SEOUL, South Korea — Seoul is one of the most populous cities in the world, home to some 10 million people in the centre plus 25 million in the wider metropolitan area.
And yet Seoul is not a city that overwhelms you through sheer size.
If you’re looking for a diverse travel destination in Asia, it is the perfect spot.
The city is well-organized and easy to navigate, nestled among mountains and steeped in history – a history found not only in museums but out on the streets, on city walls and in palace courtyards.
If you can, spend five days here. Even that is not enough to get to understand Seoul, but that would give you a chance to know why you would want to come back.
The Palaces of the Joseon Kings
Your first day in Seoul is all about the kings. Gyeongbokgung Palace – built in 1395, destroyed during the Imjin War, and reconstructed over decades – opens up behind its entrance gate like a city in its own right.
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It has sprawling ceremonial courtyards, curved roofs in shades of blue and green, and guards in historical uniforms who carry out the changing of the guard several times a day.
The ritual is choreographed down to the last detail. But it is more than just a spectacle, serving as a reminder that this place was the center of power on the Korean Peninsula for five centuries.
If you use Gyeongbokgung as a starting point, head to the neighbouring Changdeokgung Palace in the afternoon, which many historians consider to be the more architecturally accomplished of the two.
A guided tour of the Biwon – the Secret Garden – is a must: ponds, pavilions and ancient trees set within grounds that were reserved for the king and his court for centuries.
Your best way to spend the evening is a stroll through Bukchon, the neighbouring Hanok district with its cobbled lanes winding between traditional wooden houses that are still inhabited.
Bear in mind that anyone wearing traditional Hanbok attire is granted free entry to all of Seoul’s royal palaces. Rental outlets are located right outside the entrance gates.
Seoul from above: the old city wall
The Hanyangdoseong – Seoul’s historic city wall – is one of the great surprises of the Korean capital. Originally built in the 14th century to enclose what was then the capital of the Joseon Empire, it still winds its way for over 18 kilometres through the city today.
The section along the Bugaksan ridge is particularly impressive: between granite cliffs and secured areas, you suddenly get a sweeping view of the metropolis.
Here, Seoul's logical layout becomes clear. The city is framed by four mountains, as if by natural ramparts. The wall followed this topography, and the walking trail still follows it today.
Over Naksan, the route leads down into the Ikseon-Dong neighbourhood, one of the liveliest in the city centre, with small cafés and Korean bistros in restored hanoks, traditional Korean houses.
Day 3: Gangnam: Across the River Han
The River Han does not merely divide Seoul geographically but splits the city into two worlds. To the north of the river lies the historic, somewhat rugged city centre with its palaces and markets.
As the city was barely able to expand northwards after the Korean War (1950–1953), development continued on the other side of the river. New neighbourhoods sprang up on the southern bank of the Han — the best known of which is Gangnam.
The neighbourhood, which became world-famous thanks to a pop song, less of a cliché than you might expect, though it is also exactly what it purports to be: a hub of wealth, lifestyle and ambition. The COEX underground complex is home to the Starfield Library, whose multi-storey walls of bookshelves have made it one of the city’s most photographed interiors.
Further west, Garosu-gil – a tree-lined avenue in Apgujeong – winds its way past coffee bars, galleries and fashion boutiques. Gangnam is also the hub of Korean nightlife - head here after midnight for a new side of the city.
And then there’s the ultimate test of your head for heights, not far from Gangnam: the Lotte World Tower in the Jamsil-dong district. At 555 metres, the tower is South Korea’s tallest building and offers a breathtaking view over the city, including from a glass platform.
You can cross the Han River on a rental bike and head for one of several spots along the riverbank that are perfect for a coffee break, including Cafe Vinyl Hanriver in Ttukseom Hangang Park. Each spot has its own record player, with a selection of around 5,000 records ranging from classical to pop and jazz.
Day 4: Five thousand years of history: the museums
The National Museum of Korea in the Yongsan district is one of the largest in the world and, at the same time, one of the most underrated places in Seoul.
The permanent exhibition takes visitors through 5 millennia of Korean cultural history: bronze swords from the pre-Christian Gojoseon period, Buddhist sculptures of serene precision, and celadon ceramics from the Goryeo period in their characteristic light green hue. Give yourself plenty of time here.
The adjacent National Folk Museum reconstructs everyday life in bygone eras: tools, clothing, household goods, rituals. The fourth day finishes at the Leeum, the private museum of contemporary Korean art in Itaewon. The three museum buildings were designed by Mario Botta, Jean Nouvel and Rem Koolhaas. Three architectural styles offer three perspectives on contemporary Korea.
It is also worth taking a trip to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, which opened in 2013. It is architecturally unique. Built by Mihn Hyun-jun, it blends into the historic area surrounding Gyeongbokgung Palace and skilfully plays on the contrast between traditional court architecture and modern museum architecture.
Some of the old walls and sections of the original buildings have been incorporated into the new structure, so as you walk through the museum, you suddenly encounter historic features.
The MMCA features both permanent exhibitions and temporary displays. The National Museum is open until 9 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Visitors aged 65 and over receive a 50% discount on admission.
Day 5: The Border with North Korea
The final day takes you out of the city, into a landscape where the history of the 20th century remains unresolved. The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) begins around 50 kilometres north of Seoul. What sounds like a day trip is, in reality, one of the most unusual experiences a trip to Korea has to offer.
Your starting point is Imjingak Park, a sprawling site on the banks of the Imjin River, where guided tours set off – the only way to visit the DMZ.
Amid thE relics of war and memorials, there is also a statue of peace here. Two seated girls commemorate the women from South and North Korea who were forced into prostitution by the Japanese military during World War II. Euphemistically, they were called "comfort women." This is a quiet place before the larger excursion.
Your journey further north begins with a first reminder of where you are heading. The bus stops at a checkpoint, soldiers board, walk silently through the rows and check ID cards. It is calm, professional and precisely that makes it pretty unsettling.
At the Dora viewpoint, the nearest civilian observation point on the border, you look through binoculars at the North Korean city of Kaesong on the horizon. You see houses, chimneys, and beyond them nothing but uncertainty.
Sometimes, with a bit of luck, you see people: someone on a bicycle, someone on foot. Ordinary movements in an ordinary landscape – and yet you sense you are observing them as if through a pane of glass that cannot be opened.
In the third infiltration tunnel, which North Korean soldiers dug southwards beneath the border strip in the 1970s, each visitor is given a helmet.
The tunnel, discovered by South Korea in 1978, leads steeply downwards, then steeply upwards again; the ceiling hangs low, and even those who aren’t particularly tall will bump their heads. Skip this if you get claustrophobic. Everyone else emerges into the daylight sweaty and with a new appreciation of the word "threat."
The Korean War was ended in 1953 only by an armistice agreement – a peace treaty between North and South Korea has still not been concluded to this day. The DMZ reminds us that, formally speaking, the Korean Peninsula is still at war – and Seoul, one of the world’s most dynamic cities, is just an hour’s drive from this line.
To reflect further on the military history of this divided country at leisure, head to the Korean War Memorial in the Yongsan-gu district, back in Seoul. It is both a memorial and a museum.
Again, bear in mind you can only go to the DMZ on an authorized guided tour. Book several weeks in advance. You need to bring a passport. Plus, strict rules of conduct and a dress code apply.
