FREE | 17 Things to Do in Korea, Seoul

Bukchon Hanok Village | FREE

Bukchon Hanok Village is a traditional village that is filled with a lot of traditional Korean houses as well as alleys. This 600 year old urban colony has been persevered to display the unique dynasty architecture. There are a lot of museums of cultural centers along the alley showcasing the Joseon Dynasty. 

Bukchon Hanok Village

@paperdonutholes

Save on entrance fees at tourist locations around the city by wearing hanbok! Try your hands at gold leaf printing @ Kum Bak Yeon. This is a traditional practice of printing gold onto soft fabric. It’s a rather strenuous activity but fruitful if you are looking to completely immerse yourself in the traditional arts of Korea.

Add to

Details

Cheonggyecheon Stream | FREE

Cheonggyecheon Stream is a mixture of natural stream and artificial waterwaythat carries all the water 10km down from Seoul and flows to merge with Jungnangcheon Stream. As a major tourist attraction located conveniently in downtown Seoul, various festivals are held at and around the stream. 

Cheonggyecheon Stream

@paperdonutholes

A very relaxing place to spend time with your friends, family and love ones. I particularly enjoyed crossing the stones and exploring the bridges.

Add to

Details

Me and my newly found Korean friends bringing me along the stream! 

K-Pop Dance Class

K-pop is an $8.1 billion industry with thousands of Koreans and foreigners striving very hard to be part of this revolution. Being able to dance your favorite idol’s songs in Seoul’s dance studio is one of the coolest things! K-Pop Central class as a one-of-kind tourist attraction for K-pop lovers. 

Book a K-Pop Dance Class!

affiliate.klook.com

You can live your dream of becoming a K-Pop star through a 1:1 private class, styling and an MV shooting experience. Sign up at this link! 

Myeong Dong Walking Street | FREE

The night market is open seven days a week! It isn’t just about street food; you can also find fashion items, beauty products and souvenirs in and around. From socks to grilled squid, K-Pop to pork belly and baked cheese to Busan fishcakes, there is plenty to suit all tastes and budgets! 

Myeong-Dong Walking Street

@paperdonutholes

Tip: Most of the beauty store staff are along the street giving out free facial samples, collect as many as you like! I got to try octopus here for the first time. If you are not so much into spice and peppers, do ask the restaurants if the food has chili (aka pepper) and let them know you would like less chili or it might be too spicy for you!

Add to

Details

Gangchon Rail Bike

Climb aboard the old train tracks and experience an exciting bike ride in the beautiful countryside! The Gangchon Rail Bike is a popular activity on Nami Island, allowing visitors to pedal along the old Gangchon Rail Park track while taking in the scenery of the lovely 318km Bukhangang River.

Gangchon Rail Park

@paperdonutholes

Literally all my friends have been to this place! There were tunnels that had themes like bubbles, and disco~ The bike is said to be easy to pedal, so if you're worried about it being hard work, it's not a workout at all. Nami Island is also nearby so you can add that on to the itinerary as well.

Add to

Details

Gyeongbokgung Palace in Hanbok

Gyeongbokgung Palace is a magnificent attraction set in Seoul that you should not miss! I went in with a Hanbok and got to enter for free! There was even a photographer whom we made friends with an help us to take pictures. A perfect spot for couples and wedding shots. 

Book Gyeongbokgung Hanbok Experience!

affiliate.klook.com

Gyeongbokgung Palace

@paperdonutholes

Be sure to catch ceremonies/performances at the palace! Changing of the Palace Guard Ceremony: – 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM – Around 20 minutes Gate Guard Duty Performance: – 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM – round 10 minutes

Add to

Details

National Palace Museum of Korea

@paperdonutholes

The National Palace Museum of Korea is a national museum of South Korea located in Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul. It features a lot of artifacts and expands your knowledge about the Korean culture and different dynasties.

Add to

Details

Ihwa Mural Village | FREE   

The charm of this village is that you can find adorable murals all along the streets! Find yourself taking a lot of photos of the different artworks by local artists. I would recommend to wear proper walking shoes as it can be a little bit of an uphill to walk, take it as a creative hipster hike! You will probably spend about 3-4hours here as there is so much to see! 

Ihwa Mural Village

@paperdonutholes

Popularity of the Village brought influx of tourists which caused many issues for local long-term residents. Anyone visiting the village should follow some of the common courtesy rules: 1. Respect privacy of the residents 2. Do not enter private property 3. Do not litter 4. Keep the noise down 5. Do not write or mark the walls

Add to

Details

Petite France and Nami Island 

Petite France is a French Culture Village (theme park) in South Korea, often visited alongside Nami Island and Garden of the Morning Calm Nami Island and Gapchon Rail Park. is one of the most popular and must-visit destinations for visitors to South Korea. 

Petite France

@paperdonutholes

The mini French culture village features a child-like environment that will make you reminiscent of your favorite storybooks, like The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Take a glimpse of Europe with every nook of this colorful village through antiques, traditional French houses, European dolls, museums, marionette plays, and more.

