7 Days in Seoul
This is a 7 days itinerary that covers most of the popular attractions in Seoul. In addition, it also includes a few popular day trips to nearby attractions such as Gapyeong and DMZ.
Summary of this itinerary:
A. Day 1 & 2 – Seoul
B. Day 3 – DMZ
C. Day 4 – Bukhansan
D. Day 5 – Gapyeong
E. Day 6 & 7 – Seoul
About South Korea
South Korea is an East Asian country on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. The country is land bordered by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) to the north. As the border between North Korea and South Korea is heavily guarded and not accessible to the public, traveling to South Korea is strictly restricted to air and sea passage.
The currency of South Korea is Korean Republic Won (KRW).
Day 1 & 2 – Seoul
When you are in Seoul, it is a must to visit Gyeongbokgung Palace. Gyeongbokgung Palace is the most beautiful and largest palace in South Korea as it was the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty.
Take note of the guard changing ceremony timing if you are interested
However, it is advisable to explore the Gwanghwamun Square before going to Gyeongbokgung. Gwanghwamun Square is the public open space in front of Gyeongbokgung. The statues of famous Korean historical figures, such as King Sejong the Great and Admiral Yi Sunshin, are positioned at Gwanghwamun Square. At the basement of the Gwanghwamun Square (accessible through the back of King Sejong Statue), there is an exhibition about the achievements and contributions of the two aforementioned historical figures to Korea.
Located behind GyeongBokgung, Blue House is the executive office and official residence of the President of the Republic of Korea.
Remember to sign up for Blue House tour early as it takes a few weeks for security clearance.
For day 2, it is time to kick start your morning by doing a easy hike. Start your city wall hike (Baegak Mountain Trail) at the Changuimun Gate and slowly enjoys the morning with the city wall scenery. Thereafter, go to the Bukchon Hanok Village and immerse yourself in the Korean traditional village vibe. The village has a lot of beautiful alleys that are instagramable.
After that, lets try a night tour in Changdeokgung Palace. A moonlight tour in Changdeokgung palace is only open at selected dates and it required you to book and reserve few weeks beforehand. Refer to this link for more details of the moonlight tour. If you still have some free time after the tour, you might want to check out the picturesque Dongdaemun Rose Garden at night too.
Day 3 – DMZ
Since you are in South Korea, you might want to visit the most heavily guarded Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in the world. The Joint Security Area (JSA) is the only portion of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) where North and South Korean forces stand face-to-face. DMZ JSA tour is an interesting tour as there is a conference room in JSA where you can literally walk across North and South Korea without getting shot.
At night, you might want to explore the night scenes in Itaewon, Hongdae or Myeongdong. Otherwise, you can try to catch a baseball match as the Koreans are quite interested and famous in their baseball.
Try not to do anything dangerous in the JSA area. The rules are quite strict.
Day 4 – Bukhansan
For day 4, how about hiking the tallest mountain (Bukhansan) in Seoul? Bukhansan is a popular hiking place and there are a lot of hikers especially during weekend. There are a lot of safety rails along the trails so it is quite safe to hike this mountain. Baegundae Peak, the highest peak in Bukhansan, is just 836m tall. It takes around 4-5 hours for a roundtrip to the peak.
Remember to bring some food and drinks along so that you can replenish your energies when you are tired.
After your hike, it is time to rest. How about trying temple stay? It is about time that you should take a break from your busy hectic lifestyle and stay in a calm and peaceful temple. Jingwansa is recommended as it is near Bukhansan and the vegetarian food tastes nice too.
Day 5 – Gapyeong
Gapyeong is just around one hour train journey away from Seoul and it has a popular tourist place. Gapyeong attractions include the famed Petite France, Nami Island, Garden of Morning Calm and Rail Park.
Petite France is a French-style theme park with Little Prince concept. The buildings are beautiful and there are a lot of minor activities going on in the theme park. Many famous Korean shows, such as Beethoven Virus, Secret Garden, Running Man and You Who Came From the Stars, have been filmed here.
It is advisable to do maximum 3 out of 4 famed attractions in a day so that your schedule will not be so packed and you can enjoy the attractions in a relaxing manner.
Nami Island is an Island offers picture-perfect scenery all year round. There are a lot of beautiful tree lanes and riverside walk paths in Nami Island. The yellow shaded leaves in autumn and the snow-covered tree in winter makes it more beautiful. Overall, the magnificent tall white birch trees still give you a good photo-taking background in every season.
If you are adventurous, you might want to try the Zipline to Nami Island.
Day 6 & 7 – Seoul
For day 6, visit the War Memorial of Korea to understand more about the history of Korean War. If you are a seafood lover, you might want to visit Noryangjin for lunch. Noryangjin is a seafood market where you can choose the fresh seafood on the first floor and cook it on the second floor of the market (required additional cost).
After having a seafood lunch, you can go to the Gangnam area and the famous CoEx Mall. The Starfield library in the CoEx Mall is a one-of-a-kind library that will leave you in awe. Thereafter you can visit the nearby Bongeunsa, the largest temple in Seoul during Joseon Dynasty.
At the evening, it is time to cycle along the Hangang River and watch the Rainbow Fountain. If you do not like cycling, you can visit the nearby Jamsil Baseball Stadium and watch a baseball match.
For the last day, it is time to do a last minute shopping. Seoul is a shopping paradise and you can shop at Itaewon, Hongdae or Myeongdong. If you are at Myeongdong, you can try to watch the Nanta Show. It is a comedy musical performance where the actors and actresses perform funny events in wacky kitchens and acrobatics.
Ending Remarks
Although I covered most of the attractions in Seoul, there are still a lot of attractions in Seoul to offer. If you are a theme park lover, you might want to visit the famous Lotte World theme park or Everland. For a K-pop fan, you can watch a Kpop hologram concert. For cooking hobbyist, you can try to take a Kimchi Making class.
