Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu
Staff speak English here and can recommend titles published by Seoul Selection as well as a wide range of other publishers' books on Korean culture in English, along with Korean CDs and Korean movies and drama series on DVD (with English subtitles). The website has an excellent monthly newsletter about what’s on in Seoul.
Ask about English-language walking tours of Bukchon that run on Saturday (₩30,000).
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Like a phoenix, Seoul’s premier palace has risen several times from the ashes of destruction. Hordes of tourists have replaced the thousands of government…
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The World Heritage–listed Changdeokgung is the most beautiful of Seoul's five main palaces. You must join a one-hour guided tour to look around. English…
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Amid the celebrity-owned apartments on the leafy southern slope of Namsan is Korea's premier art gallery. Beautifully designed and laid-out, it balances…
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The World Heritage–listed fortress wall that encloses the original town of Suwon is what brings most travellers to the city. Snaking up and down Paldal…
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One of Seoul's five grand palaces built during the Joseon dynasty, Deoksugung (meaning Palace of Virtuous Longevity) is the only one you can visit in the…
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This vast and imposing concrete slab of a museum takes visitors on a fascinating journey through Korea's past from prehistory all the way to the Korean…
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Granite-peak-studded Bukhansan National Park's sweeping mountaintop vistas, maple leaves, rushing streams and remote temples draw over 5 million hikers…
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This huge museum documents the history of the Korean War (1950–53) using multimedia exhibits and black-and-white documentary footage, along with artefacts…
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The trailblazer for Korea's contemporary commercial-gallery scene, Hyundai has been going strong since 1970 and represents some of the giants of the scene…
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The impressive main gate to Seoul's premier palace is flanked by stone carvings of haechi, mythical lion-like creatures traditionally set to protect the…
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Jogye-sa's museum has three galleries of antique woodblocks, symbol-filled paintings and other Buddhist artefacts. There's also a cafe and gift shop here.
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Combining architectural elements from several centuries of Seoul's history, this branch of the city's premier contemporary-art museum is an impressive…
5. National Museum of Korean Contemporary History
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The last century has been a tumultuous time for Korea, the key moments of which are memorialised and celebrated in this museum charting the highs and lows…
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The focus of Jogye-sa is the grand wooden hall Daeungjeon, Seoul's largest Buddhist worship hall and the epicentre of Korean Buddhism. Completed in 1938,…
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Like a phoenix, Seoul’s premier palace has risen several times from the ashes of destruction. Hordes of tourists have replaced the thousands of government…
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This elegant gallery is easily spotted by the robot sculpture on the roof of its modern section. Entry is via the converted hanok building, which neatly…