My personal guide for those travelling to South Korea and planning spending 7 days there.
South Korea has come a long way and the capital of Seoul is the perfect example of a metropolis that has been built for the modern age. Technology-focused and fashion-conscious, what will strike you the most is just how well Koreans are able to balance their deep connection with tradition and history. The city is a crazy juxtaposition of temples and ancient villages with cutting-edge skyscrapers, bright billboards, and endless K-Pop.
For those planning a trip to South Korea, here is a 7 day Seoul itinerary that’ll get you started.
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In This Article
The Complete 7 Day Seoul Itinerary
The below is a full rundown of my schedule and itinerary that we ended up following. As with every trip, there were a lot of adjustments that had to be made along the way. With the weather as cold as it was in the deep of winter (February) and being hit hard with gastro issues, there was less travel outside of Seoul than we wanted. Instead, we took a slower pace approach. Last thing to note is that we saved a lot of money on this trip because we had a friend teaching English in Seoul which meant we had a free place to stay.
| Date | In-Flight | Day 1 – Seoul What’s Up? | Day 2 – Shopping Frenzy | Day 3 – The Touristy Stuff | Day 4 – Sleep In Day | Day 5 – More Touristy Stuff | Day 6 – Korean War, Jjimjilbang and Food Poisoning | Day 7 – DMZ | Day 8 – Bye Seoul! |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | -Flight: AC103 YYZ->YVR -Flight: AC063YVR -> ICN | Jawsfood (late) | N/A | Fruits | Fruits | Fruits | Fruits | N/A | |
| Morning | Sleep in | Sleep in | Sleep in | -Deoksugung for Guard Change @ 11AM -City Hall -Walk towards Gyeongbokgung to see the two statues | Sleep in | Koridoor DMZ Tour (11AM - 7PM) | Sleep in | ||
| Lunch | Chuncheon Dak Galbi (late) | To Sok Chon | Myeongdong Gyoja (late) | Late lunch at the bottom of Bokchon Hanok Village | Cafe @ Korean War Museum | Snacked on some food we brought | Fruits and snacks | ||
| Afternoon | -Ehwa University Neighborhood -Sinchon shopping | -Gyeongbokgung Palace -Insadong | Caffe Bene | -Bokchon Hanok Village -Lotte @ Seoul Station | Korean War Museum | -Bus 6011 to airport -Flight: AC064ICN->YVR -Flight: AC102YVR -> YYZ |
|||
| Dinner | So Do Jeok | Jeonju Jungang Hoekwan | X2 in Hongdae | Warawara soju bar (late) | Bongchu Jjimdak | @ Dragonhill Spa | Dinner part of the tour near Dorasan Station | ||
| Evening | -Bus 6011 from airport -Settle into friend's place -Baskin Robbins | Walk around Myeongdong | -Clubbing at Harlem, nb1 and nb2 in Hongdae | -Shopping in Dongdaemun -Crazy spinning amusement ride | -Cookin' Nanta Show -Red Mango | Dragonhill Spa | -Gangnam Underground -Gangnam | ||
| Accommodation | Friend's apartment | Friend's apartment | Friend's apartment | Friend's apartment | Friend's apartment | Friend's apartment | Friend's apartment |
Things to Know Before You Go
In addition to the itinerary, I put together my top tips I learned from travelling to Seoul for the first time. These will sure help you save money and travel smarter.
- Exchanging money – Don’t even bother changing money at home. Change a bit to last for a day at the airport and change the rest at another money changer in the city. Most of them can be found in Myeongdong. For example the rates we found at the airport were 1 USD = 1045 Won vs 1 USD = 1070 Won in Myeongdong
- Getting from the airport to the city – The most economical method is to take a limousine bus. When you arrive you’ll find a big counter for busses right when you exit baggage. You can ask them for which bus to take depending on where you’re staying. Most likely it’ll be some 6000 series bus. There’s a coupon for 1,000 Won off that you can unlock at the end of the article
- Getting around – If you want to go to specific places make sure you have the name and address of the place in Korean characters
- Taking a cab – We found that cabbing was sometimes just way more convenient to get around especially if you don’t live near a subway line. All cabs except for the black cabs start at 2400 and possibly up to 2800 late at night. Most of the times we were paying about 5000-10000 total depending on how far we needed to go. These days, Uber is an alternative “best way” to get around the city.
- Subways – Know your exit number before getting out of the station. Once you get out you will definitely be more even more lost
- Tax refund – Keep your eye out for stores that have tax refund. Typically if you spend more than 35,000 you should be able to get them to give you a receipt & envelope
- DMZ – After the flight and hotel this should be the next thing you need to book. Weekend slots go out really quick.
