My Favorite 15 Immersive Things to Do in Seoul

I’ve been to Seoul 17 times and I’m still not tired of the place. But I think there’s a massive difference between visiting it like another tourist destination and actually immersing yourself in the culture locals actually live day to day.

When did I start really seeing Seoul as a city and not just my playground? Probably during the 14th visit, when I lived in Hongdae for two months advancing my Korean skills.

There are plenty of touristy things to do in Seoul that locals also enjoy, like visiting Gyeongbokgung in Hanbok dresses. On the other hand, they also love hiking the Naksan trail or relaxing in a jjimjilbang during weekends.

To help you get the most out of your time in the city, I’m gonna mix these things into a highly-curated list. The key is to balance off-the-beaten-path stuff with a more intentional way to experience the big sights without getting overwhelmed by choices!

“Is There Anything More to Seoul Apart From K-Pop?”

Good lawd, YES. I’m honestly so tired of people asking me this question when I tell them how many times I’ve visited. The Korean Peninsula is over 2,000 years old, y’all. Of course there is so much more to it than 21st-century music!

Having visited repeatedly for the past 20 years, Seoul is another home to me.

And I love it the most for its well-curated museums, traditional palace buildings against modern architecture, the smoking food tents against the cold night air, and Maekju over Gobchang barbecue with friends.

It’s hard to experience all of the above in just one visit, but let’s see how many items you can check off your list this time!

My List of Top 15 Things to Do in Seoul (Ranked)

We’ve set the expectation that this list is a mix of touristy and local things, right? But if this is your first time in Seoul, how the hell would you know which one’s touristy and which one’s not?

Not to worry, I’ll put them in a ranked list for you. Here are my top 15 activities to do in Seoul, from most touristy (1) to most local (15).

1. Have Your Royal Photos Taken at Gyeongbokgung

Of course, at the top of this list is visiting the biggest and oldest of the five Joseon-era palaces, which are both touristy and highly cultural.

If this is your first time in Korea, I highly recommend having professional photos taken in a Hanbok dress. I also did it (twice) and they’re such a nice memento to look back on later. Plus, when you have a chance to live that sageuk (period k-drama), why not?!

Trust me when I say this. Despite how massive Gyeongbokgung is, it’s still so crowded that it’s nearly impossible to get a good photo of yourself.

Leaving the responsibility to a professional photographer means you don’t have to bring a tripod, or keep asking strangers to take photos of you. Both are stressful for me just thinking about it!

2. Take a DMZ Tour for a Real History Lesson

Crash Landing On You fans, do you really wanna skip this one? Okay, even if you’ve never watched the drama, I still say that visiting the DMZ helps you understand an important part of South Korea’s history.

While anyone can visit the DMZ Visitor’s Center at Nuri Park, only certified guides and tour buses are allowed to go in further. So you’ll have to book a day tour in order to see cooler sights.

By “cooler sights,” I mean an actual infiltration tunnel that was dug by the North Koreans. After the South Korean government discovered the tunnel, they blocked it off and turned it into a tourist attraction.

You can get as close as 170m from the border. With a tour, you can also visit the Dora Observatory right by the border and quite literally take a peek at North Korea.

Here’s the top-rated tour that I took and can highly recommend. Don’t forget to bring your passport on these tours, and be sure to try out the famous DMZ soybean ice cream!

3. Hike Up Namsan Mountain to Seoul Tower

While its purpose is to broadcast for the local TV stations, the Namsan Seoul Tower is also open to visitors with various sights and activities. It’s worth the hike, especially if this is your first time in Seoul.

There is a mall at the bottom of the tower. The rooftop of that mall, or the base of the tower, gives you a magnificent view of the city. Here, you’ll also find the “Love Locks” of Seoul, where couples and families leave behind colorful locks with messages written on them.

Up the tower’s observation deck are souvenir shops with cute little time capsules visitors can buy, and a 360-degree view of Seoul for you to check out.

One of the things that tickled me the most was the “Sky Restroom.” Imagine doing your business while looking out the glass wall of your own stall to admire the city view from above. I knew no one could see, but couldn’t help glancing at the windows once too often…

The observation deck ticket costs 16,000 KRW (US$11.25).

How to Get to Namsan Park & the Tower

Take subway line 4 (blue) to Hoehyeon Station and get off at Exit 4. Turn left at the first side street you see and continue up the hill. You will see the entrance to Namsan Park.

