flagpole of Kijong-dong.

Dorasan Station

📍 Paju

The eerie, fully-built international station waiting for a train line to Pyongyang that has never run — 'To Pyeongyang' is still on the departure board.

Hongdae Street

📍 Hongdae, Seoul

Back in the city: buskers, street dance circles and food alleys around Hongik University — the opposite end of Korea's emotional spectrum from the morning.

Nami Island

📍 Gapyeong

The half-moon island of tree tunnels — the metasequoia lane is the shot everyone comes for. Arrive by 9 to beat the tour buses to it.

Gapyeong Rail Park

📍 Gapyeong

Pedal a four-seat rail bike down a disused train line along the Bukhan River — tunnels with light shows included.

Petite France

📍 Gapyeong

The hillside French-village film set overlooking Cheongpyeong Lake — kitsch, but the Saint-Exupéry exhibition hall explains the Little Prince statues everywhere.

The Garden of Morning Calm

📍 Gapyeong

Korea's oldest private garden, 5,000 plant species against Chungnyeongsan mountain — in winter it runs the famous Lighting Festival after dusk.

Ewha Womans University

📍 Sinchon

Dominique Perrault's glass canyon entrance is one of Seoul's best modern buildings, and the shopping street outside is a cheap-eats institution.

Gyeongui Line Forest Park

📍 Yeonnam-dong

A disused rail line turned linear park — the Yeonnam-dong stretch is nicknamed 'Yeontral Park' and lined with cafes.

Mangwon Market

📍 Mangwon-dong

The locals' market the tourists haven't fully found — kalguksu, twisted doughnuts and famously cheap fruit.

Haneul Park

📍 World Cup Park

The 'Sky Park' built on a former landfill — 22 hectares of silver grass with the whole city and Bukhansan on the horizon. Best in golden hour.

Yeouido Hangang Park

📍 Yeouido

End the week Korean-style: mat on the grass, fried chicken delivered to the riverbank, and the sunset over the Han.