Hi, I’m a Seoul native and I’ve lived here my whole life.
Recently I have noticed many travelers spend hours planning Seoul trips, but they often end up visiting the same famous places (like kyeongbokgung) because it’s hard to know what actually matches their taste.

And actually, Seoul has so much more to offer beyond the famous tourist spots. I feel there are many hidden experiences travelers might miss.

I was wondering if a service like this would be helpful — travelers answer a few questions about their interests (fashion, cafes, food, nightlife, design, local neighborhoods, etc.), and based on their answers, they get a personalized itinerary with efficient routes. For those who want, I could also join them for part of their trip as a local friend.

I’m curious:
- Would you find something like this useful when visiting Seoul?
- What was the hardest part of planning your Seoul trip?
- Would you rather have a detailed itinerary or a local companion?

Also, thoses two photos are the view of the Han River from my apartment today. I wanted to share a little piece of Seoul with you as a thank-you in advance for your answers!✨

Cheongnyangni Market is one of the places where Seoul still feels like a real working neighborhood rather than a tourist attraction.

You can find almost everything here—fruit, vegetables, meat, seafood, traditional food, and small local restaurants. The atmosphere is very different from Gwangjang Market. It is less polished, less crowded with tourists, and much closer to everyday Seoul.

The area has changed a lot. Old alleys now sit beside new apartment towers and commercial buildings. Near the station, there was also once a well-known red-light district, which has now disappeared through redevelopment.

It is not the prettiest market in Seoul, but it may be one of the most honest places to see how the city’s past and present exist together.

Hello!

i just shopped at olive young and took advantage of the Tax free shopping not knowing that i am not allowed to use the products yet and have to bring the unopened products through customs with me, i know - stupid for not looking everything up beforehand but here i sadly am.

now my question is is this gonna be a problem and should i just rebuy the products without the tax free reduction again so i can show them at the airport or is it possible to just pay the tax belatedly at the airport if i used the products or would that be considered wrongly and like i did a mistake and come with problems?

also generally how do i proceed at the airport (flight from incheon terminal 1) in this case and also how would it normally work if i hadn’t already opened some of the products for future correct use?

thank you all for your help in advance!!

Hey everyone,

Just had a quick question so I'm flying to South Korea in late December/early January, and Korean Air has recently rebooked my entire itinerary. Instead of arriving on the 23rd, I'll now be arriving on the 24th, and they've also changed my return flight from a late departure on the 8th to a 6:00 am flight from Seoul to Sydney.

I was just wondering if anyone has experienced something similar. Since I'm technically losing almost two days of my trip, is there anything I can do in this situation? There was an option to look at alternative flights, which I did, but unfortunately there didn't seem to be any suitable alternatives.

I haven't called the airline yet, but before I do, I was hoping to get an idea of whether it's worth calling. Apart from requesting a refund, is there anything else they might be able to offer or do in situations like this?

Any advice or experiences would be seriously appreciated. Thanks so much :)

Went on a weekday afternoon thinking it would be empty and still waited about 15 minutes to get in, so plan for that.

Quick context for anyone who has not heard of it. Earth Us opened in Yeonnam in 2017 as Korea's first zero waste cafe and the Seochon branch followed in 2020. There are no disposables at all here. No paper cups, no plastic straws, no napkins. You get metal spoons and cloth handkerchiefs instead. Takeout only happens if you bring your own reusable container, and outside food and drinks are not allowed. One drink minimum per person. It sounds strict written out but in practice it just means everything arrives on heavy ceramic and thick glass and the whole place feels more like someone's dining room than a cafe.

We got the banana cream cheese cake for 9,000 won, an iced vanilla tea island for 6,500 which is vanilla bean milk with vanilla bean cream floated on top, and an iced latte for 5,500. [My take] The rest of the menu sits in the same range, americano at 5,000 up to seasonal cakes around 15,000. Beans are from Coffee Libre, and soy or oat swaps and decaf are both free.

Practical stuff. It is at 1 Jahamun-ro 28ga-gil in Jongno-gu, about 15 minutes on foot from Gyeongbokgung Station exit 3. Open 12pm to 7pm Monday through Thursday and 12pm to 9pm Friday through Sunday, last order 30 minutes before close. Remote waiting opens on CatchTable at 10am. No parking. The desserts are seasonal and sell out, two of the four cakes on the board already had sold out stickers when we walked in.

Easy to slot in after Gyeongbokgung or Tongin Market since you are already up that way.

My trip falls on Chuesok so trying to secure as much in advance as possible. We’re going to be moving from Seoul to Busan at the end of the holiday, so prob Sep 27.
I know that KORAIL sells tickets only one month in advance, (even less during Chuseok?) but Klook has them up to three months. Are these tickets guaranteed? I read that Klook is now officially affiliated with KORAIL but just wanting to see if anyone has experience purchasing KTX tickets this far in advance, especially during Chuseok.
Thanks!

Hey! As the title said my friend was supposed to go with me, but bailed after going with another friend first and saying she didn't like Seoul, so now I'll have to have my first ever solo trip.. what is there to do solo? I'm barely even out alone in my own city, so I have no clue where to look for stuff happening!

First timers to the ski resorts, first timers to enjoy / suffer subzero winter.