• Namsan Park North Entrance: 37.555893, 126.977198
• Namsan Tower Address: 105 Namsangongwon-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

4. Admire the City View from the Best Hanok House

A Hanok (한옥) is a traditional-style Korean House, either constructed in an L-shape, U-shape, or square shape with a courtyard in the middle, depending on the weather.

Hanoks that were built in colder areas tend to be square-shaped because they keep the heat in more effectively during winter.

Imagine looking out and seeing all the modern buildings of the city, all the while knowing you’re inside a historic home. That’s the experience you can get from Bukchon Binkwan by Rakkojae, one of the top-rated Hanok stays on the hills of Seoul.

5. Visit the War Memorial of Korea

While the National Museum of Korea is one of the most important (and free) museums you shouldn’t skip, I’d recommend this museum over that one first for a few reasons:

• Less frequented with a much quieter atmosphere
• The extra knowledge will enhance your experience on the DMZ tour
• Their War History room juxtaposes Korean history with Eastern and Western histories in a neat, simple, but detailed timeline starting from 2,000 BC to the 21st Century. It was my favorite thing there!

Now, if you have enough time to visit both the war memorial and the national museum, then by all means, do! There’s no badly-done museum in Seoul. I’m not even exaggerating.

How to Get to the War Memorial

• Take subway line 4 (blue) or line 6 (brown) to Samgakji Station. Use exit 12 and continue west on Itaewon-ro until you see the memorial courtyard to your left. Everything is clearly marked, so don’t worry.
• Address: 29 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

6. Read at Starfield Library in COEX Mall

My fellow book lovers… If having floor-to-ceiling bookshelves in your library was your dream, I wouldn’t skip this one because Starfield Library is that library.

And no, I’m not telling you to go stand there, take five cute pictures of yourself and leave. That would make you one of the lame tourists locals are tired of (🤣).

Take your favorite book and go read there for a bit, or take your laptop and get some work done. That’s what the locals do. There’s also a super cute cafe on the second floor if you prefer!

How to Get to Starfield Library

• Take subway line 9 to Bongeunsa Station, or line 2 to Samseong Station. Once inside the mall, follow the overhead signs for Starfield Library (별마당도서관).
• Address: COEX Mall – 513 Yeongdong-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

7. See the Seoul Skyline from the Lotte World Tower

I won’t say much because we can all imagine how impressive the city view is from the tallest tower. I highly recommend buying your observatory tickets in advance, though, or you’ll be in the lobby waiting forever.

For my fellow adrenaline junkies and lovers of height, you can take a tour of the sky bridge (1,800 feet or 555 meters above the ground) for about US$71! Each tour lasts about 40 minutes and comes with all safety gear and 2 high-resolution photos of you included.

Unfortunately, the sky bridge online reservation system only takes Korean credit cards. The first bridge tour starts at 1 PM, so go a bit earlier in the day to check with the staff if there’s a spot left for you.

How to Get To Lotte World Tower

• Take the subway line 2 or 8 to Jamsil Station.
• Address: 300 Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul

8. Play Korean Drinking Games at Gwangjang Market

Gwangjang Market is a literal heaven for foodies. If you want to try the most traditional, authentic dishes that feel as if a Korean mom had made them for you, this is the place.

But visiting for the first time gets very overwhelming very quickly with all the bustling food stalls around you. So, what do you do?

To make sure you don’t miss out on the good stuff, I recommend joining this Gwangjang Market food tour with a local, so you can learn about all the best stalls in the market, and also how Koreans play drinking games.

My tourmates and I had so much fun, we ended up as friends and still keep in contact. I’m not sure about the others, but I’m still friends with our guide as well! It was that good!

9. Got Extra Time? Cafe-Hop Around the City!

You probably know this to some degree, but the cafe scene in South Korea is no joke. I don’t know about the older generation, but Korean people my age can’t go half a day without a caffeine hit.

And when Koreans do something, they make it freakin’ pretty. So thanks to their sense of aesthetic, we get countless beautiful cafes serving top-notch coffee across the city.

But not all cafes are created equal. Onion Anguk, for one, felt insanely overrated to me. Everybody and their mother goes there to line up even before the place opens, myself included.

Now I’m telling you to skip Onion Anguk and save yourself some time, because I loved these other cafes much more.

10. Watch the Banpo Bridge Rainbow Fountain Show

When in an aesthetics-heavy city, watch more beautiful things. That is my motto. And so… I will recommend yet another beautiful sight for you to enjoy. This is one of the best ways to spend your nights in Seoul.

