8 Days 7 Nights Seoul Itinerary (+ Nami Island)

Annyeong! Today I’ll be sharing with you our 8D7N Seoul Itinerary (including a day in Nami Island)! We visited Korea during mid-November when it is Autumn and we were happy to arrive in the land of Kimchi & Tteokbokki~ 

Our 8D7N Seoul Itinerary

Our 8D7N Seoul Itinerary was improvised by the hubs as he obtained it from his friend who has just returned from their Seoul Trip.

As this was a free & easy trip, we ended up skipping & swapping some items on the 8D7N Seoul Itinerary depending on the actual day circumstances.

It was not easy to plan this itinerary (although it was an improvisation of an existing 8D7N Seoul Itinerary).

Day 1: Bye Bye Singapore & Hello Korea!

3/4 of our first day was spent onboard the airplane & travelling…

So this was the plan:

05:00 – Rise & Shine
06:00 – Leave Home for Changi Airport T3
08:05 – Depart for Korea
15:30 – Arrival @ Incheon Airport
15:45 – Take Airport Limousine to Airbnb
17:00 – Arrival at our apartment booked via Airbnb
18:00 – Shopping around Myeong-dong area & visit LINE Friends Store & Café
19:00 – Dinner around Myeong-dong
23:00 – Head back to rest

Day 2: Heritage Tour

09:00 – Rise & Shine

11:00 – Ginseng Chicken Soup Lunch @ Tosokchon Samgyetang

Operating Hours: 10:00 – 21:00

Location: 5, Jahamun-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu; 1000-2200

Tel: +82-2-737-7444

Cost: 15,000 won

Getting There: Exit 10 of Subway line 1, 2 Cityhall. From Korean Air head office proceed 50m toward Sinchon. Across from Shinhan Bank, next to Woori Bank; Gyeongbokgung (Line 3, exit 2); near Deoksugung Palace.

12:00 – Bukchon Hanok Village / Seoul Cultural Experience Center

Take the Seoul Subway Line 3 to Anguk Station, Exit 3

12:45 – Namsangol Hanok Village

Operating Hours: 09:00-21:00, Closed on Tuesdays

Admission: Free

Exit 2 – Anguk Station Line 3.

Walk straight for about 300m OR

Chungmuro Station (Line 3 or 4) Exit #3 or 4, walk for 5 minutes. (Behind Chungang Univ. Affiliated Hospital)

13:30 – Gyeongbokgung Palace & nearby Palaces

Operating Hours: March to October 09:00-18:00, Closed on Tuesday

Getting There: Exit 5 – Gyeongbokgung Station Line 3

Admission: 10,000won for all 4 palaces

FOC English tour: 11:00, 13:30, 15:30

16:00 War Memorial of Korea

Operating Hours: 09:00-18:00, Closed on Monday

Admission: Free

18:30 – Maple Tree House @ Itawon BBQ Dinner

Operating Hours:

Sun – Thurs: 11:30 – 22.30

Fri – Sat: 11:30 – 00:00

Location: Hamilton Hotel 2F, 116-1 Itaewon dong, Yong san gu

Tel: 02-790-7977

20:00 – Night Life @ Itaewon + Desserts @ Passion 5

Operating Hours: 07:30 – 22:00, daily

Location: 272, Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu

Getting There: Exit 3 of Hangangjin station (Line 6), walk for 3 minutes towards the cafe. It is located at the ground floor of a black building with a 2D red bird statue outside.

21:30 – Namsan Seoul Tower

Operating Hours:

Mon – Thurs, Sun: 10:00 – 23:00

Fri & Sat: 10:00 – 00:00

Admission: 1,200won

Location: 105, Namsangongwon-gil, Yongsan-gu

Getting There: Namsan Circular Shuttle Bus No. 05

Bus Stop: Myeong-dong Station (Seoul Subway Line 4), Exit 3

Cable Car Return Trip: 8,500 won

23:00 – Back to Airbnb

Day 3: Nami Island + Petite France

08:20 – Nami Island & Petite France Package (70,000 won)

We booked the Nami Island & Petite France Tour Package earlier.

