A hyper-modern capital wrapped around royal palaces — K-pop energy, mountain temples, street food and the tense DMZ
✈ International🛂 Visa — Korea Tourist Visa💱 ₩
₩2,391,277
Est. total budget · 2 adults
5
Days
14
Attractions
13
Meals planned
💡 Recommended trip length for Seoul: 5 days — the grand palaces & Bukchon, N Seoul Tower & Myeongdong, the markets, Hongdae nights, and a DMZ day trip.
🗓 Prices & visa rules verified: August 2026
1
Arrival Day
Unlock to see details
🔒
2
Day 2 — a free sample of your itinerary
Your unlocked preview day
🍙
08:00
🍙Breakfast
Gimbap and a coffee, or a hotteok from a stall.
₩7,114 /person (est.)
🛍
09:10
🛍Namdaemun Market· Jung-gu, Seoul
Part of your Day 2 — unlock to see the full description, how long to allow, opening hours and the ticket price.
🔒 Locked
Namdaemun Market → Gyeongbokgung Palace
🚇~15 min by Subway · Hoehyeon (L4) → Gyeongbokgung (L3)
🏯
10:25
🏯Gyeongbokgung Palace· Jongno, Seoul
🕒 09:00–18:00 · Last entry 17:00 · Closed Tue · Free entry if you wear a hanbok. The National Folk Museum is inside the grounds.
₩3000.00⏱ 2 hoursculture
🍲
12:30
🍲Lunch
Bibimbap, kalguksu, or a market food hall.
₩15,652 /person (est.)
Gyeongbokgung Palace → Bukchon Hanok Village
🚶~10 min on foot · Gyeongbokgung (L3) → Anguk (L3)
🏘
13:40
🏘Bukchon Hanok Village· Jongno, Seoul
🕒 Open all day · Free. Residents live here — keep noise down and respect signs. Pairs with Gyeongbokgung and Insadong.
Free⏱ 1.5 hoursculture
Bukchon Hanok Village → Changdeokgung
🚶~10 min on foot · Anguk (L3) → Anguk (L3)
🌸
15:20
🌸Changdeokgung & Secret Garden· Jongno, Seoul
🕒 09:00–18:00 · Last entry 16:30 · Closed Mon · The Secret Garden needs a separate timed ticket — book on arrival or online.
₩8000.00⏱ 2 hoursculture
Changdeokgung → Dongdaemun Design Plaza
🚇~15 min by Subway · Anguk (L3) → Dongdaemun History (L2/4/5)
🏛
18:00
🏛Dongdaemun Design Plaza· Jung-gu, Seoul
Part of your Day 2 — unlock to see the full description, how long to allow, opening hours and the ticket price.
🔒 Locked
🍗
19:10
🍗Dinner
Dinner out — Korean BBQ, fried chicken and beer (chimaek), or a stew.
₩27,035 /person (est.)
3
Day 3
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4
Day 4
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5
Departure Day
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🔒 You're viewing 1 of 5 days. Unlock to open the other 4 fully-planned days.
✈️Flights₩1,422,880
Per person · return from India₩711,440
Total · 2 adults₩1,422,880
🏨Accommodation₩227,661
3-Star hotel · per night (per room)₩56,915
4 nights × 1 room₩227,661
🎭Attractions & Activities₩122,000
Gyeongbokgung Palace₩6,000
N Seoul Tower (Namsan)₩42,000
Changdeokgung & Secret Garden₩16,000
Lotte World Tower & Seoul Sky₩58,000
Total (all pax)₩122,000
🍽️Food & Dining₩429,710
🌅 Breakfast × 4d × 2 pax₩56,915
☀ Lunch × 5d × 2 pax₩156,517
🌙 Dinner × 4d × 2 pax₩216,278
Total food & dining₩429,710
🚇Airport Transfer₩21,400
AREX all-stop train · per person, one way (cheaper than a cab at ₩140,000 for this group)₩5,350
Airport ⇄ hotel · 2 legs × 2 pax₩21,400
🚇Local Transport₩60,000
Per person · per day (public transit)₩6,000
5 days × 2 pax₩60,000
🛂Visa — Korea Tourist Visa₩107,627
Entry typeShort-term tourist visa (C-3-9)
FeeUS$40 approx + VFS service charge (varies)
ProcessApply via the Korea VFS centre with documents
ProcessingAround 1–2 weeks — apply ahead
StayUp to 90 days (single or multiple entry)
TipK-ETA visa-waiver does not apply to Indian passport holders — a visa is required.
