Leisure & Entertainment


Enjoy Seoul's leisure and entertainment


Seoul is a dynamic city that offers an array of locations for sightseeing, leisure and entertainment. This page organises various locations in each category to help you find the right activity for your time here.

Theatres

National Theater of Korea (국립극장)


Opened in 1950 as the first national theater in Korea, the National Theater of Korea is the only theater that produces performances that integrate traditional and contemporary arts. The theater offers a range of performances to promote appreciation of the performing arts.


59 Jangchungdan-ro

Jung-gu

Seoul

Website

Sejong Center for the Performing Arts (세종문화회관)


Opened in 1991 to provide citizens with a cultural art space. Offering customer-friendly programmes aimed at improving the quality of art performances, it is comprised of the Grand Theater of Sejong Center, Sejong M Theater, Sejong Chamber Hall and Exhibition Hall.


81-3 Sejongno

Jung-gu

Seoul

Website

Seoul Arts Center (예술의전당)


Representative art complex of Korea, comprised of the Opera House, Concert Hall, outdoor stage and more. The Opera House and Concert Hall have a total of five performance halls offering an average of 800 performances each year.


700 Seocho-dong

Seocho-gu

Seoul

Website

Sightseeing

Cheonggyecheon (청계천)


The 10.84km stream flows through the heart of Seoul, from Gwanghwamun to Dongdaemun. It passes close to many tourist attractions (e.g. Gyeongbokgung Palace, Gwangjang Market, Dongdaemun), allowing visitors to have a leisurely stroll along the stream while visiting nearby sites.


Cheonggye Plaza

1 Taepyeongno 1(il)-ga

Jung-gu

Seoul

Hangang Parks (한강공원)


The Han River (Hangang) is a beautiful symbol of Seoul where visitors can be found biking, walking, running, picnicking or simply enjoying the view. With a total of 12 Hangang parks in the city, there will undoubtedly be a park nearby to take a break from the busy city.


Various locations across Seoul

Simply search 한강공원 on Naver Map to find your closest park.



N Seoul Tower (N서울타워)


Created as an observatory and broadcasting tower, the 239m high tower's observatory offers an unobstructed view of the whole city. Visitors can also enjoy the Namsan Cable Car from the foot of the mountain to the base of the tower.


105 Namsangongwon-gil

Yongsan-gu

Seoul

Website

Seokchon Lake (석촌호수)


Divided into West Lake and East Lake based on Songpa-daero, the lake offers various sights such as Lotte World Adventure, Cafe Street and Bangi-dong Food Alley while exploring around.


Jamsil-dong

Songpa-gu

Seoul

Seoul Forest (서울숲)


Eco-friendly city-park consisting of five parks spread over approximately 595,000㎡ of land. The park includes an ecology forest, deer park, insect garden, butterfly garden, water fountain, forest playground, etc.


685-124 Seongsu-dong 1(il)-ga

Seongdong-gu

Seoul

Seoul Plaza (서울광장)


Historic site in front of City Hall where the March 1, 1919 (Samil) Independence Movement and pro-democray movement in June 1987 were held. Today, it has become a representative attraction of Seoul where people gather for leisure and picnics.


17-3 Taepyeongno 2(i)-ga

Jung-gu

Seoul

Starfield Library (별마당 도서관)


A beautiful, futuristic library located in the middle of COEX Central Plaza, offering visitors a perfect reading space. The two-story library has 13-meter-tall bookshelves with more than 50,000 books.


159 Samseong-dong

Gangnam-gu

Seoul

Website

Adventure & Activities

Golden Blue Marina (골든블루마리나)


Marine leisure sports company that offers luxurious yacht tours and rentals along the Han River. They offer a variety of yachts that allow visitors to choose from.


650 Banpo-dong

Seocho-gu

Seoul

Website

Inwangsan (인왕산)


Over 300 metres high, this mountain tops over many several districts of Seoul. Inwangsan is known for its stunning panoramic view of Seoul at the peak and during the descent.


