The Perfect 5-Day Itinerary To Seoul: See, Eat, and Explore It All!

This is the perfect 5-day solo itinerary to Seoul! A few years ago, I visited Seoul for the first time on a work trip. I was super excited because I had heard so many great stories about Seoul.

I immediately fell in love with the city, BTS, K-drama, and K-food! Seoul has good food, many shopping areas, fantastic hiking trails in the mountains, and an exciting culture that is so different from mine.

In September 2022, I planned my first solo trip to South Korea and visited Seoul and Busan. Are you planning a trip to Seoul? I’ve crafted the perfect 5-day itinerary to Seoul for you!

Don’t forget to check out my Ultimate Solo Female Travel Guide To Seoul, which has many more tips and recommendations!

When to visit Seoul?

Seoul and South Korea, in general, have hot and humid summers and freezing-cold winters. I visited Seoul in August, and I was dying from the heat and humidity, which made sightseeing not much fun.

Mid-December was brutally cold and freezing with snow. I still feel it’s better to visit than summer because you can dress for the cold weather. I wore heat protection clothing (I love the thermo shirts from Uniqlo), proper snow boots and a thick, windproof winter jacket with a hood and gloves. You’ll need it!

The best time to visit Seoul is in the fall and spring. Seoul is famous for its fall foliage, and spring is famous for its cherry blossom season. It’s also the busiest time of the year.

Is 5 days enough in Seoul?

To fully experience Seoul, I recommend staying for at least five days. Five full days is the sweet spot.

You can explore all the highlights, visit museums, stroll through cool neighbourhoods, drink, eat street food, shop, bike along the Han River, hike up the mountains, take a cooking class and get a beauty treatment.

In five days, you can sneak in on a day trip to the DMZ border, Lotte World, or Alpaca Island. You’ll have a little more time to go over all the highlights at an easier pace.

Where to stay in Seoul?

In my experience, there are three neighbourhoods in Seoul where a solo female traveller can comfortably stay: Myeongdong, Gangnam, and Hongdae.

As a solo female traveller, if you rely on public transport, I would make sure your accommodation is well connected to a subway station. Safety is not a big issue in Seoul compared to other countries.

Myeongdong

Myeongdong is my favourite area because it’s practically in the middle of Seoul and has great connections to every other part of the city. Myeongdong is famous for its shopping streets, which have many shops, food carts, and beauty salons.

A great option in Myeongdong is L7 Myeongdong by Lotte! This hotel is located on the other side of Myeongdong, just a few minutes walk from Myeongdong Station.

The location is perfect if you want to stay in the shopping area and near Myeongdong Street. You’ll have all the buzz from this neighbourhood on your doorstep.

Gangnam

Gangnam is another more upscale part of Seoul, home to the rich and famous and plenty of luxury shopping malls. There are many good mid-range to high-end hotels.

My favourite area in Gangnam is Apguyeong.

A great affordable hotel option in Gangnam is Aiden By Best Western. The hotel has clean, simple rooms in a great location.

All rooms have breakfast included, so there is something less to worry about in the morning! The area is excellent for a visit to Apguyeong.

Hongdae

Stay in Hongdae if you like many bars, restaurants, clubs and entertainment. Hongdae is also known as the student neighbourhood, and there’s always something to do in the evenings.

From going out for a drink to watching the street busking from the future BTS. Hongdae also has some fantastic restaurants and wine bars for a drink.

The Perfect 5-day itinerary to Seoul

Day 1: Traditional Seoul

Morning:

Early in the morning, head to Bukchon Hanok Village. This residential area in Seoul resembles Seoul in the Joseon Dynasty with these beautiful traditional houses. It is a must-see in Seoul and is famous for its instagrammable streets.

You can rent a hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) and wear it on the streets of Bukchon Hanok Village and to Gyeongbokgung Palace. It’s a very common and fun thing to do, and you can also hire a professional photographer to take stunning photos of your experience.

Bukchon can be very busy, so it’s best to arrive early in the morning if you want to take photos without many people in it.

Afternoon:

From Bukchon Hanok Village walk to Insadong. Insadong is a cute neighbourhood famous for its tea shops. Grab a tea somewhere, a coffee and lunch.

There’s a main street in Insadong where you can find many shops.

From Insadong, go straight to Gyeongbokgung Palace. The entrance to the palace is free if you wear a hanbok! However, even if you’re not, the entrance fee is only a few dollars.

If you’re looking for an awesome memory to take home, definitely check out renting a hanbok and hiring a photographer for a professional shoot at Gyeonbokgung Palace! I’ve seen many people do this, and it looks incredible!

The palace is amazing, and you can certainly walk around all the areas for an hour or more. If you’re lucky, you can see the changing of the guards’ ceremony, which is held at 10 AM and 2 PM.

Evening:

In the evening, head out to Hongdae. Hongdae is the student neighbourhood in Seoul! You’ll find shops, restaurants, bars and many photo booths. Grab dinner in Hongdae. How about K-BBQ or KFC (Korean Fried Chicken)?

