4 days Seoul Itinerary

Seoul is one exciting Asian city. I, however, always thought it to be a destination for the younger crowd. That was until now. Seoul can be equally fun and engaging for the elderly or “oldies” and this is my 4-day elderly friendly Seoul itinerary. This itinerary is based on mine which I planned for my mum (who is now 70 years old and having undergone knee replacement surgeries for both knees) and my 14 year old niece. Feel free to modify it to suit your own needs and pace.

Day 1 – Arrival

We flew the night flight in arriving at Incheon Airport early morning. We took the airport express train to Seoul Station (7500 won per pax + 500 won deposit for the single use ticket) before swapping lines to our hotel. The transfer was free.

Price for 3 adults – Seoul Airport Express

Remember to exchange your single use tickets for the deposit!

We stayed at Hotel Venue G. The location, I felt, was ideal as it was close to two metro stations (Jongno 3-ga and Euljiro 3-ga) servicing lines 1,2,3 and 5. While breakfast is not included for free (at least for our room rate), breakfast is easy available in the nearby cafes at the metro or at your attraction destination.

Having deposited our luggage we were off to do some sightseeing. While we had some decent rest on the plane (having flown in on Business Class >< – There should be an article on this coming up), I decided to keep the day as simple as possible so as to be not too taxing and also taking into consideration that it is winter and the days are short.

Google Map doesn’t work in Korea other than being able to suggest bus/train routes (i.e. no point to point directions available for driving and/or walking). This is due to certain legal restrictions which google is unwilling to abide by. I suggest using the app Citymapper (for bus and walking directions in Seoul) or MAPS.ME (good for offline usage). These are free maps that work in Korea.

Itinerary – Namdaemun Market

Our first destination was Namdaemun Market.

This is the oldest and largest market in Seoul selling everything you can think of: Clothes, herbs, dry products, K-Pop related items, handicraft. So, if you intend to shop a bit, give yourself some time to walk down the alleys and just explore the area.

I found the ginseng image interesting ><

A dry goods section of the market with a clothing area beside it

For us, we were there to take in the vibe and also fill our bellies. We let ourselves to just follow the flow and we stumbled onto a very small alley that appears to be serving food. The alley looked cozy and we sat down for our breakfast. The ah-jum-mas there were very friendly and offered free portions of other types of food which we didn’t order. I got a free bowl of noodles to go with my Bibimbap!

Itinerary – Namsan Park and Seoul Tower

Having filled our bellies and having toured Namdaemun Market, we were off to Seoul Tower.

We took a cab to the cable car station which will bring us up to near the tower (the cable car costs 8,500 won for a round trip).

One tip here if you get on first is to head to either ends of the cabin. Unlike other cable cars, this is more a shared cabin experience with a large group of other strangers. So, if you are stuck in the center, you won’t likely get much of a view.

Getting off at the hill top station, it was a slight climb up to the tower. Nothing too strenuous. There is a love lock area in between and some of the messages were quite amusing to read. To that individual with the dream of finding that special someone, I wish you all the best. =]

The prices to go up the tower are still affordable at 10,000 Won per adult. There should be discounted fares. I have always difficulty choosing whether to do such viewings at night or in the day. I think it would be nicer, in the case of Seoul to do it later when the lights are on. Have you tried a night visit? Let me know in the comments!

Itinerary – Cheongyecheon stream

We then proceeded back down the tower and off to the cable car station. We then took a cab over to our hotel which is near Cheongyecheon stream (Line 3, Euljiro 3-ga Station) One great benefit of staying close to the stream is you get a chance to see it under different light conditions and in our case a stream covered in snow. The stream stretches quite a bit. The more popular end is at the junction of Cheongyecheon-ro and Changgyeonggung-ro. I believe it would look spectacular there at night with all the lighting. However, if visiting in the day, it may be advisable to also go down stream slightly at the junction with Donhwamun-ro. Personally, I find the stream there to be narrower and more eye pleasing.

This is the more “official” part of the stream where tourists normally congregate. I guess it would look better at night

Dinner in Seoul – 9 Layer Seafood Tower

This is one location I really looked forward to. The store is located at 924-40 Bongcheon-dong, Gwanak-gu close to Bongcheon station (Exit 6).

A word of caution – While the restaurant looks pretty far away by train, taking taxi may not be efficient both in terms of cost and time. The traffic jams along Seoul’s roads add on to the travel time such that it isn’t really any much faster for nearly 3x the costs (more if you are travelling alone).

The seafood is plentiful and you can always decide how many layers to go for. For my mum, niece and myself, we went for a 4 layer tower + instant noodles towards the end when we reached the final layer. I think we could have gone for 5 layers and still not overdo it. As for the instant noodles, you just need to ask the ladies serving for their noodles (either instant noodles or udon) and they will cook it separately before bringing the cooked noodles to add to your main pot.