A One Week Seoul Itinerary & Guide

Seoul, South Korea

Street food, cafes, Korean BBQ, soju, amazing shopping and friendly locals makes Seoul one of the best cities to visit in Asia.

After our time in Japan we decided it would be the perfect opportunity to visit South Korea. We didn’t have much time left so we mainly wanted to focus our time in Seoul.

We spent one week in Seoul and went in thinking that it could be a bit of a long stay, but we really didn’t feel like jumping around.

Now having visited, I can confirm that it was honestly the perfect amount of time to comfortably explore this amazing but huge city.

I highly recommend spending between 5-7 days in Seoul. There are so many awesome neighborhoods that you’re going to want to explore, not to mention the hundreds of cafes you’re going to want to try.

This post is all about A One Week Seoul Itinerary & Guide.

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SOUTH KOREA FUN FACTS

Official Language: Korean
Currency: The Korean won
Population: 51.8 Million
Capital City: Seoul
Major International Airport: Incheon International Airport
Best Time to Visit: March-May & September-November
Soju is South Korea’s national drink.
South Korea has the biggest drinking culture in Asia.
You can drink anywhere.
North and South Korea are still at war today.
South Korea is the plastic surgery capital of the world.
There are more than 200 types of kimchi in South Korea.

Exploring Seoul Itinerary & Guide

This is how we spent our time in Seoul, South Korea.

We stayed in Hongdae at the RYSE, Autograph Collection Hotel. Highly recommend. Great location to many shops, cafes, metro and nightlife. Plus they have a rooftop area with some pretty spectacular views.

We arrived at Incheon International Airport in Seoul and took the Seoul Metro to the city. The subway in Seoul is fast, reliable, and safe but for some added connivence you can take a taxi.

Honestly for the amount of time it takes to get to the city I found the Taxi to be fairly priced. It cost around $50USD for a 45-60 minute ride depending on traffic.

tip: Subways stop operating at midnight and will commence again at 5:30am. If you are arriving to the airport during non operational metro times, a Taxi will cost around $70-$80USD.

DAY 1

Stop at a convenience store and get yourself a T-Money Card. A T-money card is essential. You can pay subway, bus and taxi fares and purchases at convenience stores, some restaurants and even attractions.

Time for some food before exploring. I recommend trying Seoul’s famous egg sandwich at Egg Drop. Our favorite was the Bulgogi Toast. So good.

Close to Egg Drop is the neighborhood of Hongdae, which is super popular for shopping. If you’re into vintage shopping you are going to love Seoul. Spend some time exploring the neighborhood.

I definitely did some $$$ damage, not usually a huge shopper but in Seoul that was not the case. I love the shopping scene in Seoul.

Snack time, head over to Cafe Layered for some seriously yummy dessert and drinks.

Finish your first day by taking a food tour, it’s the perfect day to introduce you to South Korean cuisine. We went with a a night market tour of the very famous Gwangjang Market.

Definitely come with an open mind!

DAY 2

Time to try one of Seoul’s favorite cafe, Cafe Onion Anguk. The vibe here is dreamy and the pastries are delish!

Afterwards, since you are already in the neighborhood it’s the perfect time to Explore Bukchon Hanok Village.

tip: there are several shops renting traditional Hanbok clothing for you to wear, it’s a super popular thing to do while exploring this area. Plus if you dress up you enter Gyeongbokgung Palace for free.

Take a free tour of Gyeongbokgung Palace and afterwards head to Jogyesa Temple.

End your night with some delicious Korean BBQ, an absolute must don’t forget the Soju!

tip: There are so many KBBQ restaurants, honestly just follow the crowds like we did and I can guarantee the food will be delicious.

DAY 3

Take a DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) tour, this tour is very unique. It was a little crazy to actually see a little glimpse of North Korea. Currently you can only do the half day tour as the JSA (Joint Security Area) is closed to foreigners.

After your tour you are going to be pretty hungry, if you can find a location close to you I highly recommend Downtowner. Pick the hashbrown burger and the cheese fries! So good.

Head to Charles H. the speakeasy at the Four Seasons Hotel for some really delicious drinks. There is a cover charge but I think it was totally worth it. It included snacks, amazing service and the ambiance was moody and intimate .