After dinner, walk around, grab a drink, and take cute photos with the crazy props on one of the photo booths. If you like clubbing or dancing, there are many places to try out.

Enjoy the street busking, relax, and grab a drink after a long day.

Day 2: Street food and shopping in Myeongdong

Morning:

The Korean War Memorial Museum is a must if you’d like to learn more about Korea’s history. Museums in Korea are free, so there’s no excuse!

Afternoon:

Take a cooking class with the Seoul Cooking School in Myeongdong. If you take the class that starts at 1 PM, you learn how to cook Korean food and tackle lunch in one.

Since you’re already in Myeongdong, stay there for some shopping!

Evening:

Myeongdong really comes to life at the end of the afternoon. That’s when most of the street food carts start rolling in, and the crowd will get bigger. There are so many shops, especially skincare shops. 

I love strolling around Myeongdong! Do some souvenir shopping, maybe get a beauty treatment, indulge in all the delicious Korean street food and do skincare shopping.

Don’t forget to check out Olive Young, the famous skincare and beauty department store. Tip: Get the foot masks! They will make your feet soft like baby skin!

Day 3: A day trip away from Seoul

Morning and afternoon:

Take the morning and afternoon to take a day trip to a historical site like the DMZ border between North and South Korea. It’s the perfect tour to add history and culture to your itinerary.

Or maybe you’re looking for something beautiful and peaceful, like Nami Island and fluffy alpacas?

Or what about a visit to Lotte World if you’re into theme parks? Don’t forget to take up the quirky tradition of renting a high school uniform while walking around the theme park.

Lotte World is easily accessible by public transport, just outside Seoul centre. 

Evening:

When you’re back in Seoul from your day trip, head to Itaewon for drinks and dinner. Grab dinner in one of the many restaurants! Itaewon is also known for its Western and foreign restaurants.

You’ll find more Western food to enjoy, lots of bars and a few clubs. The area is nice and can get pretty crowded on weekends.

Day 4: Let’s go to Gangnam

Morning:

Namsan Tower is perfect early in the morning for a nice hike up to the tower and a pretty view of Seoul. You can choose to walk all the way (which is not that far from the bus stop) and walk down or take the cable car.

I choose to walk up and down, which is perfectly fine.

Afternoon:

Gwangjang Market is a must if you’re visiting Seoul for the first time. This local market became famous because one specific stall was featured on the famous Netflix show “Street Food Asia”.

You’ll find lots of typical Korean food to try. Gwangjang Market can get extremely busy and is also very touristy now. Nevertheless, go see it and try some food.

After lunch, head over to Coex Mall in Gangnam. In Coex Mall, you’ll find the Starfield Library, famous for its instagrammable photos. You must have seen photos going around on Instagram of an escalator in front of a million books.

That’s Starfield Library!

Evening:

Since we’re already in Gangnam, we might as well stay and enjoy the evening! Gangnam has many cool shopping malls, so if you like shopping, go nuts here! But a must is to head over to Apguyeong.

Apguyeong is a hip and trendy area with trendy bars, restaurants and shops. I love this neighbourhood; it has an entirely different vibe from Myeongdong or Hongdae.

You’ll find some lovely places to grab dinner here!

After dinner, take a nice walk along the Han River. In the summer, the Banpo Bridge hosts a light show.

Day 5: The final highlights in Seoul

Morning:

Ihwa Mural Village is a small neighbourhood in Seoul that is famous for its murals. It’s not very big, but I loved walking around there. On your last day in Seoul, grab a coffee, take a few photos, and have a slow morning.

Afternoon:

The Nanta Theater Show is a must and a unique experience in Seoul. If you have a spare afternoon, I highly recommend this highly-rated show! Don’t worry about not speaking Korean—you don’t have to for this show!

Evening:

On your last night in Seoul, I suggest heading out to your favourite spot in the city. That’s what I always do on my last day! Maybe you forgot to buy someone a souvenir, or you don’t have enough skincare face masks, or what about a beauty treatment in Myeongdong?

If you still have time, definitely check out Cheongdam Stream, which is not far from Myeongdong. It’s an area where you can chill, relax and walk along a stream. It can get pretty busy in summer, but I feel it’s an excellent way to say goodbye to Seoul.

You can also grab a bowl of hot ramyeon from a nearby convenience store and eat it while chilling along Cheongdam Stream.

Is Seoul safe for Women travelling alone?

Seoul is great for solo travel! The best part about travelling solo to Seoul is the incredible sense of safety. South Korea is one of the safest countries for solo female travellers, similar to Singapore, Japan or Chiang Mai. From the moment I arrived, I never once felt uneasy.

The city offers so much for solo travellers, from fantastic coffee shops to trendy bakeries to museums and many places to shop!

That’s it! Your perfect 5-day itinerary to Seoul! I hope you’ll love Seoul as much as I do!

Before your solo trip to Seoul, make sure to read up on customs and etiquette in South Korea. I’ve written a fantastic blog post on how to avoid these mistakes when travelling to Seoul!

As always, let me know how you get on! I’m here if you need any help planning your trip to Seoul. The fastest way to reach out is by commenting on my latest Instagram post.