Seoul for all in one week

The first day can be devoted to visiting the various palaces and discovering some neighbourhoods. Start the day at City Hall metro station, visit the Deoksugung Palace (with its care), where applicable some of the nearby museums, and walk to Gyeonghuigung and the Seoul History Museum. The afternoon can be devoted to the discovery of Myeongdong and the traditional village of Namsangol, which deserves a detour. Evening in Myeongdong, in the frenzy of an Asian megalopolis.

On the second day, head for the Anguk metro station, and visit the magnificent Bukchon district. The art galleries around Samcheongdong are the ideal place for a short break, before visiting the imposing Geunjeongjeon site and the Folklore Museum in the afternoon. At the end of the day, descent to Insadong to enjoy the atmosphere of the alleys, and taste the best of Korean cuisine in one of the many traditional restaurants.

This third day begins with a visit to the magnificent Jongmyo Temple, combined with Changgeonggung. Lunch in the university district around the Hyehwa metro station. In the afternoon, visit the impressive Changdeokgung Palace. Be sure to ask about visiting hours. At the end of the day, head for the Hongdae student district by subway to spend a typical Korean evening, around a barbecue and then in a karaoke, and where the many small designer shops never seem to close.

On this fourth day, we will visit some more remote sites that are worth a visit, such as the Korean War Memorial and, in the same area, the National Museum. These two sites are located not far from Itaewon, the district with the highest concentration of foreigners, especially American soldiers, which can be visited at the end of the day.

For this day, departure in the morning for Suwon by metro. Once you arrive, you can take the shuttle (free of charge) to visit the traditional village, a few kilometres away, where you will spend part of the day, and déjeunerez in the many restaurants. Back to Suwon, you can visit the historic sites by bus from the train station. Return to Seoul late in the afternoon.

This day can be devoted to visiting the DMZ, the demilitarized zone that marks the break between North and South Korea, by booking an organized tour, preferably for the whole day. Departure from your hotel early in the morning, return in the late afternoon to the centre of Seoul.

This is the time of a shopping day, according to the wishes. Huge markets require a day, but you can also prefer quieter neighbourhoods or a last time to look cool corners before departure.