Set aside time for a night picnic in Banpo Hangang Park and watch the side of Banpo Bridge light up in technicolor every half an hour. The first show starts at 7:30 PM, and the last show at around 9:30 PM. Each show lasts 20 minutes.

It is much more impressive in person than it sounds!

How to Get to the Show Viewpoint

Take subway line 3 (orange) or line 9 (gold) to the Express Bus Terminal Station. Use exit 8-1 and continue on Sinbanpo-ro until you see a bridge overhead in front of you. Turn right onto that street and head north towards the river.

Once the bridge starts to elevate closer to the river, you will see a pedestrian crosswalk that leads from the sidewalk to the aisle in the middle. Cross here, and the aisle should lead you under the bridge. Once you reach the river, the park should be in front of you, to the left of the bridge.

11. Visit the Joseon Royal Tombs (UNESCO World Heritage)

Why would you want to visit some tombs, you ask? Well… these particular ones are so culturally significant that they’ve been made a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The place itself is a quiet, shaded park in the middle of the bustling Gangnam District. That factor alone is quite nice, but there are also information plates and a mini museum along the trails and significant locations as you explore the historical tombs.

This one is a must for history lovers, in my opinion.

How to Get to the Tombs

• Take subway line 2 (green) or the yellow line to Seolleung Station. Use Exit 1 or 10 and continue on Teheran-ro, turn left onto Teheran-ro 69-gil, the entrance will be right ahead at the T-intersection.
• Entrance Address: 1, Seolleung-ro 100-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

12. Take a Day Trip Out to Suwon

Even with King Jeongjo-focused dramas like The Red Sleeve around, Suwon is still criminally underrated. You know what this means, right? There are fewer tourists when you go!

The last time I went out to Suwon, I got to visit both the Temporary Palace and hiked the entire Hwaseong Fortress trail. And you know what I didn’t see? Other foreigners, not one. It was just me and Korean domestic tourists. Wild!

If you’re not sure how to make the best of your day, I’ve shared the exact itinerary I used that day, so you can have an epic time in Suwon, too. All the ways to get there included.

13. Have Some Fried Chicken and Beer

Speaking of Suwon… Did you know the city’s insanely famous for Korean Fried Chicken? There’s a whole street full of fried chicken restaurants. They call it the Suwon Chicken Street!

I did NOT have beer with the fried chicken I had in Suwon because it was only lunch time and I still had to hike the fortress. But if you’re staying until late, why not have some with the chicken for dinner? Having chicken and beer is arguably more Korean-like than visiting a palace.

If you want to stick to Seoul, gather up your friends on a Friday night, visit a “bb.q” or “bhc” branch. Both are great chains, with different side dishes offered. BHC makes insane cheese balls!

14. Hike the Seoul City Wall (My Favorite One)

Built for defensive purposes in 1396, the Seoul City Wall is about 18 km long. As of 2026, these 6 remaining sections of the wall are accessible to the public around different parts of Seoul.

My absolute favorite trail is the Naksan trail, which is still undiscovered by most tourists. You’ll likely see more locals than foreigners on this hike. The best part? You can pair the hike with a visit to Ihwa Mural Village on the way to the end of the trail!

This historical walking tour with hidden gems is one of the favorite activities I did on my earlier visits to the city. If you prefer a guided walk around the area, this is the only tour that visits this underrated part of Seoul.

15. Spend a Day in a Jjimjilbang (Actually, This Is My Favorite!)

For the ultimate local experience, spend half a day or an entire day relaxing inside the Korean bathhouse, or Jjimjilbang!

Since you will have to strip EVERYTHING while inside the bathroom (of course, the bathroom and lockers will be gender-segregated in an all-gender place), this might not be for everyone.

But I promise that if you have the courage to do it, the Jjimjilbang charms will grow on you. The warm, relaxing jacuzzi pools and variety of health-friendly saunas are to die for. I’m proudly addicted and always counting the days to go back to Seoul for this.

Recommended Jjimjilbang

Unfortunately, the all-gender Jjimjilbangs in Seoul seem to have closed down after COVID-19. The only one still standing that I know of is Spa Lei, an all-women Jjimjilbang, and my favorite one.

• Take subway line 3 to Sinsa Station. Use Exit 5 to head north on Gangnam-daero for a few minutes. Turn left onto Gangnam-daero 107-gil, and you will see the Spa Lei building on your left.
• Address: 5, Gangnam-daero 107-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul

I’ve been monitoring the all-gender options as well. I’ll make sure to update this section if anything changes!

FAQs About Visiting Seoul

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