Seoul Itinerary: How to Spend 3 Days

Seoul blends royal palaces with hyper-modern districts and a thrilling food scene. Buy a T-money card and ride the spotless, English-signed subway everywhere; it is fast and cheap.

Day 1: Palaces and Bukchon

Start at Gyeongbokgung, the grand royal palace; arrive for the colorful changing-of-the-guard ceremony. Renting a hanbok lets you enter free and take beautiful photos. Walk to the neighboring Bukchon Hanok Village, a hillside maze of traditional tiled-roof houses; keep your voice down, as people live here. In the afternoon, browse the galleries and tea houses of Insadong. For dinner, try samgyeopsal, grilled pork belly you wrap in lettuce with garlic and sauce.

Day 2: Hongdae and Myeongdong

Spend the morning in Hongdae, the youthful university district full of cafes, indie shops, and street performers. After lunch, head to Myeongdong for skincare and cosmetics shopping, then graze the street stalls: tteokbokki spicy rice cakes, hotteok sweet pancakes, and cheese-pulled corn dogs. In the evening, ride the cable car up Namsan to N Seoul Tower for night views over the sprawling city. Many casual eateries print menus only in Korean, so photographing them to translate makes choosing dishes far easier.

Day 3: Gwangjang Market and Dongdaemun

Begin at Gwangjang Market, one of Korea's oldest, for a hands-on breakfast: bindaetteok mung-bean pancakes, mayak gimbap mini rice rolls, and yukhoe beef tartare. Spend the afternoon around Dongdaemun's design plaza and its towering shopping malls, many open very late. As night comes, explore the buzzing night markets and grab fried chicken with beer, the beloved chimaek combo, to toast your trip.

Quick Tips

• Subway runs roughly 5:30 a.m. to midnight.
• Most places take cards, but markets prefer cash.
• Download a Korea-friendly map app; Google Maps is limited here.
• Free water and side dishes refill at no charge.

Three days give first-timers Seoul's royal history, neon nightlife, and legendary market food, a perfect introduction to Korea.