The package includes:

Round Trip Shuttle Bus (approx 1.5 hours from Seoul to Nami Island)
Nami Island Entrance & Ferry Ticket (3.5 – 4 hours)
Rail bike Ticket (1.5 – 2 hours)
Petite France Entrance Ticket (1.5 hours)

Availability: All year round on Mon, Wed & Sat

Meeting Points:

Hong Univ. (Hondae) Station Exit 4 (7:40, Mon & Wed; 07:00, Sat & Public Holidays)
Myeong-dong Station Exit 2 (08:20, Mon & Wed; 07:30, Sat & Public Holidays)
Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station Exit 10 (08:30, Mon & Wed; 07:40, Sat & Public Holidays)

Booking: At least 2 – 60 days in advance

Cancellation: 7 Business Days prior for 100% refund

20:00 – Dinner @ Myeong-dong Gyoja

Location: 25-2 Myeongdong 2(i)-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea.

Popular Dishes: Kimchi, Bibimguksu, Mandu & Kalguksu

Day 4: Lotte World Trip (Full Day)

09:00 – Head to Lotte World

Getting There: Get off at Seoul Station, taking Metro #2 Line towards Jamsil Station. From Seoul Station – #4 Line to Dankogae, then get off at Dongdaemum stadium and take #2 Line to Jamsil. Get off at Jamsil Station Exit #4.

22:30 – Return Trip to Seoul + Fried Chicken & Beer @ Two Two Chicken

Operating Hours: Close at 12 midnight

Location: 6-4 Namsandong 2(i)-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul

Nearest train station: Myeongdong Station, Exit 3

Day 5: Rest & Relax Day around Myeongdong

11:00 – Gwangjang Market

General stores: 8:30am – 6:00pm

Restaurants: 8:30am -11:00pm

Clothing stores: 9pm – 10am next day

1F: Traditional market; 2F: Hanbok shops

Getting There: Jongno 5(o)-ga Stn. Exit 7. Walk 15 m; Chungmuro (Line 3) ->Jongno-3-ga (Transfer) ->Jongno-5 –ga (Line 5)

14:00 – Nandamun & Myeongdong Food Street

Getting There: Take the Seoul Subway Line 4 to Myeong-dong Station, Exit 5/7.

Snacks to Try:

Yeran Bbang (Egg Bread), 2,000 won
Nakji Gguri (roasted octopus dipped in cheese powder and bonito flakes)
Steak and Bean Sprouts, 11,000 won
32cm Ice cream, 2,000 won
Crab Croquette, 6,000 won
Korean Grilled Cuttlefish
Steamed Egg Muffin (GyeRan Bbang 계란 빵)
Tteokbokki (떡볶이 Spicy Rice Cake)
Fries Coated Hot Dog Bun
Eomuk Guk (어묵국 Fish Cake Soup)
Poo pancake (Dong Pang)
Hotteok (호떡)

16:00 – Myeongdong Tourism Center

Operating Hours: 10:30 – 18:30

Location: 5th floor of the M Plaza, Subway line 4, Exit #6

19:00 – Dinner @ Yoogane, Myeongdong

Location: 3-1 Myeong-dong 2-ga, Jung-gu

20:00 – Watch Cookin’ Nanta! Performance (Booked in advance)

Booking: http://nanta.i-pmc.co.kr/Nanta/en/ticket/ticketing.aspx

Discount Tickets Only: http://korealtrip.com/trip/cookin-nanta-myeongdong-discount-ticket/

22:00 – Desserts @ O’sullloc Tea House

Operating Hours: 09:00 – 23:00

Location: 47-1 Myeongdong 1(il)-ga, Jung-gu

Day 6: DMZ Tour

08:00 – DMZ Tour (Booked earlier with TourDMZ)

Meeting Point: Hotel PRESIDENT (16 Eulji-ro Jung-gu Seoul) 3rd Floor “TOUR DMZ” desk

Getting There: Take a subway line 2(Green line) to Euljiro 1(il)-ga station. Exit number is 8. (4 minutes walking); bring along passport and note the dress code

Fee: 85,000Won / pax by cash

15:00 – Hongdae/ Ewha Women University

Operating Hours: 13:00 – 18:00

Location: Hongik University Station (Exit 9)

Recommendations: Free market on weekends @ station Exit #9, Modak Modak at Edae shopping district; Street between Sinchon Station (Subway Line 2, a 15-minute walk from the Sinchon Railway Station) and Yonsei University is a favorite retreat

18:00 – Thanks Nature Cafe (try their bingsu & waffles + selfie w sheep)

Operating Hours: 11:00 – 23:00 daily

Location: 121, B1F Prugio, 486, Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu

Getting There: Take the Seoul Subway Line 2 to Hongik University Station, Exit 9. Make your way up the main shopping street towards the main gate of Hongik University. Look out for a “Cafe Cantata” on the left, and descend a flight of illuminated stairs to the cafe in the basement.

