Must-see attractions Seoul, South Korea - Lonely Planet (2024)

Gyeongbokgung

Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu

Like a phoenix, Seoul’s premier palace has risen several times from the ashes of destruction. Hordes of tourists have replaced the thousands of government…

Changdeokgung

Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu

The World Heritage–listed Changdeokgung is the most beautiful of Seoul's five main palaces. You must join a one-hour guided tour to look around. English…

Leeum Samsung Museum of Art

Itaewon & Yongsan-gu

Amid the celebrity-owned apartments on the leafy southern slope of Namsan is Korea's premier art gallery. Beautifully designed and laid-out, it balances…

Deoksugung

Myeong-dong & Jung-gu

One of Seoul's five grand palaces built during the Joseon dynasty, Deoksugung (meaning Palace of Virtuous Longevity) is the only one you can visit in the…

National Museum of Korea

Itaewon & Yongsan-gu

This vast and imposing concrete slab of a museum takes visitors on a fascinating journey through Korea's past from prehistory all the way to the Korean…

War Memorial of Korea

Itaewon & Yongsan-gu

This huge museum documents the history of the Korean War (1950–53) using multimedia exhibits and black-and-white documentary footage, along with artefacts…

Bongeun-sa

Gangnam & Southern Seoul

Located in the heart of ritzy Gangnam, the shrines and halls of the Buddhist temple Bongeun-sa, with its tree-filled hillside location, stand in direct…

Dongdaemun & Eastern Seoul

Designed by the late Zaha Hadid, this neofuturistic cultural complex was commissioned to replace the Dongdaemun Stadium, built during Japanese rule in the…

Noryangjin Fish Market

Seoul

Providing terrific photo opportunities, Korea's largest fish market supplies every kind of aquatic life form to restaurants, fish shops and the general…

Namdaemun Market

Myeong-dong & Jung-gu

You could spend all day in this swarming night-and-day market and not see it at all. The largest market in Korea, each section has hundreds of stalls,…

Seodaemun Prison History Hall

Northern Seoul

Built in 1908, this former prison is a potent symbol of Korean suffering at the hands of Japan during colonial occupation in the early 20th century…

Cheong-gye-cheon

Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu

With its landscaped walkways, footbridges, waterfalls and a variety of public artworks, such as the enormous pink-and-blue shell entitled Spring in Cheong…

Myeong-dong & Jung-gu

The iconic N Seoul tower (236m), atop the city’s guardian mountain Namsan, offers panoramic views of this immense metropolis from its observation deck…

Bukchon Hanok Village

Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu

Meaning ‘North Village’, Bukchon, between Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung, is home to around 900 hanok, Seoul’s largest concentration of these traditional…

Tangent

Gangnam & Southern Seoul

Hyundai Development Company commissioned Daniel Libeskind to work with Seoul-based firm Himma on its headquarters opposite COEX Mall. The result, Tangent,…

Gyeongui Line Forest Park

Seoul

This 6.3km park, named for the former Gyeongui Line (on which it was built), is a narrow, long green space that runs along the discarded railroad tracks…

Korean Stone Art Museum

Northern Seoul

A score of centuries-old stone sentinels stand guard on the hillside at this terrific museum overlooking Seongbuk-dong. A road winds through sculpted…

Korea Furniture Museum

Northern Seoul

You need to apply several days in advance via a reservation page on the website to visit this museum, but you absolutely should to admire the fabulous…

Seoul K-Medi Center

Dongdaemun & Eastern Seoul

Learn about the history and practice of traditional Korean medicine at this impressive facility styled to resemble Bojewon, a clinic from the early Joseon…

Ihwa Mural Village

Northern Seoul

High on the slopes of Naksan is one of the city's old daldongnae (literally ‘moon villages’) where refugees lived in shacks after the Korean War. Sixty…

Seoul

Funded by Korea’s top tobacco company, this visually striking building is home to an art-house cinema, a concert space (hosting top indie bands) and…

Olympic Park

Gangnam & Southern Seoul

This large and pleasant park was the focus of the 1988 Olympics. Strolling its paths takes you past its stadiums surrounded by plenty of greenery, ponds…

Namsangol Hanok Village

Myeong-dong & Jung-gu

Located in a park at the foot of Namsan, this peaceful village is a wonderful spot to encounter traditional Korean culture. It features five differing…

Lotte World

Gangnam & Southern Seoul

This huge complex includes an amusem*nt park, an ice-skating rink, a cinema multiplex, a department store, a folk museum, a shopping mall, a hotel,…

Inwangsan Guksadang

Northern Seoul

This ornate shrine atop Inwangsan is one of Seoul's most important sites for shamanism, Korea's ancient, highly ritualised and somewhat taboo folk…

Jogye-sa

Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu

The focus of Jogye-sa is the grand wooden hall Daeungjeon, Seoul's largest Buddhist worship hall and the epicentre of Korean Buddhism. Completed in 1938,…

Jongmyo

Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu

Surrounded by dense woodland, the impressive buildings of the Confucian shrine Jongmyo house the spirit tablets of the Joseon kings and queens and some of…

Seoullo 7017

Myeong-dong & Jung-gu

This overpass-turned-park is a green space in the heart of the city. About 24,000 plants are grown here, including various types of flowers and trees, all…

Seoul City Hall

Myeong-dong & Jung-gu

Looking like a tsunami made of glass and steel, Seoul City Hall was completely redeveloped in 2013 and now is a major architectural attraction of the city…

MMCA Seoul

Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu

Combining architectural elements from several centuries of Seoul's history, this branch of the city's premier contemporary-art museum is an impressive…

Gyeongui Line Book Street

Seoul

This extension of the Gyeongui Line Forest Park is a book-themed pathway of bookshops housed in train-carriage-like containers. The street commemorates…

Oil Tank Culture Park

Seoul

Originally built after Korea’s first oil crisis in 1973 and reopened in 2017, this cultural centre is made up of five abandoned oil tanks. Planted in a…

Stairway Flea Market

Itaewon & Yongsan-gu

Held on the last Saturday of each month, this market attracts hundreds of shoppers to Usadan-ro on top of Itaewon Hill, where local artists sell their…

Changgyeonggung

Northern Seoul

Originally built in the 15th century by King Sejong for his father, this is one of Seoul's 'five grand palaces'. It backs onto the more impressive…

Namsan Park

Myeong-dong & Jung-gu

Beloved by locals as a place for exercise, peaceful contemplation and hanging out with loved ones, Namsan was a sacred shamanistic spot when the Joseon…

Lock Museum

Northern Seoul

One of Seoul’s quirkier private collections makes for a surprisingly absorbing exhibition. It focuses on the artistry of locks, latches and keys of all…

Some Sevit

Gangnam & Southern Seoul

At the south end of Banpo Bridge are these three artificial floating islands interconnected by walkways. Each features futuristic buildings in a complex…

Seoul Forest

Dongdaemun & Eastern Seoul

A hunting ground in Joseon times, this large park offers a number of family-friendly attractions, including a sika deer enclosure, adventure playgrounds,…

Lotte World Tower

Gangnam & Southern Seoul

Completed in early 2017, Seoul's latest landmark is the 555m-high Lotte World Tower – the tallest skyscraper in Korea (and sixth highest in the world)…

SMTown coexartium

Gangnam & Southern Seoul

This five-level interactive shrine to K-Pop in the COEX Mall has already become a pilgrimage hot spot for fans since opening in 2018. The photo hall is…