Seoul-4-day-itinerary

The AREX express train from Incheon into Seoul Station costs a flat 13,000 won, not the inflated figure some old guides still quote, and it covers the run in about 43 minutes. That single correction sets the tone for this itinerary: current prices, real rules, and a route through the city that actually respects how neighborhoods sit relative to each other, rather than sending you crisscrossing the subway map for no reason.

Day 1: Arrival and the old city

Grab a T-money card at any convenience store near the airport, a small deposit gets refunded when you return the card, and it works across every subway line and bus in the city. Check into Myeong-dong or Hongdae depending on whether you want proximity to the palaces or to nightlife, they sit on opposite sides of the river and it’s worth picking based on your actual priorities rather than defaulting to whichever hotel photo looked nicest. Gyeongbokgung Palace, built in 1395 and the largest of Seoul’s five grand palaces, costs 3,000 won for adults, but if you rent a hanbok near Gyeongbokgung Station, roughly 10,000 won for a few hours, you get in free and the palace grounds photograph considerably better in traditional dress than in sneakers and a backpack. Walk from there into Bukchon Hanok Village, but know the rules before you go: since 2025 the residential lanes only admit outside visitors between 10am and 5pm, fines apply for violations, and this is a lived-in neighborhood, not a folk village, so keep voices down and don’t peer into open doorways. For dinner, skip the tourist-facing restaurants directly on the main strips and look one street back, prices drop noticeably and the food rarely suffers for it. Myeong-dong’s shopping streets are worth an evening wander regardless, the street food stalls here are reliably priced compared to some of the market controversies elsewhere in the city.

Day 2: Markets and museums

Start at Gwangjang Market for breakfast, but order dishes as single items rather than combination platters, a recent overcharging scandal here involved shrinking portions on shared plates while keeping prices the same, and ordering one bindaetteok or one meat pancake at a time makes shortchanging far more obvious and far less likely. The National Museum of Korea, reachable via Ichon Station, is genuinely one of the best history museums in Asia and easily worth three unhurried hours. In the afternoon, Hongdae’s streets around the university draw a younger, artsier crowd than Myeongdong, street performers and small galleries mixed in with the usual shopping. Insadong makes a good early-evening stop for traditional crafts and tea houses before dinner, it manages to stay charming despite being firmly on every tour itinerary, which is more than can be said for a lot of Seoul’s other historic districts.

Day 3: The city from above and along the river

Namsan Park and Seoul Tower reward an early start, cable car lines lengthen fast by mid-morning, and the view over the entire basin, ringed by mountains on every side, explains Seoul’s geography better than any map. In the afternoon, walk or cycle a stretch of the Han River park system, rental bikes are cheap and the paths are flat and well maintained for miles, locals treat this as their backyard on weekends rather than a tourist attraction, and joining them for an hour is a better read on daily Seoul life than another palace visit would be. End the day back toward Hongdae if nightlife appeals, its bars and clubs run later and looser than most of central Seoul.

Day 4: Shopping, design, and departure

COEX Mall, one of Asia’s largest underground malls, sits above Samseong Station and is worth a look even if you’re not buying anything, the attached aquarium and library atrium are reason enough. Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Zaha Hadid’s curved steel landmark, hosts rotating exhibitions and a night market that gets going as the design crowd stores wind down, it’s one of the few places in Seoul where architecture itself is the attraction. If time allows, Garosu-gil in Gangnam offers a quieter, tree-lined alternative to the bigger shopping strips, better for boutique browsing than bargain hunting. Reconfirm your departure transfer the night before, and budget the same 43 minutes back out on AREX that you spent coming in.

Practical notes

Tipping isn’t expected anywhere in Korea, including restaurants and taxis, and attempting it can occasionally confuse staff rather than please them. Dress modestly at palaces and temples, and keep noise down in residential hanok neighborhoods, the fines in Bukchon are real and enforced. Pickpocketing is rare by regional standards but not unheard of in dense markets, keep bags zipped and in front of you. Weather swings hard by season, expect 15 to 25 degrees Celsius in spring and a humid 25 to 35 in summer, so check the forecast rather than packing on autopilot. The won is the only currency you need day to day, and while cards are accepted almost everywhere now, carrying a bit of cash still smooths things over at smaller market stalls.