Estimated Grand Total
Seoul · 5 days · 2 adults
₩2,391,277
Your dates, group & final plan set inside the full itinerary.
In your Itinerary
14 attractions
✓ All 14 attractions with descriptions, opening hours & ticket prices. Your personalised day-by-day plan unlocks with the full itinerary.
✓ Day 2
01 / 14
🏯 Gyeongbokgung Palace
Jongno, Seoul
culture
2 hours
🕒 09:00–18:00
The grandest of Seoul's royal palaces, the Joseon dynasty's main seat — sweeping courtyards, the throne hall, a pavilion on a lotus pond, and the colourful changing-of-the-guard ceremony at the gate. Closed Tuesdays.
✓ Day 2
02 / 14
🏘 Bukchon Hanok Village
Jongno, Seoul
culture
1.5 hours
A hilly warren of restored traditional hanok houses between the palaces — tiled roofs, sloping lanes and the iconic photo spots looking down to the city, plus craft workshops and tea houses. A living neighbourhood; keep quiet.
✓ Day 2
03 / 14
🌸 Changdeokgung & Secret Garden
Jongno, Seoul
culture
2 hours
🕒 09:00–18:00
The most beautiful palace, a UNESCO site built in harmony with its hillside — and the exquisite Huwon 'Secret Garden' of pavilions, lotus ponds and ancient trees, visited by timed guided tour. Closed Mondays.
✓ Day 2
04 / 14
🛍 Namdaemun Market
Jung-gu, Seoul
shopping
1 hour
🕒 08:00–22:00
Korea's largest and oldest traditional market — a maze of stalls selling clothes, souvenirs and famous street food, beside the historic Namdaemun gate.
✓ Day 2
05 / 14
🏛 Dongdaemun Design Plaza
Jung-gu, Seoul
culture
1 hour
🕒 10:00–22:00
Zaha Hadid's spectacular flowing silver landmark — design exhibitions, the glowing LED rose garden and the surrounding 24-hour shopping district. Striking after dark.
06 / 14
🗼 N Seoul Tower (Namsan)
Namsan, Seoul
adventure
2 hours
🕒 10:00–23:00
Seoul's landmark tower atop Namsan mountain — ride the cable car up through the love-locks to an observation deck with a 360° view over the endless city. Spectacular at sunset and after dark; a romantic classic.
07 / 14
🛍 Myeongdong
Jung-gu, Seoul
shopping
1.5 hours
🕒 10:00–22:00
Seoul's buzzing shopping and K-beauty heartland — cosmetics flagships, fashion, and after dark a river of street-food carts serving tornado potatoes, egg bread and grilled lobster tails. Bright, busy and very fun in the evening.
08 / 14
🥢 Gwangjang Market & Insadong
Jongno, Seoul
leisure
1.5 hours
🕒 09:00–22:00
One of Korea's oldest markets, a legendary street-food hall — bindaetteok (mung-bean pancakes), mayak gimbap and live-octopus for the brave — paired with nearby Insadong's antique shops, tea houses and galleries.
09 / 14
🎤 Hongdae
Mapo, Seoul
leisure
1.5 hours
🕒 17:00–02:00
The university district that powers Seoul's youth culture — indie clubs, live music, street performers and buskers, themed cafés, and cheap eats packed until dawn. The beating heart of the city's nightlife and K-pop energy.
10 / 14
📚 Starfield Library (COEX)
Gangnam, Seoul
leisure
1 hour
🕒 10:00–22:00
A free, hugely photogenic open library with soaring two-storey bookshelves, at the heart of the vast COEX Mall in Gangnam — combine with the aquarium and shopping.
11 / 14
🌉 Han River (Banpo) Park
Seocho-gu, Seoul
leisure
1 hour
A breezy riverside park where Seoulites picnic and cycle — famous for the Banpo Bridge Moonlight Rainbow Fountain, a coloured water-and-light show on summer evenings.
