Late October silver grass festival at Haneul Park

Short-term stays in Seoul must be registered with the district office, either as a foreign tourist guesthouse or a hanok experience business. Unregistered rentals, including some office or mixed-use buildings listed to overseas users only, can break the Building Act and the Public Health Control Act. A booking can…

The Seoul International Fireworks Festival lights up Yeouido Hangang Park, usually on the first Saturday of October, with crowds around a million. The date moved earlier in recent years when Chuseok fell in early October, so confirm the date before you plan. Roads and bridges around Yeouido close for the day, so go by…

The National Gugak Center in Seocho hosts a Saturday Gugak Concert in its Umyeondang hall, a showcase of Korean court music, folk songs and dance that changes from week to week. Book ahead on the center's booking page or a reseller, and arrive early to find your seat. Children need to be old enough to sit through it…

At stores with a Tax Free sign, such as major department stores and Olive Young branches in Myeongdong or Gangnam, ask for the instant refund at the register and show your physical passport. The tax is taken off on the spot, but you must still show the receipts and unopened goods at the customs desk at the airport…

In Sinseol-dong, a former school building holds the Seoul Folk Flea Market, an indoor maze of secondhand and vintage goods such as typewriters, old magazines and school uniforms. Because it is indoors it is comfortable in heat or deep cold, and outdoor stalls spread into the surrounding streets on weekends. Haggle…

Inside the National Museum of Korea, the Room of Quiet Contemplation is a dark, softly lit space built for just two gilt-bronze pensive bodhisattva statues from the sixth and seventh centuries. The entrance darkens gradually so your eyes adjust, and the walls are made from natural materials. The room is small and…

Jongmyo, the UNESCO ancestral shrine of the Joseon kings, can be entered only on timed, guided tours from Monday to Friday, except the last Wednesday of the month. English tours run in the morning and afternoon at set hours, and each lasts about an hour. If you arrive at random on a weekday you can miss the slot…

Google Maps gives transit directions in Korea but not proper walking routes, so the blue line often shows straight lines to a station or nothing at all. Business details such as opening hours can also be out of date. Install Naver Map or Kakao Map before you land: Naver is stronger for place information and transit…