What's a good 3-day itinerary for Seoul?

Seoul's geography makes this easy. The subway is cheap, clean, and announced in English — but the real trick is clustering your days by neighborhood so you're not crisscrossing the city on Line 2 all afternoon. Day 1 stays inside Jongno-gu, the old heart north of the Cheonggyecheon stream. Gyeongbokgung opens at 9am; arrive at 8:50 and you'll walk the gravel courtyards with maybe forty other people instead of four hundred. The changing of the guard happens at 10am at the Gwanghwamun gate — worth seeing once, skip it if the heat's bad. Walk north from the palace into Bukchon Hanok Village, but take the steep alleys east of the main road. The viewpoint on Bukchon 8-gil gets crowded by 11am. For lunch, Tosokchon Samgyetang sits a five-minute walk from Gyeongbokgung's west gate — the ginseng chicken soup runs about 18,000 won (roughly $12 USD) and the line moves fast. Afternoon: the 2:30pm English-language tour of Changdeokgung's Secret Garden is the single best guided experience in Seoul. Book online, 8,000 won. By 5pm you're free to drift into Ikseon-dong, where converted hanok houses hold coffee shops and wine bars in rooms barely wider than your arm span.

End day 1 at Gwangjang Market, a ten-minute walk southeast. The bindaetteok stalls have been frying mung bean pancakes since the 1950s — you'll smell the sesame oil from a block away. The mayak gimbap stand near the east entrance sells rice rolls for 3,000 won that are frankly better than what you'll find at most sit-down restaurants. Day 2 shifts south to the Yongsan-Namsan corridor. Start at the National Museum of Korea — it's free, uncrowded on weekdays, and the Silla gold crown room alone is worth the trip. Give it two hours. From Ichon station, take Line 4 two stops to Myeongdong, then walk uphill to the Namsan cable car base. The cable car is 12,000 won round trip; the hiking trail from the base takes about 40 minutes and earns you the view. N Seoul Tower at the summit is one of those places where the observation deck fee (16,000 won) feels steep until you see the city stretching to the mountains in every direction. Late afternoon, walk downhill toward Itaewon and Haebangchon — the narrow streets climbing the hill behind the main drag have some of Seoul's best small restaurants.

For dinner on day 2, Haebangchon's steep lanes have a restaurant behind every other door — Korean BBQ, Turkish, Ethiopian, all within two blocks. If cold noodles sound right, detour one subway stop to Woo Lae Oak near Euljiro; they've served naengmyeon since 1946, and the broth arrives ice-cold, slightly tangy, like air conditioning you can drink. Day 3 heads west to Mapo-gu. Start at Mangwon Market around 10am — this is where Seoulites buy groceries, and the tteok vendors and fresh juice stalls make it a better food stop than tourist-facing Gwangjang. Walk south to Hongdae, which is louder and younger than anywhere else you'll have been. Street performers set up around 2pm on weekends near the playground. For lunch, Mapo Galmaegi near Mapo station grills pork jowl over charcoal — the fat renders to a crispy edge and the smoky smell fills the block. By late afternoon, subway to Yeouido Hangang Park. Buy fried chicken and beer from the CU at the park entrance, sit on the riverbank, watch the sun set behind the 63 Building. The river turns copper. This is what Seoulites do on warm evenings. About 15,000 won.

Practical notes. The T-money card works on every subway, bus, and convenience store — buy one at any station for 2,500 won and load 20,000 won for three days of transit. Seoul's subway runs until roughly midnight; after that, taxis are cheap (a cross-city ride is maybe 15,000–20,000 won, about $10–13 USD). Jet lag from North America hits hard — you'll wake at 4am the first two mornings. Use it: the Cheonggyecheon stream path at dawn is cool, empty, and lit by grey-blue light that makes the city feel like a different place. Worth noting: convenience stores here are legitimate meals. A GS25 or CU stocks triangle gimbap, hot cup ramyeon, and canned coffee for under 5,000 won total. Seoulites eat this way constantly. Mind you, the walking days are real — 8 to 10 kilometres each — so wear shoes you'd hike in, not fashion sneakers. One last thing: learn to say 감사합니다 (kam-sa-ham-ni-da, thank you). Nobody expects you to speak Korean, but that one word changes the temperature of every interaction.