5 Days in Seoul: Itinerary With a Day Trip to Suwon (2026)

• Line up the weekdays. Gyeongbokgung and Jongmyo close on Tuesdays. Changdeokgung and Deoksugung close on Mondays. Gwangjang Market's shops close on Sundays, but its food alley stays open.
• Buy the palace pass. The ₩6,000 integrated pass covers Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Deoksugung, Changgyeonggung and Jongmyo for six months. Bought separately, the three palaces in this plan cost ₩7,000. The Secret Garden tour (₩5,000) is extra.
• Book the Secret Garden. Online tickets for the Huwon tour open at 10:00 six days ahead.
• Card and base. Get a T-money card, and stay near Myeongdong, Seoul Station or Anguk (where to stay).

Afternoon: arrive and settle in

From Incheon Airport, the AREX all-stop train reaches Seoul Station in 59 minutes from Terminal 1 (66 from Terminal 2). It costs ₩4,750–₩5,350 by card. The express takes 43–51 minutes and costs ₩13,000. See Incheon Airport to Seoul.

Evening: Myeongdong and N Seoul Tower

Seoul Station is two stops from Myeongdong on Line 4. Walk the shopping streets from Exits 5–10. Then take Exit 5 to Hoehyeon intersection and ride the Namsan Oreumi elevator and cable car (10:00–23:00) up to N Seoul Tower. The observatory opens until 22:30 on weekdays and 23:00 on weekends, and a ticket costs ₩29,000.

Morning: Gyeongbokgung

Enter at 09:00 (Gyeongbokgung Station, Line 3, Exit 5). The guard change is at 10:00 at Gwanghwamun Gate. During the Korea Grand Festival, 29 October–15 November 2026, entry is free.

Midday: Bukchon and Insadong

Walk east to Bukchon, about 15–20 minutes. Visitors may enter the core lanes only from 10:00 to 17:00. Have lunch in Insadong (Anguk Station, Exit 6).

Afternoon: Changdeokgung and the Secret Garden

Walk about 10 minutes to Changdeokgung (Anguk Station, Exit 3). English Huwon tours run at 14:30 and, in March–November, 15:30.

Evening: rest near your hotel

Day 3 starts early, so keep tonight short. If you have energy, Insadong's Ssamziegil arcade stays open until 20:30.

Morning: Deoksugung and Cheonggyecheon

Deoksugung opens at 09:00 (City Hall Station, Exit 2). A guard ceremony is held at Daehanmun Gate, except on Mondays. From City Hall Exit 4, follow Cheonggyecheon Stream east on foot.

Midday: Gwangjang Market

The stream path leads toward Jongno 5-ga. Or take Line 1 from City Hall to Jongno 5-ga, 3 stops and about 10 minutes, and use Exit 8. Eat in the food alley, which is open daily 09:00–23:00.

Afternoon and evening: Dongdaemun Design Plaza

DDP is one stop from Jongno 5-ga on Line 1 to Dongdaemun, then one more on Line 4. You can also walk it in about 15 minutes. The plaza opens 10:00–20:00 (Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station, Exit 1).

Getting there

Suwon is south of Seoul. Choose:

• Subway Line 1 from Seoul Station to Suwon Station: ₩2,150 by card (Korail metropolitan fare table) and about an hour.
• KTX from Seoul Station: about 35 minutes for ₩7,500 in standard class. The 1 November 2026 timetable has only two morning KTX trains to Suwon, at 08:12 and 10:12, so book ahead.

From Suwon Station, a taxi to Hwaseong Haenggung Palace takes about 12 minutes. Buses also run; check the number in your map app.

Morning: Hwaseong Haenggung

The king's temporary palace opens 09:00–18:00 every day. An adult ticket costs ₩2,000, and a ₩4,000 combined ticket covering three sites is also sold. Entry is free in hanbok and on the last Wednesday of each month.

Afternoon: walk the fortress wall

The 수원화성Suwon HwaseongSuwon Hwaseong Fortress walls are free and always open. From the palace, Paldalmun Gate is about 600 m away. Janganmun, the north gate, is about 2 km further along. Walk a section of the wall between the gates and come back down into the old town.

Evening: back to Seoul, or stay late

Until 1 November 2026, Hwaseong Haenggung also opens at night on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, 18:00–21:30 (last tickets 21:00). Check the last Line 1 train or KTX back before you stay.

Morning: Hongdae and Yeonnam

Start at Hongik Univ. Station (Line 2 and AREX). Exit 3 leads to Gyeongui Line Forest Park; Exit 9 leads to the main Hongdae streets.

Afternoon: fly home

Hongik Univ. Station is on the AREX all-stop line, so you can ride straight to the airport with your bags. Store luggage in a station locker or at your hotel while you explore. Plan to reach the airport well before check-in closes; see AREX.

Late flight? Add Seongsu (Line 2, about 35 minutes east of Hongik Univ.) or the National Museum of Korea, which is free and open on Mondays.

Approximate costs per adult as of October 2026, not including accommodation:

The meal range uses the Korea Consumer Agency's Seoul averages for September 2026. The low end is gimbap (₩3,923), a kimchi-stew set meal (₩8,846) and bibimbap (₩12,000). The high end adds a 200 g barbecue portion (₩21,321). Over five days, without the hotel, that comes to roughly ₩210,000–₩305,000 per person. Room rates by city and travel style are in the budget guide.

Short on time? Use 3 days in Seoul. Adding Busan? See Seoul and Busan in 7 days.