Neighborhoods

Seoul, area by area.

The painted eaves of Junghwajeon, the throne hall of Deoksugung, against a clear blue sky, with office towers around City Hall rising behind the palace roofs

Neighborhoods

City Hall to Deoksugung to the Seoul Museum of Art: A Half-Day Walk That's Free on Wednesdays

Seoul City Hall's new basement gallery, the palace that now opens free every Wednesday, the stonewall road and a free city art museum, all within a few minutes of City Hall Station. Hours, closing days, tours and the order to walk it in.

By Steve OH · Checked 2 November 2026

Curved bookshelves rising several storeys inside Starfield Library at COEX Mall in Gangnam, under a steel-lattice glass ceiling, with the Korean sign Byeolmadang Library on the left shelf

Neighborhoods

Gangnam for First-Timers: What It Is and How to Spend a Day

What Gangnam actually looks like on the ground, a one-day route from Bongeunsa and COEX to the royal tombs, Apgujeong and Garosu-gil, which subway lines to ride, and whether it makes a good base.

A two-lane street in Itaewon's Gyeongnidan-gil area lined with brick and stucco shopfronts, a parked motorcycle on the left and the road bending uphill between low buildings under a blue sky

Neighborhoods

Itaewon Guide: Stations, Streets and What to See

How Itaewon, Gyeongnidan-gil, Haebangchon and Hannam-dong fit together along subway Line 6, where Leeum and the War Memorial of Korea are, and how to visit the October 29 memorial alley.

Low-rise workshop buildings with hand-painted signs on a Seongsu-dong corner, with high-rise towers behind them

Neighborhoods

Seongsu-dong for First-Timers: Stations, Seoul Forest and the Pop-Up Streets

What Seongsu is, which of its three stations to use, how the pop-up streets work, Seoul Forest's hours and winter changes, and when to go to miss the worst crowds.

The curved, lit facade of Myeongdong Theater at dusk, with its name in Korean and English across the front and a theatre banner on the left

Neighborhoods

Where to Stay in Seoul: Choosing a Neighborhood

Myeongdong, Hongdae, Insadong and Jongno, Gangnam, Seongsu, Itaewon or Dongdaemun: what each area is like, which subway lines serve it and how you get there from Incheon Airport.

Myeongdong Cathedral, a red-brick Gothic church with a tall green-tipped spire, standing on a rise above a paved plaza and a curving ramp, with an office block to its left and a clear blue sky

Neighborhoods

Myeongdong for First-Timers: Exits, Street Food, the Cathedral and the Cable Car

Which exit to take, how to pay at the street stalls, when to catch the cathedral's English mass, what to bring to a money changer, and the walk up to the Namsan Cable Car.