Editor’s note: I loved my week in Seoul. I wrote about it. It was great. But there is a vast difference between spending a few days as a visitor and living there, as writer Mike shares with us here. For more of Mike’s writing, click here to visit his index page on The Royal Tour, or click on the links in the article to visit posts on his awesome blog.
I lived less than two miles from three of Seoul’s royal palaces. My weekend jog sometimes took me past the gates of Gyeongbokgung. I took my Korean elementary students on field trips to explore palaces and cultural sights, especially as part of the Baekje dynasty 4th grade history curriculum. After nearly four years in this city, Seoul stopped feeling like a place I was visiting and started feeling like a place I understood. Here’s what I’d tell anyone who wants to see it the way a local does.
Start With the Palaces but Do Them Right
Seoul has five royal palaces and most tourists see one, maybe two. That’s fine. If you’re short on time, prioritize Gyeongbokgung (경복궁) and Changdeokgung (창덕궁). Between them they cover the best of what the palace grounds have to offer: grand gates, sweeping courtyards, traditional hanbok-clad staff offering free guided tours, and enough history to fill an afternoon easily.
Gyeongbokgung is the largest and most visited. Established in 1395 by the Joseon dynasty, it’s the one with the massive gate in the heart of the city. Changdeokgung was my personal favorite, partly because it has the secret garden, a separately ticketed section of landscaped grounds that requires advance planning but rewards it, and partly because it was closer to where I lived.
The single best tip I can give you about the palaces is this: go to at least one on a night tour! Night tours run several times a year and transform the experience entirely. The palace grounds are lit up, the crowds thin out, and the traditional architecture takes on a completely different character after dark. I went multiple times with a tripod and came away with some of my favorite photos from my entire time in Korea. On one opening night at Gyeongbokgung, a group of us caught live performances of Arirang folk music, traditional mask dances, and light shows that filled the whole courtyard. It was one of those evenings that stays with you. For everything you need to know about visiting the palaces, including the night tour schedule and ticket information, my full guide to the palaces of Seoul has you covered.
A Typical Seoul Evening
The thing to understand about eating out in Seoul is that restaurants tend to specialize. Want Korean BBQ? Pick pork or beef. Want dumplings? There’s a restaurant that does only dumplings. Chicken stir fry or noodles? Same story. A typical night out might involve two or three different restaurants rather than one place that does everything. Koreans move through an evening with an easy rhythm: food, drinks, noraebang, maybe a club. That makes nights out feel like a series of chapters rather than one long sit.
Chimaek (치맥), or fried chicken and beer, is its own institution. Makgeolli (막걸리), the lightly sparkling rice wine, is the drink worth seeking out. Soju (소주) is everywhere and unavoidable. Between those three you’ll cover most of what Korea’s drinking culture has to offer.
Seoul rewards the people who slow down enough to pay attention. The contrasts are what make it memorable: skyscrapers visible from mountain trails, centuries-old palace gates lit up at midnight, a tiny restaurant in a residential neighborhood serving the best gimbap (김밥) you’ve ever had. My full guide to the best destinations across South Korea covers everything beyond the city too, for when you’re ready to explore further.
The Markets: Where Seoul Shows Its Character
Seoul’s markets are some of the best in Asia. Gwangjang Market (광장시장) was my absolute favorite and it’s one of the first places I head back to whenever I return to the city. The food stalls are the main draw: bindaetteok (빈대떡), mandu (만두), japchae (잡채), plus the sight of adjummas rolling and chopping fresh noodles with effortless precision. It’s a place that makes you want to slow down, watch, and then stuff your face.
Dongdaemun and Namdaemun are larger and better for shopping than eating. One thing that strikes most visitors about Korean markets is how they’re organized: similar vendors cluster together. Looking for kitchenware? There’s a whole section dedicated to it. Lighting, clothing, electronics… each has its corner. It takes some getting used to but once you understand the logic, it makes shopping surprisingly efficient.
The Neighborhoods: Which One is Yours?
Every neighborhood in Seoul has the basics covered: Korean BBQ, a noraebang (노래방), subway access, street food, cafes, and more restaurants than you’ll have time to try. But each neighborhood has its own personality.
Itaewon grew up around the old US military base and has a more international feel than anywhere else in the city. Foreign restaurants, English signage, familiar faces from everywhere in the world. If you’re an expat or a first-time visitor who wants a soft landing, Itaewon delivers. Hongdae is home to Hongik University and runs on younger energy – it’s a college neighborhood that stays loud late and has some of the best nightlife in the city. Thursday Party, originally a standalone venue in Hongdae, became such a fixture for the expat crowd that it eventually expanded throughout Seoul and reached Busan by 2017.
Gangnam is a different animal. Made world-famous by a certain song, it’s actually a serious business district full of Korean professionals doing hweshik (회식), the deeply ingrained Korean tradition of going out with coworkers. Gangnam is fancier, pricier, and less expat-oriented than Itaewon or Hongdae, but the restaurants are excellent and the nightlife has a polished energy that’s worth experiencing at least once.
I knew Seoul wasn’t forever, but I loved every minute of exploring its culture, food, and
neighborhoods. Through a roundabout way after leaving South Korea, I backpacked my
way to Alaska, and now I can’t wait to bring my family back to show them what it feels
like to live like a local in Seoul
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