Seoul moves fast — food, trends, Wi-Fi, everything. But it's also a city of palace courtyards and mountain trails inside the city limits. Bring an appetite and a few words of Korean.
- Watch the changing of the guard at Gyeongbokgung — rent a hanbok nearby and your palace entry is free, plus your photos improve dramatically.
- Eat through Gwangjang Market — bindaetteok (mung-bean pancakes) sizzling in oil, mayak gimbap, tteokbokki. Point, smile, say "igeo juseyo" (this one, please).
- Do Korean BBQ properly — order by the portion, grill at your table, wrap it in a lettuce leaf. Call the staff with a confident "yeogiyo!"
- Sing at a noraebang — private karaoke rooms, tambourines included. Koreans consider this a normal Tuesday; you should too.
- Hike Bukhansan or walk the Seoul City Wall — granite peaks inside a capital city. Locals hike in full gear; the views forgive your sneakers.
Korean looks hard and starts easy — hangul can be learned in an afternoon. Meet a Korean speaker below and arrive knowing more than "annyeonghaseyo".
