Itaewon & Yongsan-gu
Its twin minarets rising tall and resplendent over 'Halal Hill', Seoul's impressive mosque, which opened in 1976, caters primarily to the Arabic, Asian…
Itaewon & Yongsan-gu
Its twin minarets rising tall and resplendent over 'Halal Hill', Seoul's impressive mosque, which opened in 1976, caters primarily to the Arabic, Asian…
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
This branch of MMCA is within a grand colonial building inside the Deoksugung complex. It has several galleries exhibiting its permanent modern-art…
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
Serving as Deoksugung’s main throne hall, Junghwajeon was used for ceremonial occasions such as coronations, and is adorned with dragons and golden window…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
The curvaceous stylings of the slinky GT Tower sit beside the major crossing of Teheran-no and Gangnam-daero.
Itaewon Bugundang History Park
Itaewon & Yongsan-gu
Even longtime residents of Itaewon might be surprised if you tell them that it is indeed possible to find historical relics in the heart of the…
Myeong-dong Catholic Cathedral
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
Go inside this elegant, red- and grey-brick Gothic-style cathedral, consecrated in 1898, to admire the vaulted ceiling and stained-glass windows. The…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
Seonjeongneung Park contains two main burial areas for kings and queens from the Joseon dynasty. The first tomb is for King Seongjong (r 1469–94), who was…
Seoul
Home to South Korea’s parliament since 1975, the pleasant grounds here with a fountain and an elaborate hanok (traditional wooden house; used for official…
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
Opened in 2012, the Seoul Metropolitan Library is within the original City Hall's Renaissance-style building, constructed in 1926, that's fronted by a…
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
Standing alone on an island (in direct contrast to the mayhem around it), Seoul’s picturesque Great South Gate, Sungnyemun, is one of the capital's…
Seoul
Come to this venerable university, founded in 1886 by American Methodist missionary Mary Scranton, to view Dominique Perrault’s stunning main entrance…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
Covered with 10,000 lights, the Banpo Bridge Rainbow Fountain's coloured water rains down in messy arcs from the double-decker Banpo Bridge. More…
Lotte World Adventure & Magic Island
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
Lotte World Adventure & Magic Island is a mainly indoor Korean version of Disneyland, complete with ‘flying’ balloons, 3D films, laser and music shows,…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
Standing at the main entrance to Olympic Park is the colossal World Peace Gate, with its striking winged arches designed by Kim Jung-up for the 1988…
Seoul
A former water-filtration plant on an island in the Han River has been transformed into this award-winning park. The old industrial buildings have been…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
Olympic Park’s Seoul Baekje Museum illuminates the history and culture of Hanseong (18 BC–AD 475), when this part of Seoul was the capital of the Baekje…
Seoul
The top-class, regularly changing art exhibitions at this 60th-floor gallery have the extra thrill of an observation deck. It's held within the gold…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
The most notable of the three royal tombs at Seonjeongneung park is that of King Seongjong (r 1469–94), who was a prolific author and father – he had 28…
Seoul
These five connected parks (Pyeonghwa, Nanjicheon, Nanji Hangang, Haneul Park and Noeul) were created for the 2002 FIFA World Cup out of former landfill…
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
Accessed from the Southern Namsan Circuit or via a pedestrian bridge over the road from near the Grand Hyatt is the Namsan Botanical Garden. The 59m2 are…
Seoul
The items displayed on the two floors of this small museum trace the history of modern design in Korea from the 1880s to contemporary times. Not much is…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
The tomb of King Jeongjong (r 1506–44) is one of three royal burial areas at Seonjeongneung park. He was the second son of King Seongjong and Queen…
Gangnam Style 'Horse Dance' Stage
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
Outside Gangnam subway is the multimedia Gangnam Style stage, a shrine to Psy – somewhat ironic given the song was a parody of the neighbourhood. While…
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
Along the Namsan Northern Circuit, a pedestrian path that snakes for 3km from the lower cable-car station to the National Theater, you’ll find the…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
The Folk Museum at Lotte World uses imaginative techniques like dioramas, scale models and moving waxworks to bring scenes from Korean history to life…
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
In a striking contemporary building on the west flank of Namsan, this well-presented museum is dedicated to Korean independence fighter Ahn Jung-guen. Ahn…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
Upstairs from the Gangnam Tourist Center, this is the place to live out all your K-Pop fantasies, with a full makeover to transform you into a K-Pop star…
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
Built in 1912, and an outstanding example of Japanese colonial architecture, the old Bank of Korea now houses a reasonably interesting exhibition on the…
Seoul
On this hillside park, there are walking trails lined with wildflowers, as well as basketball and badminton courts and other fitness facilities, all well…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
This small exhibition with some English explanations will clue you into the various types of Korean alcohol, such as makgeolli, soju and yakju. If you…
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
Near the summit of Namsan you can see the Bongsudae, a smoke-signal communications system used for 500 years to notify the central government of urgent…
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
Seoul Plaza, fronting City Hall, is the scene for events and free performances most nights during summer, as well as an outdoor ice-skating rink for a…
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
The Daehan Empire History Museum, with its opulent lobby, dining rooms and bedrooms, is in the neoclassical-style Seokjojeon. Visiting is only possible by…
Seoul
To the left of the university entrance, the exhibits spread over three floors here conjure up the extinct world of the yangban (aristocratic) elite with…
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
Much more interesting than it sounds, this museum has imaginative displays that relate to the history and practice of farming on the Korean peninsula…
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
Up the hill on the way to the cable car you’ll find this museum and cinema devoted to cartoons and animation from Korea and beyond. It's part of a whole…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
Housed within a beautiful colonial building (c 1901) that was the former Belgian consulate, this branch of SeMA promotes itself as a 'living arts museum',…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
The horse dance in Psy's music video for 'Gangnam Style' has been iconified as a giant pair of bronze hands on a stage on the east side outside COEX Mall…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
Above Sinnonhyeon Station is this building, which looks like an enormous concrete beehive, giving it unique structural support, and is lit from within at…
Gungisi Relics Exhibition Hall
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
Head down to the basement of City Hall to this glassed-in archaeological site displaying items dating from the Joseon dynasty unearthed during excavation…