3 days in Seoul: a first-timer's itinerary and what to book

Day 1 is old Seoul: Gyeongbokgung in hanbok, then the hanok lanes of Bukchon. Day 2 is food and views: Gwangjang Market, Myeongdong's street stalls and Namsan at sunset. Day 3 is modern Seoul. Go east for Seongsu and Seoul Sky in Jamsil, or west for Hongdae and a Han River evening at Yeouido.

Check the weekdays before you fix the order. Gyeongbokgung is closed on Tuesdays, and Gwangjang Market's fabric, hanbok and vintage shops are closed on Sundays, though its food alley opens every day. Everything here is linked by subway, and one T-money card covers every ride.

Pick up your hanbok near Gyeongbokgung Station first thing, since 09:00–12:00 is the shop's busiest time. Anyone in a full hanbok, meaning a wrap-collar jeogori top with a skirt or traditional-cut trousers, gets into the palace free. Be in the courtyard inside Gwanghwamun by about 09:30 for the guard drill and the 10:00 Royal Guard Changing Ceremony, then walk on to the Geunjeongjeon throne hall and the Gyeonghoeru pavilion on its pond. There's no re-entry and no eating inside, so have breakfast first. As of October 2026, palace entry is free for everyone from Oct 29 to Nov 15, 2026, so expect bigger crowds then.

From the palace's east side, walk up to Bukchon. Its busiest lanes, around Bukchon-ro 11-gil, are a Red Zone where tourists may visit only from 10:00 to 17:00, and you can be fined outside those hours. People live behind these gates, so keep your voice down. Leave by the Samcheong-dong stone stairway for lunch or coffee. With energy left, walk on to Changdeokgung, about 12 minutes from the hanok lanes, or end the day in Ikseon-dong, whose narrow 1920s hanok alleys are at their best after dark.

Start late morning at Gwangjang Market, a minute from Jongno 5-ga Station Exit 8. The food alley is open daily 09:00–23:00 for mung-bean pancakes, mini gimbap and yukhoe, and the fabric and hanbok floors are open Monday to Saturday until 18:00. Bring small cash, because some stalls still prefer it. In the afternoon, head to Myeongdong, where the street-food stalls set up from mid-afternoon among the big K-beauty stores. At its eastern edge, Myeongdong Cathedral (1898), Korea's first Gothic-style brick church, is free to enter, but sightseeing isn't allowed during Mass.

From Myeongdong Station Exit 3 it's an uphill walk to the Namsan cable car, Korea's first passenger cable car. Go up about an hour before sunset to see the city by day, at dusk and lit up at night. If you'd rather taste Gwangjang with a guide, book the 17:00 food tour and ride the cable car in the morning instead, when the line is shorter.

East: spend the late morning in Seongsu, where old shoe factories and red-brick warehouses now hold cafés and brand pop-ups that mostly open between 10:00 and 11:30. Then ride Line 2 to Jamsil for a lap of Seokchon Lake (30–40 minutes) and Seoul Sky, the observatory on floors 117–123 of Lotte World Tower. Book a time slot about an hour before sunset.

West: start in Hongdae and the café lanes of Yeonnam-dong along the old railway park, then head to Yeouido Hangang Park, a minute from Yeouinaru Station (Line 5). Spread a mat by the river, make instant ramyeon on a convenience store's self-serve machine, then board the E-Land Sunset Cruise from Yeouido. As of October 2026 it sails at 18:00, moving to 17:00 from November.

Most of this plan needs no reservation: the palace sells day tickets on site, Bukchon and the markets are free to walk, and the Klook N Seoul Tower ticket is open-date. Book these few things before you go.