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The Ultimate 7 Day Seoul Itinerary – Updated 2020

This is my Seoul seven days itinerary! When I was planning my Seoul trip, I was a little taken aback by the numerous attractions here. Therefore, I decided to create this itinerary to help other travelers plan their trip. This article was last updated on 02 May 2020.

Map of Seoul


Above is a simple map of Seoul to give you a rough idea of the various areas in Seoul.

Day 1: Samcheong-dong, Insa-dong, Namdaemun


On the first day, we checked into our pretty Airbnb near Seoul Station. If you are planning to stay at an Airbnb too, click here to get a $45 Airbnb coupon.

We started our first day in Seoul at Samcheong-dong, an area that is famous for its eclectic mix of majestic palaces, artisan cafes, art galleries, and Korean traditional houses.


Afterwards, we made our way to Insa-dong, an area with many Korean art galleries showcasing traditional Korean art.

There are also many charming teahouses, restaurants, and fashion shops here.

If you plan to stay in this area, you can consider staying at CenterMark Hotel, a decent hotel located near the popular attractions.

Finally, we went to Namdaemun Market, which has over a thousand shops selling a huge variety of items such as clothes, art, ginseng, fishing equipment, etc.

The famous Shinsegae Department Store is located nearby. In the large department store you will find luxury boutique shops (Ferragamo, Hermes, etc), a classy Food Market, and a large Food Court. The mall opens from 10.30am to 8pm.

Day 2: Nami Island, Myeongdong


Nami Island is where the classic Korean drama “Winter Sonata” was filmed. Other than the Winter Sonata tributes around the island, we also loved this picturesque island for its lush green fields and majestic redwood trees. Find out how you can get to Nami Island.


Afterwards, we made our way to the vibrant enclave of Myeongdong, famous for being a food and shopping haven. I am seriously missing all the good food we ate here!

If you want to stay in Myeongdong, I would highly recommend staying at the Aloft Seoul Myeongdong, a new and modern hotel located conveniently near Myeongdong shopping street.

Day 3: National Museum of Korea, Itaewon, Dongdaemun


We had an educational morning learning about the fascinating history of Korea at the National Museum of Seoul.

This is the largest museum in South Korea and has many interesting exhibitions and well-preserved historical artifacts.


Afterwards, we went to Itaewon, a culturally diverse district with shops and restaurants from all over the world. The area developed as such because of the presence of American soldiers here during the Korean War.

We also visited N Seoul Tower, where we got an awesome view of Seoul’s skyline.

A convenient hotel to stay at in this area is the Hamilton Hotel. It is located in an ideal location to enjoy the bars, clubs and eateries of Itaewon.


After dinner, it was time for shopping and we spent a few hours at Dongdaemun Market. This is a famous shopping district in Seoul with lots of large shopping malls. The malls open till very late, so it is very vibrant and lively at night.

Day 4: University Quarter

Ewha Womans University

Caffe Bene

University Quarter consists of two main areas: Sinchon and Hongdae. We loved this area because it is home to lots of good food and shopping places.

In addition, the prices are very affordable because the main consumers are the students from the various universities around. We spent an entire day here!

If you love nightlife, you can consider staying at the Benikea Premier Marigold Hotel, located in the vibrant club district of Hongdae.

Day 5: Gangnam


Gangnam is a prime estate district in Seoul where many wealthy South Koreans reside. It is the inspiration for the wildly-popular song by Psy: “Gangnam Style”. The main popular areas are Sinsa-dong, Apgujeong-dong, and Cheongdam-dong.


In Sinsa-dong, we visited the beautiful Garosugil which is home to lots of awesome cafes.

If you love cafe-hopping, you may consider staying at Dormy Inn Premium Seoul Garosugil, a nice hotel conveniently located just minutes away from Garosugil.

If you like shopping, make sure you visit Apgujeong Rodeo Street and Cheongdam Fashion Street. You will find many foreign and luxury brands at these two shopping districts.

Day 6: Yeouido Hangang Park, Gwangjang Market



After breakfast, we headed to Yeouido Hangang Park, famous for its beautiful Cherry Blossoms. We were visiting in April so the gorgeous flowers were in full bloom.


Afterwards, we went to Gwangjang market. There are about 5000 shops here selling a variety of fabrics, Hanbok, clothes, shoes, bags and many more.

However, our favourite section was the vibrant food market which had loads of stalls selling delicious Korean food.

Day 7: Home!