Since the mountain offers two routes to the peak and two other routes along a trail, visitors are advised to search for the route that best suits their needs.

Namsan Park (남산공원)


Largest park in Seoul and home to many species of trees, plants and animals. The park is known for its beautiful walking trails that allow visitors to see the local wildlife on their way up to N Seoul Tower.


231 Samil-daero

Jung-gu

Seoul

Massages, Spas & Skincare

Spa 1899 (스파1899 대치본점)

Reservation only


Premium massage place that uses products from the CheongKwanJang brand, the oldest and most reputable ginseng manufacturer in Korea. They provide treatments that promote skin restoration and improved blood circulation.


1002 Daechi-dong

Gangnam-gu

Seoul

Website

Sulwhasoo Balance Spa (설화수 발란스스파)

Reservation only


Luxury spa with the best Sulwhasoo line, a leading cosmetic brand of Korea. Sulwhasoo Balance Spa offers various packages for your skin, body and mind that use valuable herbal ingredients.


4F, 18 Dosan-daero 45-gil

Gangnam-gu

Seoul

Website

Sulwhasoo Spa (설화수 스파)

Reservation only


Another luxury spa offered at the same building as the Sulwhasoo Balance spa. Using ancient Asian beauty secrets and premium products from Sulwhasoo, they focus more on anti-aging treatments.


B1, 18 Dosan-daero 45-gil

Gangnam-gu

Seoul

Website

The Spa Grand Hyatt Seoul

Reservation only


Premium spa that offers a luxurious experience using a mix of Korean and European spa philosophies to promote youth and positive health. Treatments are created with 6-year-old ginseng and a blend of traditional Korean herbs.


747-7 Hannam-dong

Yongsan-gu

Seoul

Website

Dragon Hill Spa (드래곤힐스파)


Affordable Korean bathhouse spa operated by traditional heating techniques. The jjimjilbang and spa facilities offer saunas, an open-air bath, seawater bath, salt room, swimming pool and health centre.


40 Hangang-daero 21 na-gil

Yongsan-gu

Seoul

Website

About Korean Bathhouses


Bathhouses are a big part of Korean culture, with families, friends, couples, of all ages going for the experience. Most Korean bathhouses, found every few blocks in the city, consist of a public bath and a jjimjilbang (찜질방). The public baths are sex-segregated with showers, cold/hot tubs and massage tables. Directly translated to 'heated room,' a jjimjilbang houses several Korean traditional kiln saunas of different temperatures, offering food and beverages options to enjoy.


Entry to a bathhouse usually costs between ₩7000 and ₩20,000, with neighbourhood bathhouses being on the cheaper end. While visitors wear provided uniforms in jjimjilbangs, they must be comfortable with being nude in the locker rooms and baths.

Karaoke


Karaoke rooms, known as noraebang (노래방) in Korea, are hugely popular among Koreans of all ages. Noraebang are ubiquitous in Korean and can be found on just about every block in Seoul. These private singing rooms come in all shapes and sizes, from luxurious to hole-in-the-wall, and from groups to single-person (coin noraebang).

  • Most will rent a room by the hour

  • Reservations are usually not required other than more high-end karaoke rooms accompanied with alcohol

  • ₩6,000-30,000 an hour depending on how fancy the establishment is

  • When not at full capacity, visitors may get additional time free of charge, referred to as seo-bi-sseu (taking from the term 'service)


For a noraebang experience, search for signboards with the word 노래방 (noraebang), sometimes written as 노래연습장 (norae yeonseupjang – singing practise room).

Theme Parks

Lotte World Adventure (롯데월드 어드벤처)


The world's largest indoor theme park that extends to the outdoors. The park is complete with a variety of rides, fantastic parades and performances, and food from around the world. Lotte World is a perfect destination for rainy days.


40-1 Jamsil-dong

Songpa-gu

Seoul

Website