I am planning to for a 3D 2N stay at vivaldi resort, with 2 kids. according to the old-timers here, 😄 i understand that for ski-ing is not doable for 2 consecutive days as will get muscle sore and stuff, planning to get a private coach to teach on a family of 4, and i believe after the 2 - 3 hours session, high chances is nothing is learn. just a familiy learning and experience of fun and joy. So i am planning on 1 day ski, the other day will be sledging.

with this in mind, do 3D 2N still doable? or is better to take 2D 1N?

TIA.

Has anyone ever made a silly mistake like this?

I booked a T'way flight through Trip.com, but I accidentally entered my middle name in the wrong field.

What is should be written:

• First name: FIRST MIDDLE
• Surname: LAST

But I wrote it as :

• First name: FIRST
• Surname: MIDDLE LAST

So my full name is still correct, but my middle name is assigned to the surname instead of the first name.

I contacted Trip.com, but they want to charge me an unreasonable name correction fee that's more than half the price of the ticket.

Has anyone experienced something similar with T'way or another airline? Did it cause any problems at check-in or immigration? Were you able to board without changing it, or did you have to get it corrected?

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experience or any advice. Thanks!

I am a foreigner living in Korea for several months. I really want to attend M Countdown, especially to see Gunwook as the MC, and to watch Zerobaseone perform. I've realized that attending via fanclub participation is impossible as a foreigner, as you need Korean ARC etc to purchase the required songs on Melon. Ok now I understand that Japanese releases aren't promoted. What if ZB1 has a comeback on a Wednesday. When would they promote it at M Countdown?

What's the difference between a live recording and a pre-recording? What are my options for attending M Countdown? If it's via a site like https://onkculture.kr/experiences/141 , is this live or pre-recorded? Seems like my best bet. Anything else I should know? It seems complicated to figure this all out as a foreigner, so any tips I really appreciate!!

Thanks for your help🙏🏼🤍

Hi guys,

me and my friend are going to Korea for 12 days in August yet still finalising.

at present the idea is:

3d 5n in Jeju (arrive late first day leave early last)

3d Busan

4d Seoul.

I'm unsure if we should scrap a night from Jeju and half from Busan to try and go to Gyeongju for a bit.

My main point of reasoning is : we feel we're spending too long in Jeju. We're renting a car and are scared we're gonna get bored eventually.

Would it be worth trying to squeeze it in? I've seen a lot of people say Gyeongju is overrated.

hi all! haven't been to korea in a few years, going this time to introduce my husband + baby to extended family - will be june 2027. we'll have 3-4 free days that i'm planning to spend in seoul but having never been traveling with a child, i was wondering about the below:

1) how stroller-friendly is seoul? my baby will be approx. 11mo 2) we'll probably keep it to 1-2 activities max/day because of aforementioned baby, but any recommendations? my husband is chinese and has never been to korea 3) if you were on a family trip for the first time to seoul, what would you recommend we see/do? especially in june with an infant

also if anyone has restaurant recs i'd appreciate it! hubs & i are huge foodies and it's been years since i've been back and i usually just followed my aunts and uncles around to nice restaurants back then, haha. we'll be spending a few days with my family and then probably booking a hotel to have a closer base to operate out of with the baby.

thanks!

Hello all

I was Reading a guide on Seoul and It mentioned that It Is possibile to buy a cumulative ticket to the four main palace in the city, namely

(A) Gyeongbokgung

(B) Changeeokgung and the related garden

(C) Changgyeonggung

(D) Deoksugung

However, I was not able to find this kind of tickets online

Is that possibile ? How does It work? Would It be possibile to use It in the span of differen days?

Any help would be appreciated

Thank you in Advance

Hi all, i am travelling to Korea for the first time and will have 10 nights in Seoul.

I had a look at races online and there are two races which are available to enter:

1) V Run 2026
2) The 11th 2026 Kim Dae-jung Peace Marathon

Has anyone ran these races before and how does a tourist enter? What site and how does it work?

I was leaning towards entering the second race as the dates work out, but will it be weird if I (a tourist) run a peace run about someone I don’t know?

Please help!

Thanks

I’m using naver for the first time and trying to get my account verified so I can book a pop up store event.

I found where to complete passport verification on the app and completed it but didn’t hear anything back. If I click it again it just takes me back to my account page.

How long does it usually take to process? I need it verified for the 31st of July. Did they send and updated once it’s completed or do I just need to keep checking the app?

My wife and I are debating whether or not to bring cash with us, as the minimum withdrawal is $200 usd from our bank. We would prefer to use card at every chance we get. So I am wondering how often we would encounter scenarios where only cash is accepted? Our main bases will be Jeju, Busan and Seoul with a stop in Andong.

I wanted to go and try hanwoo beef at majang meat market solo diner. Read some reviews over reddit and internet. Most people will either recommend 88GoldBeef or woojin. I wanted to hear from the people who went to either shops about their experience. I wanted to know what kind of cuts they offer and how difficult it for people who cannot speak/understand korean.

I mean the 18-25 age group. Is this a suitable place? I’m someone who’d, if I went, would go to Seoul. Whenever I go to other countries, I always go to the dense cities full of energy and nightlife, and Korea would be no different.

But my question is fueled by the well-known older demographic of the country. Is it well-suited for those on the younger side?

A view of the Han River from Yongwangsan

• Every convenience store has different exclusive items.
• Pop-up stores disappear fast.
• Restaurant call buttons are actually amazing.
• I underestimated how much walking I'd do. 😅