We caught the early morning Express Train to Incheon airport and flew back to Singapore. And that’s the end of our Seoul seven-day itinerary!

Below is a timetable of our itinerary for your easy reference. You can also view it as a picture file or customise it by downloading the excel version.

This article is part of our completely free and fantastic Ultimate Seoul Travel Guide. Why spend days researching when all your holiday information is simply a click away?

Time DAY 1 DAY 2 DAY 3
9am Arrive at Incheon International Airport Nami Island:
Sightseeing
National Museum of Seoul
10am
11am Check in Bread’s Airbnb
12pm
1pm Samcheong-dong:
Sightseeing and Eating
2pm Itaewon:
Sightseeing, Shopping, Eating
3pm Petite France:
Sightseeing
4pm
5pm
6pm Insa-dong:
Sightseeing, Shopping, Eating
Myeongdong:
Shopping and Eating
7pm Dongdaemun Market:
Shopping and Eating
8pm Namdaemun Market
Shopping and Eating
9pm
10pm
Time DAY 4 DAY 5 DAY 6
9am Check in The Plaza Seoul Yeouido:
Sightseeing
10am Gangnam:
Shopping and Eating
11am
12pm University Quarter (Sinchon):
Shopping and Eating
1pm Gwangjang Market:
Shopping and Eating
2pm
3pm Gangnam (Garosu-gil):
Cafehopping
4pm
5pm University Quarter (Hongdae):
Shopping and Eating
6pm
7pm
8pm
9pm
10pm

15 Comments and Questions

  • NF
    10 Apr 17

    Thank you for your post. Means a lot to me =)

  • ThamTF
    10 Jul 17

    Hi,

    Any reason for checking out of Airbnb and checking in to The Plaza Seoul?

  • Evan
    11 Jul 17

    Hi! There was actually no special reason. Before our trip, we had heard that the Airbnbs in Seoul are very good. And after looking through pictures of our Airbnb, we decided to give it a try. It was indeed a nice experience to stay in the pretty Airbnb. We also wanted to check out The Plaza Seoul because it looked like a nice boutique hotel. You can check out our reviews of the respective accommodations below:

    Review of our Pretty Airbnb in Seoul (Host: Bread)

    Review of The Plaza Hotel Seoul – A Luxury Boutique Hotel

  • g
    28 Jun 18

    hello. I love looking at travel blogs and I must say, yours is one of the best. You present the itineraries well, give a proper guide to each area, even including the maps and timetables! I really appreciate that. Your website is an example of how travel blogs should be. You’re amazing, thank you!

  • Evan
    29 Jun 18

    thanks g. I am really happy you find our travel blog helpful. And thanks so much for your super kind words; it truly made my day! =)

  • Yen
    14 Oct 18

    Well done for writing such informative and useful blog posts! I came across your blog while planning for our Seoul itinerary, and I must say your guide is easy to follow (and no nonsense).

  • Evan
    14 Oct 18

    Thank you for the compliment Yen! Your kind words made my day =)

  • Ding
    30 Oct 18

    Hi,
    How much did you spend in all? Which season did you visit Korea?

  • Evan
    31 Oct 18

    Hi Ding!
    Excluding airfare, the both of us spent about USD1200 in total. We visited during Spring!

  • 03 Dec 18

    Enjoyed your itinerary. We’re happy to see that you discovered Petite France. It’s definitely an underappreciated neighborhood in Seoul.

    Because you liked Sinchon and Hongdae so much, we think you also might like to check out Anam on your next visit to Seoul. It’s more out of the way, but it has a nice small college town vibe that is both local and fun.

  • Evan
    04 Dec 18

    Yes it was fun to explore Petite France =) Ok noted, thanks for the suggestion on Anam travelgasm!

  • Zee
    09 Dec 18

    Hi! I’m travelling to Korea really soon, like this month soon, and I would like to ask how much did you spend on your trip? Thanks!

  • Evan
    10 Dec 18

    Hi Zee! Excluding airfare, we spent about USD1200 in total!

  • merlyn casongsong
    21 Mar 19

    I’m planning to visit Seoul as my daughter’s request for her birthday gift, and she wanted to be there in winter season. I’m a little bit scared because this is our first trip together and this is my first to Korea. Do you have any suggestion where is the best place to stay nearest to those places you mentioned? Are all those landmarks can be reached by bus only? There’s no walking distance? Hope you can help me =)

  • Evan
    22 Mar 19

    Hi merlyn! You can refer to my article on the best places to stay in Seoul. Enjoy your first trip together with your daughter! =)