Seoul Travel Guide for First-Timers (+ everything I wished I knew)
Seoul is one of the best cities I’ve traveled to, and is now one of my most visited cities.
Each time I’ve spent as much as 3 weeks to 1 week in Seoul.
Here’s everything I wish I knew before going to Seoul as a tourist.
Plus, tips to make the most out of your trip.
These are specifically Seoul travel guide tips, but some can apply to South Korea travel in general.
If you’re new to South Korea, read my South Korea travel guide.
📖 Read Next: 28 Places to Visit in Seoul and how to spend 5 days in Seoul.
Seoul Checklist: have you booked these yet?
▢ Local Korea sim card or eSIM card
▢ Ride from the airport: private car | airport bus | AREX train
▢ Book discounted hotels in Seoul (what I use)
▢ Buy a pre-loaded T-money card (recommended)
Best Area to Stay in Seoul
Seoul is massive, but these are the three main areas where tourists generally stay.
1. Central-Northern Seoul
If you want to be closer to the main tourist attractions like all of the royal palaces and famous shopping streets, stay in the Insadong or Myeongdong area more up north.
🏨 Look for hotels in Central Seoul | Sort by price + reviews
2. Itaewon
If you like to be around a nightlife in Seoul, stay in Itaewon.
You’ll see lots of locals and foreigners in Itaewon. There’s also a lot of restaurants and shops.
3. Hongdae
For a busy but chiller vibe, stay in Hongdae, which is known for being the youth and indie music culture district.
There’s a long walking street with tons of cute cafes, shops, and music performances.
🏨 Look for hotels in Hongdae | Sort by price + reviews
Seoul Travel Guide: My Recommendation for First-Timers
| Traveler Type | Area in Seoul | Find a Hotel |
|---|---|---|
| First-Time Visitors | Myeongdong | Top Myeongdong Hotels |
| Solo Travelers | Hongdae/Itaewon | Top Hongdae Hotels Top Itaewon Hotels |
| Short Visits | Insadong | Top Insadong Hotels |
| Nature Lovers | Namsan Park | Top Namsan Hotels |
If you’re staying longer than a week and don’t mind moving hotels, I recommend trying out 2 or 3 hotels in separate areas just to experience different parts of Seoul, which is what I did.
But for first-time tourists, I recommend staying closer to Insadong and Myeongdong. It’s just easier to get to the main tourist sites.
My favorite stay was Travelodge Myeongdong City Hall (photo below).
Basic Korean Language Travel Phrases
English is not widely-spoken in South Korea. It’s best to learn some basic phrases if you’re just visiting.
In non-touristy areas or restaurants, menus may not be provided in English.
But, you can use Papago or Google Translate to scan the menu text to English.
9 main Korean phrases to learn and what I used the most
- Hello: Annyeonghaseyo (ahn-nyung-ha-seh-yo)
- One please (Just 1 person, or 1 of this): Hana juseyo (ha-na joo-seh-yo)
- Sorry: joesonghamnida (jeh-song ham-ni-da)
- Thank you: Kamsahamnida (kham-sa-hum-knee-dah)
- No: animida (ah-knee-me-dah)
- Yes: ne (neh)
- No thank you, or it’s alright: Gwenchanayo (gwen-chan-nah-yo)
- How much is it?: Eolmayeyo? (ol-ma-eh-yo)
- I don’t speak Korean: Hanguk-mal motteo (ha-ng-gook-mul mo-teh-yo)
Just remember, we’re visitors. We can’t expect locals to know or speak English to us.
And if you ask someone for help and get rejected, try not to take it personally. They might have been too shy or were just busy!
Airport Tips for Seoul, South Korea
At Incheon Airport, you want to do these 3 things:
1. Pick up a local sim card: IF your phone is unlocked. You can buy a sim card there or preorder a Korea sim card on Klook. 10 days of data costs about $20 USD.
2. Get some won, which is the currency in Korea. Credit cards are widely accepted in Seoul, but get back up cash, and for food stalls that only accept cash.
In general, the ATM offers a better rate than exchanging at the airport. But do whatever’s easiest.
3. Lastly, buy a T-money card at the airport or at any convenience store. It costs about $2 USD.
It’s a card that you can use to pay on trains, buses, some taxis, convenience stores, some supermarkets and restaurants throughout South Korea.
🎫 To make it easier, buy a T-money card to pick up at the airport
It takes about an hour to get to Seoul from the airport. Here’s some transportation options to/from the airport:
- Take the AREX express train. You can book your ticket in advance here.
- Hail an airport taxi or book a Kakao T or Uber taxi (check my example Uber in Korea costs).
- Arrange an airport pickup or drop off in advance.
- Take the subway, which will likely mean a transfer at Seoul station.
- My favorite: take an airport bus, which stops by major areas in Seoul.
How to Get Around Seoul – Transportation Tips
The first time taking public transit in a new country is always nerve-wracking!
But it gets easier. And signs and ticket machines are in English.
Here’s 5 main Seoul travel guide tips for getting around the city.
1. I recommend downloading the app CityMapper, which is in English. Citymapper is simple to use. The app shows directions for trains, buses, and walking in Seoul.
2. You can’t rely on Google Maps. It’s not optimized to use in South Korea, especially for walking directions. If you’re looking up just walking directions on Google Maps, nothing will show up.
