Where to Stay in Seoul: Best Areas, Prices and Airport Access

Myeongdong is the busiest tourist district in Korea: a grid of pedestrian streets packed with cosmetics flagships, fashion chains and, from about 5pm, a strip of street-food stalls. It sits between Namdaemun gate and market, Deoksugung palace, the Myeongdong Cathedral and the cable car up Namsan to N Seoul Tower. Myeongdong station (Line 4) and Euljiro 1-ga (Line 2) are the stations; Gyeongbokgung is 15 minutes away.

Most hotels here are mid-range towers built for tour groups and shoppers, which keeps prices competitive. L7 Myeongdong, Nine Tree Hotel Myeongdong and ibis Ambassador Seoul Myeongdong are the reliable mid-range picks at roughly 120,000 to 200,000 won; Lotte Hotel Seoul and The Westin Josun Seoul are the classic five-stars near City Hall, from about 350,000 won. The 6015 airport limousine bus stops at the main Myeongdong hotels, and AREX to Seoul Station is one stop away on Line 4. The downside: the streets are crowded and commercial, and it empties out after the stalls pack up around 10 to 11pm.

Jongno is the historic heart: Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung and Jongmyo are all within a 20-minute walk, with Insadong’s tea houses and antique shops, Jogyesa temple and the hanok lanes of Ikseon-dong in between. Anguk (Line 3), Jonggak (Line 1), Jongno 3-ga (Lines 1, 3 and 5) and Gwanghwamun (Line 5) cover the area. Evenings are calmer than Myeongdong, with tent bars around Jongno 3-ga and Gwangjang Market nearby.

Hotels range from the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul at Gwanghwamun (from about 500,000 won) to apartment-style hotels such as Orakai Insadong Suites and Nine Tree Premier Hotel Insadong (about 150,000 to 250,000 won), plus dozens of guesthouses. For something different, sleep in a hanok in Bukchon or Seochon, west of Gyeongbokgung: rooms have heated ondol floors, sleeping mats and a courtyard, and cost about 80,000 to 250,000 won; Rak Kojae is the best-known upscale option. Book hanok stays with an en-suite bathroom if that matters to you, since some share, and note that Bukchon’s core lanes are closed to non-residents between 5pm and 10am. The 6002 airport bus serves Jongno.

Hongdae, the district around Hongik University, is the best base for nightlife, young travellers and anyone on a budget. Hongik University station is on Line 2, the Gyeongui-Jungang line and AREX, so the all-stop train from Incheon arrives in about 50 minutes for about 4,000 to 5,000 won, the cheapest airport transfer in the city. Yeonnam-dong to the north, along the Gyeongui Line Forest Park, has cafes and wine bars and is quieter at night; Sangsu and Hapjeong to the south are full of small bars.

This is Seoul’s hostel capital, with dorms from about 20,000 to 35,000 won and private guesthouse rooms from 50,000 won. For hotels, L7 Hongdae sits on top of the station, RYSE, Autograph Collection is the design hotel on the main street, and Mercure Ambassador Seoul Hongdae is a solid mid-range choice. Sinchon, one stop east, is similar but cheaper and less crowded. The catch is distance from the palaces: allow 25 to 30 minutes to Gyeongbokgung, and Friday and Saturday nights are loud near the club streets.

Itaewon, below Namsan on Line 6, is Seoul’s international district: foreign restaurants, craft beer, cocktail bars, the Seoul Central Mosque with halal food around it, and the city’s main LGBTQ+ bars. Hannam-dong to the east is the fashionable end, with design shops, galleries and the Leeum museum. The National Museum of Korea and the War Memorial are a short ride west.

The Grand Hyatt Seoul on Namsan’s slope has some of the best views in the city and an outdoor pool in summer; the Hamilton Hotel on the main Itaewon road is an older mid-range choice, and guesthouses fill the side streets. The area is hilly, Line 6 is slow to transfer from, and there is no AREX stop, so expect a limousine bus or a change at Seoul Station or Gongdeok from the airport.

South of the river, Gangnam is business Seoul: wide roads, glass towers, the COEX mall and Starfield Library, Bongeunsa temple, the big clubs and the department stores of Apgujeong and Cheongdam. Sinsa-dong’s Garosu-gil (Sinsa, Line 3 and the Shinbundang line) is the most pleasant pocket, with tree-lined boutique streets. Gangnam station (Line 2 and Shinbundang) is the transport hub, and Suseo station has SRT bullet trains to Busan.

Gangnam has Seoul’s biggest choice of upscale hotels: Park Hyatt Seoul and InterContinental Seoul COEX at Samseong, Josun Palace at Gangnam station, and Andaz Seoul Gangnam in Sinsa, from about 300,000 to 600,000 won. Mid-range business hotels around Gangnam and Yeoksam stations cost 120,000 to 200,000 won and drop at weekends. Further east, Jamsil suits families: Signiel Seoul occupies the upper floors of Lotte World Tower, and Lotte Hotel World connects to Lotte World. The drawback for sightseers is the 35 to 45-minute ride to the palaces.

• Dongdaemun: the wholesale fashion district around the old east gate and the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (Dongdaemun History and Culture Park, Lines 2, 4 and 5) stays busy until dawn and has good-value mid-range chains from about 90,000 won, plus the JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul for a five-star view of the gate. Central, close to Gwangjang Market, and on the 6002 airport bus.
• Seoul Station: the best base for early KTX trains, day trips and the AREX express, which runs non-stop to Incheon in about 43 minutes. Four Points by Sheraton Josun Seoul Station and Fraser Place Namdaemun serviced apartments are close; Namdaemun Market and Myeongdong are walkable. The station area itself is busy with traffic and has little evening life.
• Yeouido: the river island of banks and TV studios has the Han River’s best park, the cherry-blossom road in April and the 63 Building. Conrad Seoul and Fairmont Ambassador Seoul are the luxury picks, Glad Yeouido the mid-range one. Line 9 runs direct from Gimpo Airport. It is dead at weekends after dark, except for riverside picnics.
• Seongsu: the converted warehouse district next to Seoul Forest (Seongsu, Line 2; Seoul Forest, Suin-Bundang line) has the city’s best cafes, pop-up stores and design shops, but few hotels; most beds are guesthouses and short-term apartments. Choose it for a second visit or a longer stay.

By type of bed, a night in Seoul costs roughly:

Prices climb in April’s cherry-blossom weeks, in October and over the Seollal and Chuseok holidays, and around big K-pop concerts, when hotels near the venues sell out. Gangnam and Yeouido business hotels are cheapest on Friday and Saturday nights; Hongdae and Myeongdong are the reverse. Our South Korea costs guide has the full daily budget.

• Check the exit number. Seoul stations have up to 14 exits and a hotel “near” a station can be a 10-minute walk underground. Look for under 5 minutes from a named exit.
• Rooms are small. Standard doubles in Myeongdong and Hongdae are often 15 to 18 square metres; families should look at serviced apartments such as Fraser Place or a Jamsil hotel.
• Love motels around bus terminals and nightlife streets are clean, spacious and cheap, with check-in from about 8pm for overnight rates; they are a normal option for couples and budget travellers.
• Short-term apartments: many apartment listings in Seoul are not legally registered for foreign guests. Book a licensed guesthouse or serviced apartment if you want a kitchen.
• Temple stays and jjimjilbang: a temple stay is an overnight cultural programme, not a hotel; a jjimjilbang works for one night after a late flight or a missed last train, not for a week.
• Floors and beds: ondol rooms mean sleeping on a mat on a heated floor. If you need a bed, check the room type.

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