Beyond checklists and after sunset: Seoul expands options, opening hours in quest to be truly global city

For years, traveling in Seoul could feel like ticking off a standardized checklist — from roaming the nightlife of Hongdae and overlooking the skyline from N Seoul Tower to feasting on bulgogi and exploring traditional palaces dressed in hanbok (traditional Korean dress).

But the city is increasingly inviting visitors to put the usual to-dos aside and experience Seoul like locals do, through increasing accessibility to its streets, parks, rivers and traditions all year round, alongside a growing lineup of curated programs and events that offer experiences unique to the city.

That transformation is part of a broader effort to strengthen Seoul’s position as a global city. In the “G3 Seoul Plan” recently unveiled by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, an ambitious plan with 100 key tasks and a total investment of 86.1 trillion won ($63.5 billion) through 2030, the city showcased the goal of further boosting its international competitiveness as a destination.

Seoul’s growing prominence as a major global metropolis is reflected in international rankings. In Kearney’s Global Cities Outlook, Seoul climbed from No. 36 in 2022 to No. 2 in 2025. The city also rose from No. 26 to No. 10 in Euromonitor’s ranking of cities by tourism attractiveness over the same period.

With more sophisticated global travelers, Seoul’s approach to tourism is evolving, and the city also is working to share a wider variety of experiences beyond its already well-known landmarks.

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Living tradition 

One such effort is the revival and reinterpretation of Korea’s traditional culture, allowing visitors to experience it more intimately. 

An example of a typical itinerary includes visiting Bukchon Hanok Village, a historic residential neighborhood in Jongno District, central Seoul, which features hundreds of preserved hanok (traditional Korean home) dating back to the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). For many visitors, wearing hanbok is also part of the experience. 

Last year alone, the village had some 6,000 residents but saw a whopping 6.6 million visitors, according to data by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. 

But what if you could go beyond simply viewing hanok and experience the culture and lifestyle that once revolved around these traditional dwellings? 

Seoul Hanok Week 2026 recently kicked off, with a record 82 programs to allow just that in the event's fourth edition. Running through Sunday in the Bukchon and Seochon neighborhoods in Jongno District, central Seoul, the festival presents exhibitions, tours, hands-on activities and performances all aimed at promoting the historical significance of hanok. 

Last year’s edition drew some 74,000 visitors. 

Hanok tours, which have proven to be especially popular in previous editions, returned again, providing options for docent-led tours or self-guided visits. The tours allow visitors to spend time in hanok sites that are usually less accessible to the public, including the House of Woonkyung, one of the last remaining hanok mansions built in the early 20th century in central Seoul, and the Embassy of Switzerland in Seoul. 

Seventeen exhibitions are being held at some other venues, such as the Jongno Foundation for Arts & Culture and Eunpyeong Historical Hanok Museum, through mediums like photography, furniture and sculptures that highlight the key characteristics and beauty of hanok. 

Nine traditional performances were also scheduled to take place in sites like Unhyeon Palace, Bukchon Hanok Hall and Buckhon Traditional Culture Center, where audiences can hear performances on instruments like saenghwang (traditional Korean wind instrument), haegeum (two-stringed fiddle) and gayageum (12-stringed zither). 

Culture into the night 

As part of its efforts to strengthen Seoul’s global competitiveness, the city government is also working to create a vibrant, 24-hour city. 

One solution was to extend operating hours for municipal museums and cultural spaces into the night, giving visitors the opportunity to spend time in the city’s cultural venues well after the sun has set. 

Called Seoul Culture Night, the program extends evening hours at selected venues until 9 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and weekends through Nov. 30, expanding from its initial Friday-only schedule. 

There are evening-exclusive programs organized for night owls as well, including yoga, meditation, running and escape rooms, at venues like the Seoul Museum of Art, the Seoul Museum of History, the Seoul Museum of Craft Art, the Seoul Hanseong Baekje Museum, Unhyeon Palace and Namsangol Hanok Village. 

The Seoul Museum of History is hosting curator talks and evening tours every Wednesday and Friday at 7 p.m. through Nov. 6. Also in the evenings, the Seoul Museum of Craft Art is holding yoga, meditation and running programs. 