The most popular apps for getting around in South Korea are Kakao Map and Naver Map, which I still have, but can be less user-friendly. They are most helpful though outside of Seoul.
3. You can add money to your T-Money card at a ticket machine in a train station, or at any convenience store. You have to use cash.
Depending on how long you’re in Seoul, start with 10,000 to 20,000 won. The base fair for trains is 1250 won.
🎫 To make it easier, buy a T-money card to pick up at the airport
4. When riding a train or bus, don’t sit in the designated areas for elderly or pregnant women, even when the train is empty.
5. And last thing about train stations, elevators and escalators are not common. There are elevators, but they’re in certain entrances that you have to look for, and are just harder to find in my opinion.
Prepare for a stairs workout if you’re not able to find them.
If you’re carrying heavy luggage, zoom in on Naver Map results, and you’ll see escalator and elevator icons next to some subway exits.
How to Take Buses in Seoul
Buses may seem intimidating, but are pretty easy to take. Just look for your bus number on the bus stop sign. Once you’re on the bus, tap your T-Money card on the card reader and tap again when you get off the bus.
Buses cost 1,200 won. Only major stops are announced in English. I use Google Maps or Naver Map app for this to follow the blue dot so you know when to press the stop button.
How to Take the Taxi in Seoul
1. Uber works in Seoul. When you open your Uber app, it converts to Uber T. Your original payment info is already saved in there. You don’t need to pay in person.
2. You can also download Kakao T, which is the main taxi app. If you’re a foreigner though, you can’t link your credit card to the app. You’ll have to pay with cash or T-money card at the end.
Kakao taxis are more readily available than Uber, but sometimes you’ll come across a language barrier if the driver can’t find you.
There’s still plenty of Uber drivers. Sometimes you just have to wait a bit longer.
3. Tipping for taxis is not common.
What to Pack for Seoul, South Korea
Here are a few essential packing items for Seoul:
1. Plug Type F
South Korea uses a specific type of plug for charging your phone or laptop. It’s not the same as in the US.
You’ll have to get a plug type F charger, which is the same as a lot of European countries. Or just get a universal travel adapter, especially if you plan to travel a lot.
Some hotels do provide a USB plug, but most don’t. Make sure to get the correct plug. You can also look for one in a convenience store or supermarket in Seoul.
2. Umbrella!
If you’re visiting during the summer months of June to August, bring an umbrella, or buy one from a store, and carry it with you. Rain stops and goes.
3. Skin Protection
General tip, bring a hat and sunscreen to protect your skin from UV rays.
4. Walking Shoes
Bring good walking shoes. You’re most likely going to be walking a lot. I wear Xero Shoes – I can walk for hours and not have sore feet.
Culture Shocks and Cultural Differences
Here are just some cultural differences and observations in Seoul.
1. Seoul is generally safe, and statistically safer than many countries. Always be careful of your surroundings, but I walked alone past midnight and it was fine.
If you need to call for help, the number is 112.
2. Most of the restaurants I went to were self-service, which meant returning your plates and cups to the counter and clearing out any napkins from your table.
If you’re unsure, just look at what other people do, which is what I often did. 😆
You usually pay at the counter. And tipping is not common at all.
3. For those going in the summer, it gets REALLY hot. And it sometimes rains. I was always drenched in sweat. But when I looked at the locals, they looked flawless.
4. Lastly, here’s the tea, don’t expect locals to be social and friendly to you just because you’re a foreigner or an obvious tourist. They’re just minding their own business.
If you want to make friends, you have to actively try, join a meet up, a club, or English exchange.
And if you just want to enjoy traveling solo, that’s fun too. There’s so much to do in Seoul! You won’t run out of things to do alone.
Top Places to Visit in Seoul
There’s always something to do in Seoul. Nature sites, cultural and historic sites. Entertainment. Here are 4 of my favorites spots.
Looking for more? Check out my 28 Places to Visit in Seoul list.
1. Gyeongbokgung Palace
If you only have time to visit just one palace in Seoul, go to Gyeongbokgung Palace. It’s massive and so beautiful. I’ve been multiple times.
There’s historical sites as well as nature sites. It feels like a time-hop.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Most Popular Gyeongbokgung Palace Tour
🏙 Changing of Guard Ceremony
🚌 Driver provided
2. Cheonggyecheon Stream
This must-visit is a 7-mile stream in the middle of downtown. You can walk it or sit on the steps and put your feet in the water. At night it’s lit up as well. It’s open 24 hours.
🌌 Join a Seoul Moonlight night tour of Cheonggyecheon Stream, Royal Palace, & Naksan Park
3. Bukchon Hanok Village
This is a beautiful neighborhood of hundreds of hanoks, or traditional Korean houses designed with nature in mind. Go early as it gets crowded.
People also dress in traditional hanboks to take photos. You can rent a hanbok online to pick up.
4. Namsan Seoul Tower & Park
This is Seoul’s largest park, and at the top is the Observatory with the famous Namsan Tower and Locks of Love, where thousands of locks are placed.
Visiting is free, but if you want to enter the Namsan Tower, you can prebook your ticket online to save time ($14 USD).
Hope this Seoul travel guide was helpful!
Have a great time in Seoul!
Check out my city guides for: Jeju Island | Busan | Gyeongju | Pohang
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