23 Best Sights in Seoul, South Korea

Often likened to New York City’s High Line, the Gyeongui Line Forest Park is a narrow green space that stretches 6.3 km (3.9 miles) over train tracks that once led to North Korea. Train service was suspended in 1951 after the two Koreas divided and the area was mostly urbanized until 2009, when the idea to build the park was greenlit. Today, the park is divided into four main sections, with the section outside Hongdae Station Exit 3 being the most popular. In summer, buskers play guitar on one of the many benches and picnickers laze on the grass with drinks from nearby convenience stores, but the park is busy year-round as it’s surrounded by trendy restaurants and cafes. Venture outside the Hongdae Station area (further outside Exit 3 or Exit 2) for pleasant, little surprises: a row of bookshops, remnants of the old tracks, and meet-ups of neighborhood dogs.

Established in 2002 by the Hanmi Pharmaceutical's foundation for arts and culture, this museum (which was formerly known as The Museum of Photography Seoul) is dedicated to displaying the work of prominent and up-and-coming Korean photographers, as well hosting international exchanges. It also aims to encourage and inspire those who wish to pursue photography as a career by offering classes and training through its academy. It relocated to a purpose-built building in central Seoul in late 2022.

The most popular park in Yeouido, and indeed perhaps all of Seoul, is Yeouido Hangang Park. Running parallel to the Han River for the full length of the island, the park is dotted with picnic areas, stages, bike paths, and convenience stores for grabbing a Hite beer on a hot summer’s day. Other highlights include a public pool with prime city skyline views and whimsical paddleboats shaped like ducks, but it's the statue of letters spelling out “I SEOUL U”  with a background of the river, the skyline, and N Seoul Tower that draw daily flocks of eager Instagrammers.

Seoul is home to a number of entertainment companies, but Big Hit Entertainment is known as the outfit that launched the careers of global K-pop mega sensation BTS. While they've since moved into a brand new headquarters (the 19-story HYBE Building in Yongsan), this much more humble structure where it all started still stands. The building has become a pilgrimage point for diehard BTS fans known as ARMYs, where thousands have scribbled words of dedication to the group on the outside of the structure. 

Running east–west through the city, this path-lined stream is one of the best places in Seoul to go for a stroll, especially in summer when it's a cool respite from the heat. Simple scenes of folks taking a break from Seoul's hectic pace play out daily: couples walk hand in hand; students gather; and businesspeople relax on the steps during their lunch break. A good place to start exploring is Cheonggye Plaza at the west end of the stream with its striking Claes Oldenburg pop-art sculpture, Spring. Every November, the Seoul Lantern Festival is hosted here, during which hundreds of delicate lanterns light up the waters.

Although the Starfield Library in Gangnam’s COEX Mall is likely Seoul’s most famous, the Cheongun Literature Library a short bus ride away from Gyeongbokgung Station is hands down its most beautiful. The library is spread over two levels: the lower level houses approximately 20,000 books in a conventional library setting, and the ground floor consists of two units of a hanok. The hanok’s bonchae (main building) has several rooms with Korean floor-style seating for those looking to read or study in private and a one-room nujeong (annex) open to the public. While visitors cannot check out books, the library’s unique design and nearby Cheongun Park make the trip worthwhile.

Just outside Dongmyo subway station (exit three), there’s a whole city block that feels as though it’s emerged from another era. This veritable time warp contains various examples of Chinese art and architecture including wood statues, stone calligraphy tablets, and an ornate, colorful shrine dedicated to the third-century general Guan Yu of the ancient Chinese state Shu Han. The general’s spirit was said to have led a Korean army to victory over a Japanese invasion in 1592, and the complex was erected in 1599 in his honor.

The large public square facing Gyeongbokgung Palace has long been a historical center of Seoul. After a renovation, the square doubled in size in 2022. Leafy trees, water fountains, and more pedestrian walkways now line the plaza, making this a sensible starting point for (or respite during) your adventures of the neighborhood. While here, admire its recently restored platform, once a stand for kings to communicate with the people that was later destroyed during Japanese occupation, plus two iconic statues, one of King Sejong and another of Admiral Yi Sunshin. The U.S. Embassy is across from the square.

More commonly referred to as the Hongdae Playground, this seemingly ordinary park wears many different hats. Its prime location facing the entrance of Hongik University has made it an outdoor performance space, a silent disco stage, a BYOB watering hole, and a marketplace for reasonably priced local art. For this reason, it’s a place that symbolizes youth and individuality for many Seoulites. To catch an event or interesting happening here, try visiting the park on a Friday or Saturday night when crowds of college students are out on the town. Korean drama fanatics may recognize it from popular shows such as Coffee Prince, Bel Ami, and My Golden Life, among others.

This unique little museum lies on a residential street north of the hectic thoroughfares around Dongdaemun Square. Permanent and special exhibitions explore the history of the sewing industry in Korea, and there are hands-on experiences such as making brooches or keychains. Tours in English are offered for one to 20 people and must be reserved at least one day in advance.

With a name that literally means “beheading hill,” this shrine pays tribute to the approximately 8,000 Catholics that were executed for their faith here in 1866. Overlooking the Han River to the West, the shrine’s outdoor space and exhibitions are open to the public. There is an altar for lighting votive candles and a few dozen statues of well-known Catholics like Mother Teresa and Andrew Kim Taegon, the first Korean Catholic priest. There are two exhibit spaces, a museum on the history of the space in the main building, and a nook that showcases the vehicles used to torture Catholics. Religious or otherwise, the space is a sight to behold for its significance in Korean history and sunset views over the Han.