19:00 – Dinner at Jinokhwa Halmae Wonjo Dakhanmari @ Dongdaemun

Operating Hours: 10:00 – 22:30

Location: Seoul-si Jongno-gu Jongno 5-ga 265-22

20:00 – Night shopping @ Dongdaemum, Migloire & Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP)

Getting There: Take the Seoul Subway Line 1 to Dongdaemun Station, Exit 8/9.

Exit 8 or 9 – Dongdaemun Station Line 1 or Line 4

Dongdaemum – For quality & originality @ Doota; For bargain steal @ Migloire and Design Plaza (DDP)

Day 7: Noryangjin market and Gangnam style

10:00 – Noryangjin Fish Market & Seafood Lunch

Getting There: Take the Seoul Subway Line 1 to Noryangjin Station, Exit 1. Follow the streets signs till you see an underground walkway on your right.

13:00 – Cycle around Yeouido Island

Getting There: Nearby Noryangjin market, 120, Yeouigongwon-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Go to Yeouido Station, Exit 3. Head in the direction of the National Assembly building, and you should arrive in a matter of minutes. Bring along valid identification as well – you’ll need to produce it during the rental process. Watch Cherry Blossom.

15:00 – Express Bus Terminal Underground Mall (Shopping)

Getting There: Take subway 2 to Euljiro 3(sam)-ga then change subway 3 to Express Bus Terminal Station, exit 1 or 2

16:00 – Gangnam Station Underground Shopping Center

Getting There: Gangnam Station (Green Line 2, Red Sinbundang Line)

17:00 – Gangdam – Garou-gil (Café-hopping)

Recommendations: Banana tree cafe, O’sulloc Tea House, Remicone (soft ice-creams), Good Night and Good Luck (cheesecake), Deux Crèmes

19:00 – Dinner @ Kyochon Chicken

Operating Hours: 15:00 – 02:00

Location: 1309-8 Seocho-dong (8 Gangnam-aero 69-gil)

Getting There: Gangnam Station (Green Line 2, Red Sinbundang Line). From Exit 9, walk for about 10 minutes.

21:00 – Lotte Mart to buy snacks

Getting There: Seoul Station, Exit 1; 432, Cheongpa-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul

22:00 – Siloam Fire Pot Sauna

Operating Hours: 24 hours daily

Location: 49 Jungnim-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul; open 24hrs

Fees: 10,000won per entry

Getting There: Take the Seoul Subway Line 1 to Seoul Station, Exit 1. Set off in the direction of Seobu Bus Station, once you walk past an overpass, cross the street on your left. You’ll be able to identify their large sign towering over the top of a cluster of buildings. Sauna – 5th floor of the building to your right.

Day 8: Myeongdong final shopping & Departure

10:00 – Brunch and Last minute shopping @Myeongdong

13:30 – Transfer from apartment to airport via Airport Limousine

Fees: 15,000 won

15:00 – Reach Incheon Airport

16:35 – Bye Bye Seoul

22:20 – Home Sweet Home

Things To Note

Do take in consideration the following factors when planning your itinerary:

Operating Hours of each Place of Interest
Travelling Time
Proximity between 2 places of interest
Cater time for activities at each location
Have enough budget to spend for each day
Set aside sufficient cash for emergency purposes / fixed expenses (i.e. transport)
Have back-up plans in case your original plans do not work

I’m not a very good planner when it comes to planning itinerary – which is why I have my hubs plan everything.

I would prefer joining a tour group to be honest.

How about you? Do you like planning your trips? What are your tips in planning an awesome trip?

Share with me in the comment box down below! 

8D7N Seoul Itinerary + Nami Island