DAY 4

Start your day with a delicious slice of pie or 3 at Pie In The Shop. This may or may not be the amount of slices I ordered. Oh man seriously this pie was so delicious and their crust is so good. We also ordered a Peanut Butter Latte and Strawberry Lemon Tea Ade and wow, delish!!

Do yourself a huge favor and dedicate some time to getting some type of skincare done. There is a reason South Koreans have such amazing young looking and glowy skin. I recommend booking your appointment at least one week ahead of time.

We booked our appointments at LiengJang Myeongdong. They spoke English, were friendly and helped us pick what skincare we needed.

Lunch time! Have the cheapest Michelin Star lunch you’ll probably ever have at Myeongdong Kyoja Main Store. Only four things on the menu, Dumpling soup, dumplings, cold noodles and one additional dish served in Summer. You”ll walk out of there completely full for under $20.

Make sure if you are into skincare to pop into an Olive Young store. If you are anything like me and love skincare make sure to have plenty of spare room in your luggage. You’ve been warned.

For dessert make sure to try the very delicious Bingsu ‘Korean shaved iced” we tried it at Sulbing Cafe and it was so good.

After exploring more of Myeongdong, make your way over to the Myeongdong Market.

You see the trend here right? Lot’s of delicious food will be eaten while in Seoul.

Some Must Try Foods at Myeongdong Market:

Spicy Chicken Skewers, KFC with Rice Cakes, Grilled Lobster with Cheese, Grilled Mussels, Grilled Prawns, Gyeran-Bbang (Korean Egg Bread) and my favorite Hotteok (Korean Sweet Pancake).

DAY 5

Head over to Boulanger Maison Bukak for breakfast, man how I miss the cafes.

Explore the unique and trendy neighborhood of Ihwa Mural Village, and as the name applies you will find the neighborhood walls filled with murals.

Take your time exploring, for dinner I recommend 1992, this place was such a vibe! They have a ton of different Sojus to try along with some very delicious dinner options.

Take your chance at winning some cute stuffy’s, the claw machines are so annoying but addictive. Since we stayed in Hongdae there was a ton of places around to test our luck.

End your night at one of the many Karaoke locations. It’s so much fun and if you’re thinking you’ll only need an hour to jam out, you’re wrong just book a 2 hour time slot.

If you need a late night snack after Karaoke try some KFC, no not the American food chain I mean Korean Fried Chicken. These food spots stay open very late.

DAY 6

Another day another cafe. Today visit Cheongsudang, if you’re into matcha make sure to try the Matcha Latte.

Visit Starfield Coex Mall and make sure to make a stop at the Starfield Library.

Visit the 5th tallest skyscraper in the world, Seoul Sky, and take yourself to the top for some serious views of Seoul.

Don’t leave South Korea with at least one more Korean BBQ night. We had it 3 out of our 6 dinners, they’re just so good!

tip: take some selfies at one of the many photo booth studios, they are seriously everywhere.

DAY 7

Our time in Seoul has come to an end, time to head to the Airport.

Make sure to stock up on a couple hydrating face mask from Olive Young, they are amazing to have on long flights but especially a must have for some at home self care after that dreadful long flight.

Tips for south Korea

Purchase a rechargeable T-money card for easy hassle free payments of public transportation, taxis, attractions and more.
Downland Bucacheck app to check balances on T-money card.
Download Never Maps app as Google maps will not work in South Korea.
Download Kakao app, South Koreas Uber/Lyft.
Download Papago app an easy hassle free translator, works better than google translate.
Download Mango Plate South Koreas Yelp.

That concludes this post A One Week Seoul Itinerary & Guide.

BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE:

travel resources

Here you can find all the travel site links that we personally use and recommend.

ACCOMMODATION: We find the best deals with BOOKING.COM. The more you book the better the perks like free breakfast with your stay, room upgrades and even higher discounted room rates.

CAR RENTALS: We have always used RentalCars.com and find them to have the best deals, customer service and selection of locations.

FLIGHTS: Our go too for booking flights has always been SKYSCANNER. We always find the best prices on this site.

TOURS/EXCURSIONS: GET YOUR GUIDE and VIATOR are two very reputable sites with easy and hassle free bookings.

TRAVEL INSURANCE: It’s so important to travel with insurance and for this we use World Nomads or Safety Wing.