Ready-made trips · South Korea
Seoul in 5 days
Palaces and hanok villages, markets and Korean barbecue, and a day to the DMZ.
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- Length
- 5 days
- Best time
- April to May, September to November
- Pace
- Moderate
- Day trips
- DMZ
Five days in Seoul: Namdaemun, Myeongdong and Cheonggyecheon; Gyeongbokgung and Bukchon, plus a day trip to the DMZ. Each full day is one our team has planned, to be walked in order around usual opening hours, with lunch and dinner suggestions close to the stops.
Day by day
1First Evening in MyeongdongArrival
- When you arriveCheonggyecheon StreamUrban stream walkway.Tip: A genuinely restored urban stream, once covered by a highway — now a popular walking path through central Seoul.
Lunch nearby: Sanchon or Tosokchon Samgyetang
Dinner: Balwoo Gongyang or Myeongdong Kyoja
2Namdaemun, Myeongdong and Cheonggyecheon
- MorningNamdaemun MarketSeoul’s biggest traditional market, a maze of stalls around the old south gate.Tip: Kalguksu Alley does knife-cut noodles for a few thousand won.
- AfternoonMyeongdong Shopping StreetMajor shopping and food district.Tip: One of Seoul's busiest shopping districts, especially known for cosmetics — genuinely crowded, particularly in the evening.
- EveningGwangjang MarketSeoul’s oldest market hall, famous for mung-bean pancakes and raw beef.Tip: Try bindaetteok, the crispy mung-bean pancakes, and mayak gimbap.
Lunch nearby: Myeongdong Kyoja or Kalguksu Alley
Dinner: Gwangjang Bindaetteok Stalls or Sanchon
3The DMZDay trip to DMZ
- MorningThird Tunnel of AggressionReal infiltration tunnel, genuinely dug by North Korea and discovered in 1978.Tip: Visits are by organised tour only, with a passport check; the tunnel is a steep walk down.
- AfternoonDora ObservatoryAn observation post looking across the DMZ into North Korea.Tip: On a clear day you can see Kaesong and the North’s propaganda village.
Lunch nearby: Imjingak Restaurants
Dinner: Imjingak Restaurants
4Gyeongbokgung and Bukchon
- MorningGyeongbokgung PalaceMain royal palace of the Joseon Dynasty.Tip: Entry is free if you wear hanbok; the changing of the guard is at 10:00 and 14:00.
- AfternoonNational Folk Museum of KoreaKorean daily life through the ages, inside the Gyeongbokgung grounds.Tip: The children’s museum next door is free and hands-on.
- If you have timeBukchon Hanok VillageTraditional Korean houses and alleys.Tip: People live in these houses: keep quiet, and visit between 10:00 and 17:00 — the only hours tourists are allowed.
Lunch nearby: Tosokchon Samgyetang or Onion Anguk
Dinner: Sanchon or Balwoo Gongyang
5A Last Morning in InsadongLast morning
- Before you leaveJogyesa TempleThe chief temple of Korean Zen Buddhism, strung with lanterns in the city centre.Tip: In spring, before Buddha’s Birthday, the courtyard is roofed with thousands of lanterns.
Lunch nearby: Sanchon or Balwoo Gongyang
Dinner: Onion Anguk or Tosokchon Samgyetang
Where to stay
Myeongdong
The shopping and street-food heart, with the airport bus at the door.
Myeongdong station (line 4); airport limousine buses.
Jongno & Insadong
The old royal city of palaces, hanok lanes and tea houses.
Lines 1, 3 and 5; Anguk and Jongno 3-ga stations.
Hongdae
The university quarter of buskers, clubs and cafés.
Hongik University station, with the AREX direct to Incheon Airport.
Everything in the plan is ready to book
The full plan has a map of each day, directions between stops, opening hours, restaurant choices, hotels in these areas and tickets, tours and trains linked to book with the provider you choose.
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