The dome-topped National Assembly Building is the home to the legislative branch of the Republic of Korea’s government. Tours of the capitol, including the Plenary Chamber and Memorial Hall, are offered six days a week and must be scheduled three days in advance. For a last-minute visit, stick to the charming grounds filled with evocative statues depicting various moments in Korean history.

The Gyeongbokgung Palace grounds are home to this museum dedicated to the traditional and present-day lifestyles of the Korean people. It's a great introduction to the culture and history of the country for first-time visitors, especially the captivating permanent exhibition that covers daily life in villages from the 17th to 20th centuries. There's also a rotating special exhibit; its past subjects have included folklore, makgeolli, and the history and development of towns such as Busan and Incheon. Although there is no daily tour in English, groups of 10 can reserve English tours in advance at least five days before arriving, and audio guides can be rented at the information desk. A cafe on site sells snacks and sandwiches.

Located across from Gyeongbokgung Palace, this free history museum not only displays documents and photos that chronicle the recent past of the city but also has some stunning views of the Gwanghwamun area from its 8th floor rooftop garden. The museum has several permanent exhibitions spanning the years 1894 to the present day and is a good place to go to begin to understand the city's modernization, independence, and shift to democracy. English language guided tours are available for groups of five or more with advance reservation.

One of Seoul’s finest examples of urban regeneration, the Oil Tank Culture Park is an art complex built in five former oil tanks. The oil depot, which originally opened in the mid-1970s, was shut down in 2000 ahead of safety concerns, and after being abandoned for more than a decade, its current iteration was decided on by a public idea contest. Art exhibitions, concerts, and theatrical performances are often held here, but regardless of the park’s schedule, the venue is worthwhile for its unique atmosphere. Take time to explore the outdoor theater built behind T2 tank and don’t miss the chance to take artsy photos at the rooftop opening of T6, a tank that was built from steel plates found on T1 and T2.

Built for the 1988 Seoul Summer Games, this expansive park is still home to a handball gymnasium, a gymnastics arena, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, tennis courts, and a velodrome. It's most impressive as a destination for strolling, walking, or cycling, however, with acres of paths winding through some beautiful nature. At the entrance you are greeted by the winged World Peace Gate, an impressive structure designed by architect Kim Chung-up to promote international harmony and cooperation. The park is definitely worth an hour or two of your time.

With an entrance resembling something from a spy movie, this unique underground museum is set in an abandoned 1970s military bunker that was rediscovered in 2005 during work on a new subway line. Reached via a glass-covered stairway emerging from the side of a multi-lane road (there’s also an elevator), the bunker is now a satellite gallery of the Seoul Museum of Art. The space features a permanent gallery relating to the bunker’s history and an exhibition hall showcasing a rotating array of contemporary art.

This little park behind Lotte World Tower and Mall is a perfect spot to slow down and enjoy a breath of relatively fresh air. There are actually two lakes (East Seokchon Lake and West Seokchon Lake), both of which are ringed by walking and cycling paths. In spring the park hosts the Seokchon Lake Cherry Blossom Festival, which includes performances by singing and dance groups.

The green space outside Seoul's city hall frequently holds events such as the Seoul Kimchi Festival, Seoul Queer Culture Festival, and the Hi Seoul Festival (dedicated to street arts). Don't leave without snapping a photo next to the popular I SEOUL U sign on the edge of the plaza.

This historical, multipurpose building made its international debut as the filming site of the 2021 Korean TV drama Vincenzo. First built in 1968, it was the city’s first high-rise building for residential and commercial purposes and later housed tech- and digital-marketplaces. Despite talks of demolishing the centrally located structure, in 2017, the space was opened up to millennial entrepreneurs who’ve since opened cafes and boutiques alongside a few surviving mom and pop electronic goods shops. Don’t miss a small museum devoted to the space’s history on the third floor, have a coffee at Horangi Coffee, and check out the view of Jongmyo Shrine from the Plaza’s rooftop.

In addition to the government buildings and glitzy high-rises, Yeouido is home to South Korea’s largest megachurch, with over half a million members. Yeouido Full Gospel Church welcomes the faithful and the curious alike to visit, with smiling white-clad ushers directing traffic into the cavernous 12,000-seat sanctuary. While the congregation is mostly Korean, special sections are reserved for foreigners with headsets translating the sermon into English, Spanish, Indonesian, Mongolian, Chinese, and Japanese.

Yeouido Park bisects the island straight down the middle, creating a welcome pocket of tranquility amid the surrounding high-rises. All backdropped by the Yeouido skyline are walking trails, graceful pagodas, ponds, and cherry trees, as well as more unique features such as a rock acupressure trail, a bronze statue of the 15th-century King Sejong, and a display C-47 plane nodding back to Yeouido’s days as an airfield.

Running along the diminutive Saet River on the opposite side of the island from the larger Han River, this park is much less crowded than others on Yeouido and is an ideal spot for a peaceful jog or bike ride. The park also serves as a nature reserve for the area’s native wetland plants and offers year-round ecology programs. A popular walking route is across the futuristic Yeouido Saetgang Pedestrian Bridge, which spans the park and a major highway before depositing pedestrians in the Singil neighborhood across the Saet River.