Late-night reading is encouraged at the Seoul Metropolitan Library, which is open until 9 p.m. from Tuesday to Friday, and the Seoul Outdoor Library, which operates until 10 p.m. from Friday to Sunday. 

Namsangol Hanok Village is the place to be for a traditionally themed escape room, where participants have to find clues hidden in a traditional Korean home and its gardens. 

Not to be outdone, the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts is offering nighttime backstage tours between October and December. 

Finally, evening walking programs are also available in Jeong-dong and Naksan Park, both in Jongno District, through October. 

The Seoul Metropolitan Government hinted that it is considering some venues to be allowed to be used as nighttime wedding venues in the future. 

A city to unwind in 

One of Seoul’s major goals is to move beyond being a city that visitors simply pass through, creating more opportunities for them to stay longer, unwind and take in their surroundings.

The city is doing this is by creating more public spaces where visitors can stop and rest. 

Recently, the city unveiled Nodeul Island’s newly renovated waterfront, where visitors can enjoy the view of the Han River through newly expanded gardens and a 1.5-kilometer (1-mile) walking trail, which were designed by the celebrated British architect Thomas Heatherwick. 

Seoul is encouraging visitors to make use of its waterfront spaces to take in views of the Han River, enjoy the sunset and run around. 

Nodeul Island is currently in the process of being further updated to become the capital’s next cultural landmark. That renovation is due for completion in 2030. In the meantime, the city will open completed sections of the island to the public in phases. 

Some of the new gardens used to be parking lots and waste disposal sites. They are now dotted with specially designed seating that doubles as public artwork. 

A floating garden on Nodeul Island is expected to be completed by December 2027, and will be a cultural complex that will include a performance venue overlooking the Han River. By 2030, the city plans to complete a sky art garden, a cultural art space that connects the island’s existing buildings with its eastern and western ends. 

Another separate project that Seoul city is set to undergo is transforming the large fountain area in front of the Bank of Korea in Myeongdong, central Seoul, into an open plaza that can accommodate up to 7,000 people. The existing fountain will be restored and relocated to Dream Forest in Gangbuk District, northern Seoul. 

The planned plaza will also offer a front-row seat to the famed holiday media facade at Shinsegae Department Store’s main branch, a popular annual attraction. It will also host K-pop performances and provide ample seating areas for passersby to stop and rest while they explore Myeongdong hot spots. 

Work trip-turned-vacation 

Seoul has also emerged as a major hub for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) tourism, a type of travel that brings together large groups for business events or retreats, in recent years.

Impressively, Korea's capital city has maintained the Best MICE City title, awarded by the U.S. magazine Global Traveler, for 11 consecutive years. 

Seoul is home to large MICE infrastructure, such as the Coex Magok Convention Center and Seoul MICE Plaza in Gangseo District, western Seoul, and Coex in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. A massive exhibition and convention complex about two and a half times the size of Coex is in the works in Jamsil in Songpa District, southern Seoul, which will also include Korea’s largest domed baseball stadium to date. Completion is targeted for 2032. 

The city continues to roll out “workcation” programs that allow business travelers to experience Seoul like tourists even while they work. Recently, Seoul invited workers from Japanese startups and businesses to the Seoul MICE Plaza for three days. 

Seoul MICE Plaza houses conference rooms, meeting rooms and lounges, allowing visiting companies to conduct daily work, company meetings, workshops, seminars and networking events. The venue is surrounded by several hotels and is just one subway stop, or a 15-minute car ride, from Gimpo International Airport. 

Japan in particular is seen as a key potential market for Seoul’s workcation programs, the city said, thanks to the country’s proximity. 

During the Japanese representatives’ visit, they held a seminar in which they exchanged ideas on workcation programs. Outside of work, they visited Seoul Botanic Park, took a Korean cooking class, explored Hongdae and rode the Seouldal hot air balloon in Yeouido, western Seoul. 

“Business tourism has recently expanded beyond international conferences and exhibitions to combining work with tourism,” said Cho Sung-ho, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s tourism and sports bureau, adding that the city aims to develop into “a business tourism hub where international business visitors can work, network and experience the city.” 

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [[email protected]]