Teheran-ro Yeongdong-daero crossing 7
Photo: kallerna · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Free travel itinerary template · 3 days

Seoul 3-Day Itinerary

Palaces and old streets, market food and modern Seoul, spread out from the official first-visit course.

Curated from official tourism guides · Researched 2026-10-29Sources & notes

The stops are drawn from the guides below; daily order, times and durations are our suggested adaptation. Available map pins are approximate, not provider-verified; missing coordinates remain unset. Prices are left unknown; check tickets, opening hours and transport before booking.

Tripadvisor 2025 · Solo travel #1 ↗ · Destination award, not an itinerary rating.

  • The official course is busy; this adaptation spreads its stops across three full days.
  • Use the subway between districts and swap palace day if the site is closed.
2 local dining picks added to this itineraryDining sources

These picks have positive travel-guide coverage or a named professional recommendation; they are not live customer ratings. Suggested times are not reservations. Confirm service days, dietary needs and prices. Other days remain open for your own food discoveries.

  • Day 1 · Tteoksan — Restaurant meal; ask about house specialties. Community guide highlights this restaurant’s food or dining experience positively. Wikivoyage contributors ↗
  • Day 3 · Suyeon Sanbang — Traditional. Community guide highlights this restaurant’s food or dining experience positively. Wikivoyage contributors ↗

Sources checked 2026-10-30. Community-guide dining data is adapted from Wikivoyage contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; source pages link to contributor histories.

Seoul itinerary: 3 days at a glance

Review the original daily plan before editing below. Times and durations are suggested planning blocks; dining stops are not reservations. Your personal edits appear in the editor and downloads.

Day 1: Royal Seoul & traditional streets

  • · Gwanghwamun Square · 45 min
  • · Gyeongbokgung Palace · 150 min
  • · Insa-dong · 120 min
  • · Dinner: Tteoksan (Restaurant meal; ask about house specialties) · 75 min

Day 2: Markets, design & Myeong-dong

  • · Breakfast: Gwangjang Market · 90 min
  • · Dongdaemun Design Plaza · 120 min
  • · Myeong-dong · 120 min

Day 3: Namsan & Gangnam

  • · N Seoul Tower · 120 min
  • · COEX Mall · 120 min
  • · Gangnam Station district · 90 min
  • · Dinner: Suyeon Sanbang (Traditional) · 75 min

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Day 1
  • 09:0045m
    Jongno-gu, SeoulMap

    Approximate map pin; confirm the entrance and current opening hours.

  • 10:30150m
    Jongno-gu, SeoulMap

    Approximate map pin; confirm the entrance and current opening hours.

  • 14:30120m
    Insa-dongi
    Jongno-gu, SeoulMap

    Approximate map pin; confirm the entrance and current opening hours.

  • 18:0075m
    South Korean cuisine (illustrative)Dish photoi
    Dining
    eunpyeonggu yeonseoro 247-1Map

    Restaurant meal; ask about house specialties. Community guide highlights this restaurant’s food or dining experience positively. Suggested dining time, not a booking. Confirm service days, availability, dietary needs and current menu prices before travelling. Guide-listed service: 10:30-21:00. Recheck with the restaurant. About 7.5 km straight-line from the preceding stop; allow transit or taxi time as needed, not a measured walking route. Approximate map pin; confirm the entrance. Dining source: Wikivoyage contributors, https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Seoul/North (checked 2026-10-30). Guide recommendations are not live customer star ratings. Wikivoyage revision 5360691; selection and timing adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Day 2
  • 10:0090m
    Gwangjang Marketi
    Dining
    Jongno-gu, SeoulMap

    Sample food at independently operated stalls. Approximate map pin; confirm the entrance and current opening hours.

  • 13:00120m
    Dongdaemun Design Plazai
    Eulji-ro, SeoulMap

    Approximate map pin; confirm the entrance and current opening hours.

  • 16:30120m
    Jung-gu, SeoulMap

    Approximate map pin; confirm the entrance and current opening hours.

Day 3
  • 09:30120m
    N Seoul Toweri
    Namsan, SeoulMap

    Confirm transport up Namsan and any observation-deck booking. Approximate map pin; confirm the entrance and current opening hours.

  • 14:00120m
    COEX Malli
    Samseong-dong, SeoulMap

    Approximate map pin; confirm the entrance and current opening hours.

  • 17:0090m
    Gangnam Station districti
    Gangnam-daero, SeoulMap

    Approximate map pin; confirm the entrance and current opening hours.

  • 19:3075m
    South Korean cuisine (illustrative)Dish photoi
    Dining
    8, Seongbuk-ro 26-gilMap

    Traditional. Community guide highlights this restaurant’s food or dining experience positively. Suggested dining time, not a booking. Confirm service days, availability, dietary needs and current menu prices before travelling. Guide-listed service: Daily 11:30-22:00. Recheck with the restaurant. About 11.2 km straight-line from the preceding stop; allow transit or taxi time as needed, not a measured walking route. Approximate map pin; confirm the entrance. Dining source: Wikivoyage contributors, https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Seoul/North (checked 2026-10-30). Guide recommendations are not live customer star ratings. Wikivoyage revision 5360691; selection and timing adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Make this route work for you

Planning notes updated . How we prepare our templates.

Our planning suggestions for this template. These are editorial choices, not live transport times or confirmed reservations.

Why this order

The palace area, markets and design stops, and Namsan/Gangnam are spread across separate blocks. The final day crosses districts, so leave a meaningful transfer and lunch break.

Adjust the pace

If the palace visit takes longer, shorten Insa-dong rather than skipping the meal break. For a slower final day, choose Namsan or Gangnam as the priority.

Weather and backup plan

Use the indoor COEX portion for a wetter period when practical. Check palace access before moving the first day and observation conditions before committing to tower tickets.

Build your budget

Budget separately for palace admission, any observation deck, transport and meals. A sightseeing pass is only useful if its actual inclusions match your chosen stops.

Destination guide for further planning ↗

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Photo credits (7)

Stop photos come from Wikimedia Commons and Wikipedia under the free licences shown. “Dish photo” images illustrate the cuisine, not the restaurant itself.