Where to stay in Seoul

See

Seoul is a vast, vibrant cityscape, set against an airy backdrop of mountains. It includes a standout collection of attractions with a blend of old and new. While Seoul today is mostly known as a super-modern mega-city that is home to skyscrapers, malls, and millions of electronic-mad Koreans, the city contains over 2,000 years of history. The city contains 4 UNESCO sites marking important monuments from its 505 years as the capital of the Joseon Dynasty. Originally a walled city with 20 ft stone walls and narrow lanes inside. Though many buildings were destroyed or damaged during the violent events of the first half of the 20th century, much of its historic core remains.

• Hangang Citizen's Park

Do

Enjoy hiking in the mountains around the city. Up to 800m (3,000 ft) is accessible by public transport, with courses ranging from easy to difficult. There are Bukhansan Mountain, Gwanaksan Mountain, Samseongsan Mountain, Inwangsan Mountain, etc. (Mostly [Seoul/North]). If you don't like mountains, walk along Cheonggyecheon Stream. Watch baseball, a national sport, at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, the home of the Kiwoom Heroes, or Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa-gu, the home of the LG Twins and Doosan Bears. Watch local soccer teams (FC Seoul based at Mapo-gu World Cup Stadium and Seoul E-Land FC based at Songpa-gu Olympic Main Stadium).

Eat

Much of Korean social life revolves around food and the city is packed with restaurants, so you would have to be determined to starve to death in Seoul. This fate may still befall you if you insist on English menus and meals consisting only of easily identifiable, familiar ingredients, so see South Korea for a quick Korean menu reader. An alternative is to just point and eat, your hosts generally will accommodate. If you look in the right places, a good meal (lunch or dinner) including side dishes can cost ₩5,000 or less (try basements of large department stores). In addition to Korean food, Japanese restaurants in Seoul tend to be excellent, featuring excellent sushi and sashimi.

Drink

Seoul features a mind-bogglingly large array of nightspots catering to every taste and budget. Hongdae and Sinchon in Seodaemun-Mapo are Seoul's most active nightlife districts. Itaewon in Yongsan is Seoul's international district, with a wide variety of Western-styled venues to eat and drink. Since many foreigners congregate there, Itaewon remains somewhat of a niche nightlife area for Koreans interested in a more international scene. Itaewon is also home to the highest concentration of gay bars in Seoul, in an alleyway known as "Homo Hill". Much nightlife in Seoul revolves around soju.

Stay safe

Seoul is a remarkably safe city despite its size, comparable in safety to Hong Kong or Tokyo. Pickpocketing is not very common and violent crime is very rare. There are very few places where CCTV cameras are absent. Smoking is allowed only in designated areas. Walking while smoking can incur a fine. If you happen to be a non-Korean man walking hand-in-hand with a Korean woman, drunk older Korean men might give you a tongue lashing or occasionally worse. This is far less of a problem than it used to be. If you do end up in a fight and the attacker gets hurt, the fact that you didn't start the fight may not give you legal protection.