5 days in Seoul full of quirky cafes, the BEST neighborhoods and the most iconic sights. Seoul is one of my favorite cities that I've ever visited. Seoul is the perfect mix of old and new. The city is trendy and stunning with lot of rich culture as well – and it has so much incredible food and the best shops. Are you ready to book the ticket?! Here's my day-by-day itinerary which you can follow or make your own if you want. So put some K-pop on to get in the mood and let's goooooooo
Information that comes in handy
➨ South Korea is visa-free for 90 days 🛂
➨ Download Naver instead of Google Maps as this is the most correct map in South Korea 🗺️
➨ Download Korean offline on Google Tranlate so you can image translate signs & menus 🇰🇷
➨ Get a tap-an-go with a Tmoney card for busses and trains in Seoul which you can purchase at the airport and top-off at the larger stations 🚉
➨ From Seoul Airport, the train takes about 1 hour to Seoul Station. It is cheaper than the AREX (Airport Express) which takes 45 min and you can use the Tmoney card to pay for it ✈️
➨ The Subway Korea app will give you updated train times and routes 📲
➨ Uber and similar apps are illegal, but taxis are affordable – just make sure have your destination written in Korean for the driver 🚕
➨ A lot of people don't speak English so it's nice to know a few phrases like: “Hello” in Korean is 안녕하세요 (ahn-nyeong-ha-se-yo) and “thank you” is 감사합니다 (gam-sa-ham-ni-da) 🗣️
➨ Don’t forget to try Korean BBQ, kimchi, kimbab (Korean sushi) and bibimbap!! 🥢
Day 1: Quirky cafés and iconic shopping streets
Overview of the day:
🥚 Breakfast at Eggdrop
🛍️ Hongdae Shopping Street
🐑 Coffee with the friendly sheep at Thanks Nature Café
💕 The Style Nanda store and Pink Pool Café
🍰 Cake-sandwich at Munei Café
🗼 Views of the N Seoul Tower
💌 Write a letter for yourself at Nuldam Space
🏬 Myeong-dong Street
🍜 Ramen at Kalguksu Alley
🦀 Myeong-dong Night Market
Morning
Start the day by trying Korea's must-try egg toast with a side of hashbrowns at Eggdrop! There's tons of locations around Seoul, but since next stop is Hongdae Shopping Street, it makes sense to visit the one nearby. At 10am the shopping street opens and since it gets really busy later, we thought it would be nice to do some shopping while it was still a little quiet. The street has some really cool stores and awesome vintage shops like Vintage Santa & Plus Vintage.
Noon
Escape the busy city life of Hongdae at Thanks Nature Café and have a coffee with the sheep Honey and Sugar 🐑🐑 yes please! They are fluffy, soft and friendly (also very clean fyi). Of course the menu is also sheep-themed including cute latte art. Then visit the cool Style Nanda store and its Pink Pool Café at the top floor. Since the day is all about quirky cafés, move on to Munei Café for a sandwich disguised.. as cake? The “sandcake” is very aesthetic but it is really just a sandwich – which works surprisingly well with whipped cream. The café has an industrial look and an innovative dessert and drinks menu. Check them out on Instagram 🍰+🥪+🌼=💖
Afternoon
Head to Yongsan-gu to get a nice view of Seoul's iconic NSeoul Tower 🗼 and visit my favorite coffee shop in Seoul: Nuldam Space. This café's concept is so fun: Write your future self a letter while you sip your coffee ☕️💌✍🏼 and enjoy the spectacular view of the NSeoul Tower from the rooftop. Jacob & I wrote down our predictions for the next year to see which ones came true.. 🤭🤞 Wax-n-seal and they will ship it to you in a year. So cute! (And a year later I can say with certainty: They DO ship the letter back to you).
Evening
Do a bit more shopping or just window shopping on Myeong-dong Street which has some really fun stores and cool street vendors. A little later head towards Hoehyon Station to find the hidden ramen alley at exit 5. The alley is enclosed by plastic doors and inside there's a dusin stalls that all specialize in Kalguksu noodle soup. We shared a meal because we wanted to save room for the street food at Myeong-dong Night Market as well. Here you can try all kind of weird and delicious snack food.
Day 2: Hongdae and more!