Add to

Details

Nami Island

@paperdonutholes

You can get to the island via ferry or one of the longest ziplines in Korea! No matter the season, Nami Island is a beautiful destination to take a scenic walk all year round. Known for appearing in many Korean dramas, the island has numerous lanes lined with pine trees, gingko trees and redwood giants!

Add to

Details

Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) Tour

There were many families separated suddenly during the Korean war. The country divided into two nations one run by communism and another one promoted democracy. Many north Koreans had to secretly flee the country and risked getting killed.

Learn about the conflict and tensions between North and South Korea, the DMZ is one of the places which is a highlight for many tourists. It is an opportunity to learn more about the Korean War, and the impact that it has had on Korea which continues to this day. 

DMZ Tour

affiliate.klook.com

N Seoul Tower (Namsan Tower or Seoul Tower) | FREE

N Seoul Tower is a breathtaking landmark established as a communications tower and a sightseeing observatory.  Don’t miss out on visiting the padlock-covered trees where lovers seal their romantic promises. Marvel at the breathtaking views of Seoul and Namsan Hill from the communication and observation tower. 

Note: Do expect a 15-min walk up a hill as the bus will only be able to drop you off at the bottom. 

N Seoul Tower

@paperdonutholes

While going to the Seoul Tower is free and you will be able to hang your love locks, but going up the tower you will need a ticket!

Add to

Details

K-BBQ Party Experience with Local Koreans

People who want to learn Korean, people who want to experience the local culture of Korea, especially If you want to make Korean friends, participating in this activity is highly recommended! Korean BBQ is a popular activity is Korea to try all different kinds of meet and try the way Koreans drink their wine! 

K-BBQ Party Experience with Local Koreans

affiliate.klook.com

Ganghwa Camping BBQ One Day Tour from Seoul

Away from the hustle and bustle, BBQ in the countryside, feel the Korean camping atmosphere! Incheon Ganghwa Island's latest and biggest new attraction! The Hwagae Garden features 180,000 trees, shrubs and flowers of various kinds are planted, and there are five-color themed gardens. You can walk along the promenade to Hwagaesan Mountain Skywalk Observatory, overlooking the rice fields and the sea, and even see North Korea up close! 

Ganghwa Camping BBQ

affiliate.klook.com

Korean Rice Wine Makgeolli Making Class

Get an authentic Korean experience by learning how to make Korean Rice wine! Learn about the history and significance of traditional Korean snacks and wine. It's going to be an unforgettable experience! 

Dongdaemun Design Plaza | FREE

You will find Korea's largest shopping district and wholesale at Dongdaemun featuring 26 shopping malls, 30,000 specialty shops! While you are there, don't forget to visit Dongdaemun Design Plaza which is an iconic landmark designed by Zaha Hadid and Samoo. A distinctively neofuturistic design characterized by the powerful, curving forms of elongated structures. 

DDP │ Dongdaemun Design Plaza

@paperdonutholes

There's a little park nearby which you can explore. Dongdaemun is also very close to Cheonggyecheon stream and so you can pair those two in your itinerary!

Add to

Details

Lotte World Theme Park

Lotte World is the perfect spot for entertainment and sightseeing. The theme park is divided into the indoor Lotte World Adventure, and the outdoor lakeside Magic Island, with additional amenities including a shopping mall, folk museum, ice rink, hotel, and more. Lotte World Adventure is the world's largest indoor amusement park, complete with top-of-the-line rides, fantastic parades and performances, and food from around the world. 

Lotte World

@paperdonutholes

Fun idea: Rent cute Korean school uniform outfits for ￦25,000! Look forward towards thrilling rides and reviews say that most had a queue time of 1 hour or less!

Add to

Details

Seoul Personal Color Group Consulting

Interested to know how to style yourself and what colors go well with you best? By getting a personal color analysis from an expert, you can get to know your personal color! You will understand more about your appearance with cosmetics and makeup that match you. Through applying personal color, it can help with your personal branding, image making and so on. 

Jisan Ski Resort 

Enjoy winter season at Jisan Ski Resort with basic ski lesson and experience one of the popular amusement parks in Korea, Everland! Even if it's just for a day, you will be able to experience winter in Korea:)  

If you book via Klook, they will provide transportation for you to the resort and not to worry if you are a first-timer as they will guide you through the process. 

Jisan Forest Resort

@paperdonutholes

You can choose to ski at midnight! A fun spot to blow off some steam after work if you don’t mind dodging the people.

Add to

Details

I hope that with this list you'll be able to make your K-drama dreams come true:) 

Check out my other Korea guides!

Paperdonutholes

FREE | 20 Places to Stay in Korea, Seoul

My first solo trip was when I went to Korea when I was 21! Getting around was pretty easy with Google Maps. I even managed to take the public transport on my own. I had the chance to make lots of new Korean friends, learn the song about their National flower, wander the streets of Myeong Dong and even dress in Hanboks to visit the royal palace! I hope that with this list you'll be able to make your K-drama dreams come true:) Prices included!

Free

Map