12 / 14
🏙 Lotte World Tower & Seoul Sky
Songpa, Seoul
adventure
1.5 hours
🕒 10:00–22:00
Korea's tallest building (555 m) — the Seoul Sky observatory on floors 117–123 with glass floors and dizzying views, above a vast mall, aquarium and the Lotte World theme park. A glossy modern counterpoint to the palaces.
13 / 14
🎖 War Memorial of Korea
Yongsan, Seoul
culture
2 hours
🕒 09:30–18:00
A powerful free museum charting Korea's wars, above all the Korean War — vast indoor galleries and an outdoor park of tanks, aircraft and a moving memorial to the fallen. Excellent context for a DMZ visit. Closed Mondays.
14 / 14
🪖 DMZ Tour
DMZ (day trip)
culture
4 hours
🕒 08:00–17:00
A sobering guided day to the world's most heavily fortified border — the Third Infiltration Tunnel, Dora Observatory looking into North Korea, Imjingak Park and (when open) the Joint Security Area. Unforgettable and humbling.
✓ All 5 stops on your Day 2 route. Unlock to see all 14 attractions mapped across your full itinerary.
✓ All 11 tips — visa, airport transfer & ways to spend less.
🛬
Airport → your hotel
Incheon International Airport (ICN) is about 50 km from the city centre. The AREX Express train reaches Seoul Station in 43 min (₩13,000, ~₩11,500 booked online); the all-stop AREX is cheaper (up to ~₩5,350). Airport limousine buses serve most hotel districts. A taxi is roughly ₩60,000–80,000 including tolls (~1 hr). Add your hotel on the Day-by-Day tab for an exact distance and fare. Verified Jul 2026.
🆘
Emergencies
112 Police · 119 Fire & Ambulance. English assistance available; free, 24/7.
📱
SIM & data
Carriers: SKT, KT, LG U+ — tourist SIMs/eSIM at the airport; eSIM (Airalo) is popular.
🍁
Best time to visit
Spring (Apr–May, cherry blossoms) and autumn (Sep–Nov, foliage) are gorgeous and mild — the best times. Summer is hot, humid and rainy (monsoon Jul–Aug); winter is cold and dry but festive. Pack for the season.
🚇
Getting around
Seoul's metro is vast, cheap, signed in English and superbly efficient — get a T-money card (also works on buses and in shops). The city is huge, so plan by district. Taxis and Kakao T are easy and reasonable. Tap a <strong>T-money</strong> card for the vast subway and buses (rides ~1,550 won with cheap transfers); fares are so low there is no day pass, but the <strong>Discover Seoul Pass</strong> bundles transit credit with attractions.
🚌
Hop-on-hop-off buses
The <strong>Seoul City Tour Bus</strong> runs hop-on-hop-off loops past Gyeongbokgung Palace, N Seoul Tower (Namsan), Myeongdong and Insadong (~₩24,000, 1-day) — a comfortable overview, though Seoul's cheap, extensive subway covers most of it.
💵
Tipping & costs
Tipping is not customary — service is included. Korea is fairly affordable and very card-friendly, though carry some won for markets and street food. Tap water is safe; convenience stores are everywhere.
🛂
Visa for Indians
Indian passport holders need a short-term tourist visa (C-3-9) — apply via the Korea VFS centre. The K-ETA visa-waiver does not apply to Indian citizens. Apply 1–2 weeks ahead with documents.
👘
Palaces & hanbok
Wear a rented hanbok to enter the royal palaces free, and catch the colourful changing-of-the-guard at Gyeongbokgung. Note Gyeongbokgung is closed Tuesdays and Changdeokgung is closed Mondays.
🍗
Food to try
Korean BBQ, bibimbap, tteokbokki and other street food, kimchi with everything, fried chicken with beer (chimaek), and bingsu shaved ice. The markets — Gwangjang, Myeongdong, Namdaemun — are food adventures.
🪖
DMZ day trip
A guided tour to the Demilitarized Zone — the Third Tunnel, Dora Observatory into North Korea, and (when access allows) the JSA — is a sobering highlight. Tours don't run Mondays; book ahead with passport details.