How to Spend 24 Hours in Seoul, South Korea

Regarded as a vibrant, vast, and lively city, well known for its culture, food, and history, Seoul, South Korea is an exciting destination that offers a lot of activities to do. Are you planning a trip to Seoul? Or do you have a 24 hour layover to Spend in Seoul? Maybe, you’re simply interested in what there is to do in Seoul? Check out this guide on how you can spend 24 hours exploring Seoul.

Tips and Insights for Visiting Seoul.

Is One Day Enough?

Seoul is a large and vast city that offers so much to do. Spending 24 hours in the area is a start, but will allow you to begin scratching the surface. If you can spend more time, I would recommend at least a week in Seoul.

How do you get around Seoul?

Seoul is a well connected city offering bus, subway, and train routes.

Seoul Top Attractions to Visit.

Palaces

Seoul is home to 5 grand palaces: Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Deoksugung, Changgyeongung, and Gyeonghuigung.

Towers

Namsan Tower: An iconic landmark in Seoul, Namsan tower is located on top of Mount Namsan and offers panoramic views of the city.

Lotte World Tower: Currently the tallest building in Seoul, Lotte World Tower is located in Sincheon-dong, and scenes from its observation deck provide panoramic views of the city.

Museums

Seoul is home to a variety of museums, ranging from history and culture to art and technology, and much more. Some popular ones include the National Museum of Korea and National Folk Museum.

Neighborhoods

Seoul is a large and spread out city made up of different and unique neighborhoods. While there take your time to wander and explore in order to get a feel of each area. Some popular neighborhoods include Itaewon, Myeongdong, and Samcheong-dong.

Markets

Seoul is home to a variety of markets for food, fashion, cosmetics, and much more. Some popular night markets include Namdaemun, Gwangjang, Myeongdong, and Dongdaemun Market.

Interested in more activities to do in seoul?

**From biking the Han river to exploring different neighborhoods, check out these 10 Best Things to do in Seoul.**

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My Experience: How I spent my 24 Hour layover in Seoul

Day 1: The Touch Down…Arriving in the Evening

Backstory: Getting to the Hotel

Upon looking back at my experience, one would think my first “encounter” would have frightened, overwhelmed, or negatively influenced my perception of Seoul, but I love that city. I arrived Incheon International Airport in the evening and took the bus from the airport to a stop in Myeongdong, having researched the bus route and pre-determined the stop closest to my hotel beforehand.

However.….2 stops before mine, the bus emptied out and since I was the last person, the bus driver was not interested in driving to my stop and declared where we were as the last stop. I was frustrated being that it was 8pm, I had heavy luggage, and I was in the middle of a city where I did not speak the language and evidently stood out. We spent a couple minutes arguing (he in Korean and myself in English), before I concluded it wouldn’t solve my problem and went in search of alternative solutions. Luckily Myeongdong is a very busy area; it’s full with people, shops, and very well lit. As a female traveler, one always has to be hyper aware and conscious of their surroundings and adaptable and innovative when facing different situations.

Shifting my mindset to problem solving mode, my thoughts were, how do I get to my hotel? I found a workable solution, connecting to free wifi form a nearby hotel, and calling an Uber to my hotel (Ha! Technology). This was just a plain reminder that despite the beauty of traveling, it can be challenging and dangerous. Take precaution, remain calm, and adopt a problem solving mindset vs dwelling on the situation.

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Interested in my experience as a Solo Black Female traveler in other parts of Asia? Check out these tips and insights from my experiences in Hong Kong, Seoul, and Tokyo.

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Myeongdong Night Market

From 10pm to midnight my time was spent exploring the Myeongdong night market and feasting on street food. Myeongdong reminded me of a smaller Times Square, packed with lights, people, and action. I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the area. As a black woman walking in the midst of Koreans, I did not feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, in danger, or as if people were staring at me. For some reason, I felt very at home in Seoul. Keep in mind this is one personal experience, peoples experiences differ. For example my best friend had the complete opposite experience.

Next Day: Day 2….Exploration

Myeongdong Cathedral

Beautiful Cathedral in the Myeongdong area. After visiting this site, I walked around to become familiar with the neighborhood.

Namsangol Hanok Village, Myeongdong

This was one of the highlights of the day! A traditional village that was preserved, the village consists of traditional buildings and is surrounded by water and greenery. It provides a learning opportunity to gain insight into local culture and history.

Namsangol Hanok Village to the N Tower

I walked from Namsangol Hanok Village to the N Tower and tried street food on the way. Walking from the Village to the tower enabled me to see more of the city. I got lost a couple of times (LOL) and I was not entirely sure where I was going, but I knew that as long as I followed the tower I would get there somehow. While walking I people watched and had the famous “Korean breakfast sandwich”. It was delicious and till today day I remember how happy I felt eating that sandwich while exploring.

Namsan Seoul Tower

This is a communication and observation tower similar to the one’s in Kuala Lumpur, Berlin, Tokyo, etc. You get a good view of the city and can learn about Seoul’s location in proximity to other major cities. Adjacent to the tower is the “Locks of love”, similar to Paris’s Love lock bridge. This may be corny but I locked a padlock to signify the eternal love between my mother and I (If she were reading this she would tell me to go find a husband LOL Ahh Nigerian parents).

Namsan Seoul Tower to the Shopping Street

While making my way back to my hotel, I took the bus from the Tower to the Shopping Street. There I treated myself to ice cream and some more exploring before it was time to leave. Navigating the bus system was challenging because I did not research ahead of time and I was not familiar with any routes. But it was a convenient way to travel and become more familiar with the city.

Myeongdong Shopping Street

This area is filled with a variety of large department stores, streets vendors, restaurants, etc. It’s an action packed area to explore and was my last stop before heading to the hotel and off to the airport.

The Departure

To Incheon International Airport

Similarly, to get to the Airport, I took a bus from the stop close to my hotel. The journey was comfortable, seamless, and affordable. That concludes my 24 hours in Seoul. A couple hours later I was on my connecting flight to Kuala Lumpur, replaying the whole experience in my mind :)

How to spend 24 Hours in Seoul