- Jjimjilbang – How can I describe this experience. Think of it as a mashup with an arcade, spa, and sleep over. It’s something completely unique and a must-try in South Korea
- Cookin’ Nanta Show – Worth the price. Book online as a member and save 10%
- Start brushing up on your Mandarin because it’ll be more useful than English
- For To Sok Chon try to go before 12 or after normal lunch hours to beat the line ups. This is the only place we went to that actually had long line ups
- Things to buy while you’re there – Cheap soju, face masks, strawberries, pears, tangerines, red ginseng
Must See Places in Seoul
- DMZ
- Bukchon Hanok Village and if you’re up for it, the Hanbok experience
- Insadong
- Gyeongbokgung Palace
- Korean War Museum
- Dongdaemun
- Dragonhill Spa (Jjimjilbang)
Must Have Apps
- Subway by Jihachul – Super powerful you’ll realize. If you click on one starting point and then an end point it’ll calculate the best way to get there. Play around with it.
- i Tour Seoul
- Learn Korean (or search up any Korean language app)
Top Food Places We Tried
- Myeongdong Gyoja
- To Sok Chon
- So Do Jeok
- Jeonju Jungang Hoekwan
- Chuncheon Dak Galbi
What We Missed
- Cheonggyecheon Stream
- Namdaemun
- Itaewon
- N Tower on Namsan
- Hongkik University area
- Fish Market
- Dr. Fish
- Mr. Pizza
- Burgers
Where to stay in Seoul
As I mentioned, we were lucky enough to have a close friend offer her place while we were there so accommodations were covered but I did some research and found these two properties that I’d highly recommend when looking for a place to stay in Seoul.
LUXURY
Connected directly to the massive Lotte Department Store and the Euljira 1-ga Subway Station on Line 2, this is a luxury hotel that has no shortage of amenities including modern rooms, fitness centre, spa, a number of restaurants, and pool. Since this is walking distance to Myeongdong, you’re right n the heart of the action whether it’s food, shopping, or nightlife.
BUDGET
Now that’s a lot of stereotypical words packed in a property! Kidding aside, this is an awesome budget guesthouse to consider if you’re okay with something that resembles of a hostel but has private room options. Location is excellent being in Gangnam and is near the subway line.
Photo Highlights
Closing Thoughts
- February is insanely cold. It’s not about the air temperature but it’s the wind and humidity that really gets to your bones. If you can, I’d recommend coming to South Korea in the spring or fall time.
- One observation I made is that Seoul is I’d say 40% shopping. There’s lots of places to buy items like clothes. Next to shopping, I’d say it’s all about the food in Seoul.
- There are certainly a number of sights to see but I’d say you can count the main ones with your fingers. Next time, I would really like to see more of the country side and cities to the east and south
What you should read next
Travel Resources For Your Next Trip
If you’re in the process of planning your trip and putting together your itinerary, these are genuinely the best resources that the Going Awesome Places team stands by 100%.
Credit Cards
Don’t get burned by hidden fees on top of terrible exchange rates. When we travel now, we use the Wise Card. Simply load it with the currency you need before you go and use it as a regular VISA or their digital wallet card. Use their free app to track how much you have and top up when you need to.
Flights
In our opinion, of all the booking search engines, Skyscanner is the most helpful and easy to use thanks to their Everywhere feature. Kayak is also another that’s we will often check.
Car Rental
If you’re looking to save money, these car rental coupon codes will be a true game-changer. Otherwise, DiscoverCars and Booking’s car rental platform are great places to start.
Rideshare
You probably already have accounts but if you don’t, for new Lyft users, use code WILLIAM4825 to get 50% off your first 2 rides (max $10 per ride). Offer valid for 14 days after you take your first ride. For new Uber users, use code cbh4j6plxt8p for the same offer except it’s valid for 30 days.
Airport Parking
You’ll need a spot to leave your car at the airport so why not book a spot at a discount. Use code AWESOME7 to get at least $5 off at Airport Parking Reservations or Park Sleep Fly packages.
eSIM
eSIM: This is our go-to way of staying connected. Below are the discounts we have acquired for our readers.
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Make sure to read our article on breaking down the cheapest eSIMs for travel to learn more.
Wifi Hotspot
We’ve been a huge fan of wifi hotspot devices such as PokeFi (use code GAP24300) because their rates are are hard to beat and it works globally. Solis is another that we recommend. Pros are that you can share the wifi with your whole group but cons are that you have to invest in a device and you have to charge it every night.
Hotels
Our go-to is Booking.com because they have the best inventory of properties including hotels and B&Bs plus they have their Genius tier discounts. Expedia is also worth using especially with their One Key rewards program which is basically like cash. The exception is Asia where Agoda always has the best prices. Always do a quick check on TripAdvisor as well.
Tours and Activities
When planning our trips, we always check both Viator and GetYourGuide to at least see what’s out there in the destination that we’re going to. They often have different offerings and prices so check both.
