Solo Travel in Seoul

A pioneering specialty roaster in a converted shoe factory — raw industrial space, serious single origins, and a Seoul coffee-scene landmark.

📍11 Tojeong-ro 5-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul

A hillside neighbourhood of preserved hanok houses between two palaces, with sloping lanes and rooftop views over old Seoul.

📍37 Gyedong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul

A mountain national park inside the city limits of Seoul. Hiking alone here at sunrise is one of the great solo travel experiences in Asia.

📍Jeongneung-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul

A beautiful café set inside a restored hanok courtyard near Bukchon — minimalist bread, pastries and coffee in a serene old-Seoul setting.

📍5 Gyedong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul

A UNESCO-listed palace prized for its rear 'Secret Garden' of pavilions and ponds that follows the natural contours of the hillside.

📍99 Yulgok-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

A restored 11km stream threading through downtown — a sunken green corridor of stepping stones and waterfalls, lovely after dark.

📍Cheonggyecheon-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

A hidden, antique-filled coffee house down an Euljiro alley in a former herbal-medicine shop — atmospheric hand-drip in old downtown.

📍16-6 Samil-daero 12-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul

A compact palace blending Korean halls and Western-style stone buildings, famous for its tree-lined stone-wall walkway.

📍99 Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul

Zaha Hadid's swooping, futuristic landmark — design exhibitions, an LED rose garden, and Seoul's late-night fashion district around it.

📍281 Eulji-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul

A huge, classic jjimjilbang near Yongsan with themed sauna rooms, outdoor baths and overnight rest areas — the full Korean bathhouse experience.

📍40-712 Hangang-ro 3-ga, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

A retro downtown alley where draft beer and dried pollack spill onto plastic stools — the soul of Seoul's 'Hipjiro' nightlife.

📍Euljiro, Jung-gu, Seoul

Seoul's cult roaster with its seal mascot, housed in a charming hanok-meets-modern space — excellent coffee and buttery pastries.

📍83 Saechang-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul

Seoul's oldest and most atmospheric traditional market. The bindaetteok stalls in the middle section are where you eat — sit at the counter, order by pointing.

📍88 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Seoul's grandest Joseon-era palace beneath Bugaksan, with sweeping courtyards, a pavilion on a lotus pond, and the changing-of-the-guard ceremony.

📍161 Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

The most popular stretch of Seoul's riverside parks — bike paths, picnic lawns, convenience-store ramyeon, and the Banpo fountain nearby.

📍Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul

A community-focused coworking hub in trendy Seongsu for social-impact ventures and creatives, with events and a friendly café.

📍Achasan-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul

The youthful university district of street performers, indie music, late-night eats and clubs — Seoul's most energetic neighbourhood.

📍Hongdae, Mapo-gu, Seoul

A maze of 1920s hanok alleys reborn as Seoul's most charming café-and-boutique quarter — old tiles, hidden courtyards, young crowds.

📍Ikseon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Seoul's traditional arts-and-crafts district — galleries, teahouses, paper shops and the Ssamziegil spiral mall, perfect for an afternoon wander.

📍Insadong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul

The serene main temple of Korean Zen Buddhism in downtown Seoul, ablaze with lanterns during Buddha's Birthday and free to visit.

📍55 Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

A stylish design hotel in buzzy Hongdae with a rooftop infinity bar overlooking the city — great for solo travellers who want nightlife on the doorstep.

📍141 Yanghwa-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul

A classic, smoky Korean BBQ joint famous for charcoal-grilled pork belly and the salt-fire spectacle — sociable even for solo diners at the counter.

📍Mapo-daero, Mapo-gu, Seoul

Seoul's most famous street-food gauntlet — tornado potatoes, grilled cheese lobster, hotteok and gyeranppang from neon-lit night stalls.

📍Myeongdong, Jung-gu, Seoul

The forested mountain at Seoul's centre, laced with walking trails up to N Seoul Tower and panoramic city viewpoints.

📍Namsangongwon-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Korea's vast flagship museum of art and history, from gold crowns to the elegant ten-storey Gyeongcheonsa pagoda — and free to enter.

📍137 Seobinggo-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

A polished, well-located hotel steps from Insadong's galleries and Jongno's palaces — comfortable rooms and easy subway access.

📍49 Samil-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul

A vast, buzzing seafood market where you pick live catch downstairs and have it prepared as sashimi or hotpot at upstairs eateries.

📍674 Nodeul-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul

Seoul's hilltop landmark atop Namsan, reached by cable car, with 360° city views, love-locks, and a glowing nighttime skyline.

📍105 Namsangongwon-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

A design-forward hotel in Hongdae — one of Seoul's most vibrant neighborhoods. The rooftop bar is a great solo evening spot.

📍130 Yanghwa-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul

A large riverside park in Seongsu with deer enclosures, wetlands and wide lawns — Seoul's answer to a city greenspace getaway.

📍273 Ttukseom-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul

A well-kept, traveller-friendly jjimjilbang near Seoul Station with salt rooms and kilns — a popular budget overnight and recovery spot.

📍49 Jungnim-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul

A Texan-run craft cocktail bar in Itaewon set in a converted hanok — inventive drinks, a rooftop, and an easy crowd for solo travellers.

📍Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Seoul's most famous ginseng-chicken soup, served in a sprawling hanok near Gyeongbokgung — restorative and beloved by locals and presidents alike.

📍5 Jahamun-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul

A powerful, free museum on the Korean War with vast indoor galleries and an outdoor park of tanks, planes and ships.

📍29 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

A polished coworking floor in the heart of Gangnam with fast wifi, meeting rooms and a steady community of startups and remote workers.

📍396 Seocho-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul

A friendly, social hostel in the heart of Hongdae with a lively common room — an easy place to meet other travellers in Seoul.

📍Wausan-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul