Things to do in Seoul on foot: self-guided walking tours

Walking Seoul

Seoul's old downtown rewards walking more than any bus tour can, because so much of it sits within a few streets of Sejong-daero: a vanished city gate, a preserved streetcar, a walled palace, and the plaza in front of City Hall. On foot you notice the layers a bus window flattens out — a street marker where a gate once stood, a granite Western-style hall behind palace walls, a steel worker's arm still swinging after decades. This is a city best read at ground level, especially after the day's heat has gone.

Walk & Tell turns that stretch into a self-guided audio walk told by Joon Lee, a Yeonnam songwriter who walks this same route at night when a song won't finish. Your phone's GPS keeps the story keyed to what's in front of you, no wrong turns needed. It runs about an hour, works offline once downloaded, and is free to try. Good for a first night in Seoul, a spare evening, or anyone walking solo or as a couple who'd rather listen than read a plaque.

Things to see in Seoul on foot

• Deoksugung — A walled Korean Empire palace on Sejong-daero, ticketed and closed Mondays; the walk works from the gate outside.
• Seokjojeon — The granite Western-style hall inside Deoksugung, finished in 1910 and now the Daehan Empire History Museum.
• Seoul City Hall and Seoul Plaza — Modern City Hall beside the old building, now Seoul Metropolitan Library, facing an always-open public plaza.
• Hammering Man — Jonathan Borofsky's giant steel sculpture of a worker whose arm never stops, free to see any hour.
• Seodaemun (Donuimun site) — A street-level marker on a public pavement showing where Seoul's West Gate stood before its 1915 demolition.
• 전차 381호 streetcar — A preserved Seoul streetcar standing outdoors off Sejong-daero, free to view though its interior is usually closed.
• Sontag Hotel site — The former site of Korea's first hotel café, seen from the public edge of Ewha's university grounds.

Questions people ask about Seoul

What can I do in Seoul in a few hours on foot?

You can walk the old downtown corridor along Sejong-daero, from the site of the vanished Donuimun gate past a preserved 1930s streetcar to the walled Deoksugung palace and finish at Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall. Joon Lee, a Yeonnam songwriter, narrates the whole route as a self-guided audio walk, and it takes about an hour to cover the 1.8 kilometres.

Is Seoul walkable?

Yes, at least this downtown stretch is: it's a compact 1.8 km line along and around Sejong-daero with wide pavements and a subway station, City Hall, right at the end. The notes suggest doing it after 5pm or early morning, since Sejong-daero and Seoul Plaza have no shade at 2pm.

What are the free things to do in Seoul on this walk?

Most of the route costs nothing: the Donuimun gate marker, Hammering Man sculpture, the preserved streetcar 381, and Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall are all outdoors and always accessible. Deoksugung palace itself is ticketed, but the walk's chapter on it works entirely from the gate on Sejong-daero, so you don't need to pay to follow along.

Do I need a guide in Seoul?

Not a human one for this route — Walk & Tell works as a self-guided audio guide, using your phone's GPS to trigger the story as you reach each stop. Joon Lee narrates the whole downtown walk in order, so you just follow the line he walks himself at night.

What is closed at the moment in this part of Seoul?

Deoksugung palace closes on Mondays and charges admission, so check the gate before assuming you can go inside. The streetcar 381's interior is also usually closed, and the Sontag Hotel site sits inside Ewha university grounds, visible only from the public edge.

Does the Seoul walk work without data?

Yes, you can download the walk in advance and it works offline once you're out on the street, which matters given how much of downtown Seoul has patchy signal near the palace walls. The GPS narration still triggers stop by stop without needing a live connection.

What is the best time of day to walk downtown Seoul?

After 5pm or early morning is best, since Sejong-daero and Seoul Plaza have no shade at 2pm and get hot and glary at midday. It also suits the walk's mood, since Joon Lee narrates it as a night walk he takes when a song won't come together.