Overview of the day:
🍳 Brunch at Grain in North Hongdae
🖥️ Digital Media City
🎨 Cutesy portraits at Acorn Caricature
🎂 Have a b-day themed snack at Everyday Happy Birthday in North Hongdae
☕️ The original 2D café: Greem Cafe
🚲 Watch the sunset at Han River / Yeoido Hanging Park on a bike ride
🥘 The best Korean BBQ at Shin Migyeong Hondae Dakgalbi
🚦 The iconic Hongdae Shopping Street at night
Morning
I hope you're ready for even more fun cafés on day 2 because Seoul just has too many and you always have time for a little coffee, right?! Start the day with brunch at Grain in North Hongdae. Then take the metro to the Digital Media City and explore the high-tech media entertainment cluster. The area is home to all of Korea's media, entertainment and IT industries.
Noon
Head back to central Seoul and visit the cutest shop in Seoul: Acorn Caricature. We got our portraits drawn here in the neighborhood of Yeonnamdog. It takes 5 minutes and costs only 7000 won ($5). The cute drawing style is just such a Korean aesthetic, that I find it the perfect souvenir. Check out their Instagram here. Next have a b-day themed snack at Everyday Happy Birthday (ehbd) in North Hongdae 🥞🎂🎈. Celebrate your b-day everyday at this birthday-themed café. So cute!! Check them out here. Next café (sorry not sorry) is the OG 2D café, Greem Café. Everything here is black and white 🖤🤍 which is fun, but if you have already visited a 2D café, this is the one to skip in my opinion. The café is also famous from the Netflix show and book: “To all the Boys Always and Forever” btw.
Evening
Rent a bike, take it across the river and watch the sunset at Han River bike around around Yeoido Hanging Park. Then head back to Hongdae to experience it by night when it really comes to life!! First stop is to try the best Korean BBQ at Shin Migyeong Hondae Dakgalbi on a side street just off the Hongdae St. Then take a stroll on the iconic Hongdae Shopping Street.
Day 3: Traditional Seoul
Overview of the day:
🎎 Buchon Hanok Village
🏯 Gyeongbokgung Palace
💋 “We are young” wall art mural
🎏 Jogyesa Temple
☕️ Walk around Ikseon-dong
🥨 Sweet & salty snack at Soha Salt Pond
🇰🇷 Gwangjang Market
🖌️ Walking-street-art-tour at Ihwa Mural Village
🌤️ Naksan Park for sunset
Morning
Start the morning early to beat the crowds at Buchon Hanok Village. The streets has been preserved for 600 years, which is insane and what's even more insane is that people still live here! Which is why they ask you to keep your voice down around here. Afterwards head to Gyeongbokgung Palace, which has a small entrance fee, to see the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty. When you have wandered around for an hour or so, see if you can find the cute wall art mural "we are young".
Noon
Close-by you'll find my favorite temple ever. The colorful Jogyesa Temple. The space is used for many Korean Buddhist gatherings and it is really beautiful. As an added bonus, it is free to visit! Next stop is the neighborhood Ikseon-dong and most famously: Hanok Street. The neighborhood is full of historic and charming hanok houses and alleys that has been packed full of cute cafes, tea houses and tiny shops. There is so much to explore in these little alleys (and eat of course!). One place we decided to try was the Soha Salt Pond Bakery which was really cool and delicious. Another popular café is the train-themed Nakwon Station Café. You'll find the indoor Gwangjang Market in walking distance from Ikseon-dong, which I recommend walking through – especially if you are a little hungry.
Afternoon
Take a free self-guided walking-tour (you can find maps online) at Ihwa Mural Village – the street art area of Seoul. There's so much street art to see including the Angel Wings which is an Instagram favorite of course haha. It is set on a hillside so be prepared for a little hike up. At the top of the hill you'll find Naksan Park, which is great for sunset over Seoul! Unfortunately it started raining when we visited, so we didn't get to experience a pretty sunset from here 😢.
Day 4: Gangnam and Lotte World
Overview of the day:
🥞 Flipper’s fluffy Japanese pancakes
📚 Coex Mall Starfield Library
🕺 Walk around Gangnam
🎢 Watch Lotte World from the park
🌆 Seoul Sky (Lotte World Tower) for sunset
🍖 Ggupdang’s Korean BBQ in Gangnam
Morning
After visiting Japan, we have been obsessed with Japanese fluffy pancakes and when we discovered that Seoul is a big fan too, we decided to visit one of the many Flipper's locations for a deliciously sweet breaky. Then we went to one the places I'd been most excited about seeing: Coex Mall Starfield Library. It is one of the most impressive modern libraries (slash public gathering place) I have ever seen. With 13-meter tall bookcases and 50,000 books it did not disappoint.
Noon
Head to the neighborhood of Gangnam and stroll around the cool streets, see the Gangnam Style sculpture 😂 and eat good food. We felt like saving a few bucks and opted for a Korean bibimbap from a convenience store for lunch, which was actually amazing!
Evening
In the afternoon head to the Lotte World Tower. We walked to the park outside Lotte World first to see the amusement park up close (or if you have time: go in!) before going inside the skyscraper. The BEST view in Seoul is from the top of Lotte World Tower: Seoul Sky. Buy tickets to Lotte World Tower Seoul Sky Observatory (BF Lobby, 117F through 122F) for a timeslot just before sunset for the prettiest sunset in Seoul. The ticket is 29k won per person. You can buy a ticket on klook or through their mobile app (which is perfect for same-day tickets). After the sun set we went back to Gangnam to try the Korean BBQ at Ggupdang.
Day 5: Itaewon and fun food
Overview of the day:
🧸 Cute Teddy’s Oven
👅 Funky Tongue Planet
🥯 Get a time slot for the London Bagel Museum
🏬 Explore Itaewon
🐕 Visit the MI THREE shiba cafe
🏮 Head to Gulgune staircase
Morning
Start the day late at Teddy's Oven 🧸🇫🇷☕️ or Tongue Planet Café 🥐👅🪐 (or both!). We started at Tongue Planet, an eclectic and crazy tongue-themed cafe in Seongsu Space decorated in vivid colours and a slurping sound periodically played over the speakers. You can get fancy croissants shaped like handbags, fancy drinks and coffee. Then we walked to Teddy's Oven which I was so bummed was under renovations, but it seems like they are up and running again on their Instagram. It's a posh bakery with the cutest teddy bear buns and fluffiest cakes!
Noon
This will sound insane, but when you are done with breakfast head to London Bagel Museum's Dosan store in Gangnam-gu to get a queue number for lunch before heading out to explore the area. London Bagel Museum (런던베이글뮤지엄) is THE bagel café in Seoul. For locals and tourists alike! Which is quite obvious by the queuing... There is multiple locations: In Anguk the queue time can be up to 6h and 2 hours in Dosan 🤯🫠. Is it worth it? Well it is considered the best bagels in Seoul. And yes, it was a GREAT bagel! 🔥Tip! If you have a Korean #, they will let you know when you are up, so you can wander the area freely without loosing your spot in line. I recommend visiting the neighboring store, Wiggle Wiggle, where you can easily spend the first 30 minutes!!
Afternoon
Last neighborhood not to miss in Seoul is Itaewon. We just walked around here looking. The only stop we knew we wanted to do was to get a drink at the MI THREE Shiba Café (더미쓰리) 🐕. A tiny café right next to Noksapyeong Station. It is actually just one guy, a coffee maker and his 4 cute shiba inu doggos. It’s so lowkey compared to many animal cafés that has really commercialized it and the hot choco is nice. Check out the opening hours: @the_mi_three. Another place in Itaewon I recommend, is to head to Gulgune at the top of the staircase for a pretty sunset/night view full of lanterns.
What we spent in 5 days (2 persons)
Accommodation: 697.600 won ($520 / 3600 DKK) (We stayed at Hotel the Artist Dongdaemun and really recommend it!)
Cafés & restaurants: 484.400 won ($360 / 2500 DKK)
Transportation: 96.800 won ($72 / 500 DKK)
Lotte Tower: 48.400 won ($36 / 250 DKK)
Gyeongbokgung Palace: 5.800 won ($4 / 30 DKK)
Acorn Caricature drawings: 13.500 won ($10 / 70 DKK)
Plus shopping... So... much... shopping!
Total cost per person for 5 days:
482 USD / 6950 DKK
And that's the full itinerary! Thank you for coming so far and remember to subscribe on my blog if you found this helpful. You can also give my instagram a follow if you want even more travel tips and inspo!