Travel Insurance
Learn how to buy the best travel insurance for you. This isn’t something you want to travel without.
- HeyMondo – Popular insurance provider for frequent travelers and comes with great coverage and special perks. By booking through our link to get a 5% discount!
- RATESDOTCA – Search engine Canadians looking for the cheapest insurance including multi-trip annual policies.
- SafetyWing – A perfect fit for long-term nomads.
- Medjet – Global air medical transportation.
- InsureMyTrip – Best for seniors, families, and those with pre-existing conditions.
Check Out Our Toolbox
If you need more help planning your trip, make sure to check out our Travel Toolbox where we highlight all of the gear, resources, and tools we use when traveling.
Thank you for sharing. I make use of this a lot to plan my upcoming itinerary to Korea! Can’t squeeze in DMZ sadly =( but we’re hoping to cover Gyeongbokgung Palace and Bukchon Hanok. We’ll head to Gapyeong and Busan too. =)
“Clubbing at Harlem.” lol, I remember my time there all too well. Great read. Great pics, too.
Yeah it was pretty jokes. Were you there for vacay or did you teach English out there?
Did you try the Korean Kimbab and Kimchi? It is awesome! went to Busan in the winter and it is much warmer than Seoul plus there is the largest department store in the world. I love Korea and the generous Korean people.
Totally did! Glad you enjoyed your time out there :)
450 CAD for a week in Seoul!? Amazing! I am moving to Seoul in a month, and am doing lots of research on things to do. Granted I have a whole year to explore the city and country, but love all of the suggestions, thanks!
Thanks for you comments Katie! Yeah it always help to have super cheap flights and accommodations covered. I was surprised how little we spent!
So I just stumbled upon this post again, and saw my comment from over a year ago! Crazy! After living in Seoul for the last 15 months (still here!) I have more to say on this post! You skipped most of the right things! Itaewon, Dr. Fish, pizza and burgers. Visiting Seoul for a week, definitely skip Itaewon. It mostly foreigners eating foreign food (its where I go when I must have good pizza and tacos). Sad you didn’t see N. Seoul Tower, its a great view, highly recommended. I would recommend doing some hiking (even in winter) along the Seoul Fortress Wall. It is super cool, lots of history and great views!
May I ask where is the place for the Hanbok experience? The quality of the Hanbok is really nice
Hi Rom, thanks for your commnt! The Hanbok experience was actually at the Kokdu Museum right along the main street of Hanok Village. It’s a small little museum and you’ll recognize it by the little pointy dolls that are hanging outside on its walls. More details can be found here: https://goingawesomeplaces.com/day-5-more-touristy-stuff/
Do I read wrongly that your total cost was only 450CAD?! Holy momma cow~
Perks of dating a flight attendant and having a friend to stay with in Korea :)
Hi
Glad you had fun.i am from canada as well!! Lol do korea have CAD currency exchange? Or do we need to bring US currency?
Hey Lina!
You can definitely exchange from CAD so you shouldn’t have a problem :)
Wow is that at DMZ? Looks epic with the 3 SK Guards and the 1 NK Guard.
Yeah it’s pretty crazy over there. Definitely a must-do if you ever go to Seoul.
There was also another NK guard behind the glass with the binoculars watching us.
Hi thanks for the trip info :) Was wondering abt the food poisoning.. lol how did you get it? :( i’m pretty bad when it comes to food poisoning as i seem to get it frequently – more so than the average normal healthy person. Was it from having street food?
Hey Tiffany,
Glad you enjoyed the post!
To be honest we still haven’t figured out how exactly I got it. The funny thing was that my girlfriend and I pretty much ate the exact same stuffs in the days leading up to it.
There is ONE thing that we didn’t eat the same thing of was this Krispy Kreme donut that I reheated the day after we bought it (don’t ask…I was hungry). That could’ve been it out of my stupidity but who knows!
Hope you enjoy your trip out there though!!
oh.. haha yeah that donut seems a bit suspect. hmm well im gonna be steering clear of streetfood just better to be safe than sorry and better healthy for shopping than sick bc of some food! ;) thanks for the well wishes haha and TY for the airport limousine coupon (Y) definitely gonna be using it!
I just saw your blog yesterday and it’s awesome. Your total cost for the whole one week trip is $450 CAD? I’m also from Toronto and planning to go to Korea next year.
Hey there!
The total cost was a bit deceiving because my girlfriend is a flight attendant so we able to fly there super cheap. Accommodations were also covered because we stayed with a friend so really we paid about $400 in just misc. spending over the course of 7 days.
Glad you found the blog useful!
Cheers,
Will
Hi there! Glad you found our itinerary useful and glad that you had fun in Korea. It makes me feel like going back really soon!
Never got to reply to this! Yes you your blog was instrumental in planning my trip earlier this year. Thank you so much!!