4 Days in Seoul

A day-by-day itinerary for Seoul, South Korea: real activities, restaurants and hotels with prices and booking links. Copy it and make it yours.

Seoul, South Korea · 4 days · 17 activities · free to copy and customize

Day 1 — Arrival & Myeongdong

  • 14:00 AREX express from Incheon (ICN) (9,500 KRW). ≈9,500 KRW, 43 min to Seoul Station. Grab a T-money card at any convenience store — it covers every metro and bus ride this trip.
  • 15:30 Myeongdong hotel, 3 nights (450,000 KRW). ≈150,000 KRW/night. Myeongdong puts both palaces, Namsan and the markets within 20 minutes.
  • 17:00 Cheonggyecheon stream walk. Free. A sunken stream path through downtown — the gentle first-evening leg-stretch.
  • 19:00 Myeongdong night market (15,000 KRW). Tteokbokki, hotteok, gyeranppang — most stalls charge 3,000–5,000 KRW a piece.

Day 2 — Gyeongbokgung & the hanok village

  • 09:30 Gyeongbokgung Palace (3,000 KRW). 3,000 KRW — or FREE if you rent a hanbok (≈20,000 KRW for 4h nearby). CLOSED TUESDAYS: if this day lands on a Tuesday, swap it with the Changdeokgung day (which closes Mondays). Royal-guard ceremony at 10:00.
  • 12:00 Samgyetang at Tosokchon (20,000 KRW). Ginseng chicken soup, ≈20,000 KRW. The queue looks alarming and moves fast.
  • 13:30 Bukchon Hanok Village. Free — and residential, so keep voices down. The viewpoints off Bukchon-ro 11-gil are the postcard ones.
  • 15:30 Insadong tea house & craft shops (8,000 KRW). Traditional tea ≈8,000 KRW.
  • 18:30 Gwangjang Market (12,000 KRW). Bindaetteok (mung-bean pancake) and mayak gimbap in the fabric-market food alley.

Day 3 — Changdeokgung & the Han

  • 10:00 Changdeokgung & the Secret Garden (8,000 KRW). 3,000 KRW palace + 5,000 Secret Garden — the garden is by TIMED TOUR ONLY, book online ahead. CLOSED MONDAYS (the swap partner of the Gyeongbokgung day).
  • 12:30 Lunch in the Ikseondong hanok alleys (15,000 KRW).
  • 14:30 Hongdae. Free to wander; street performances pick up from late afternoon.
  • 18:30 Banpo Bridge Rainbow Fountain. Free. Fountain shows run APRIL–OCTOBER evenings only — off-season, go straight to chimaek at a Han river park instead.
  • 20:00 Chimaek by the Han (20,000 KRW). Fried chicken + beer delivered to the riverbank is a Seoul institution. ≈20,000 KRW for two.

Day 4 — Namsan & home

  • 09:00 Namsan cable car & N Seoul Tower (15,000 KRW). Cable car ≈15,000 KRW return. The free terraces share the same view as the paid observatory.
  • 11:00 Namdaemun Market (10,000 KRW). Korea's oldest market; the hotteok stalls near Gate 2 are the send-off.
  • 13:00 AREX back to Incheon (9,500 KRW). Allow 3 hours before a long-haul departure.

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