What should I pack for Seoul?

Shoes matter more here than clothes. You take them off constantly — stepping into a hanok guesthouse in Bukchon, sitting cross-legged at a barbecue joint in Mapo-gu where the grill smoke clings to everything, entering any Buddhist temple. Lace-up boots are a mistake. Slip-on walking shoes or clean sneakers with pull-tabs save you five minutes of fumbling per day. Seoul is also hillier than most people expect. Inwangsan and Naksan have rocky trail sections that will shred flimsy sandals, and even the walk from Anguk Station up through Bukchon Hanok Village is a steady climb on uneven stone. Two pairs: proper walking shoes with ankle support, and one pair of easy-off shoes for restaurant and temple days.

Seoul's weather swings hard. Mid-April might hit 24°C and dry one afternoon, then 8°C with a cutting wind the next morning — locals have a saying about needing four seasons of clothes in one week. The trick is layering: a light down jacket or fleece that packs small, a wind-resistant shell, a couple of quick-dry base layers. Summer, late June through August, is different. The monsoon brings 30–35°C with humidity that sits on your skin like a wet cloth, and you'll be soaked walking ten minutes from Gyeongbokgung to Insadong. Pack moisture-wicking fabrics and accept that you might change shirts midday. Winter hits hard the other direction — December and January regularly drop to −10°C, and the wind off the Han River goes right through you. Thermal underwear, a serious coat, and hand warmers are the baseline, not extras.

Fine dust — 미세먼지, misemeonji — is the thing nobody warns first-timers about. Seoul gets stretches, mostly March through May, where the air quality drops enough to make your throat raw and your eyes water. Check the AirVisual app or the Korean Meteorological Administration's forecast daily. On bad days you'll notice everyone wearing KF94 masks — Korea's answer to the N95, and they tend to fit better if you have a smaller face. Pack two or three for your first day, then buy more at any Olive Young or pharmacy for 2,000–3,000 won apiece, roughly $1.50–2 USD. For electronics: Korean outlets are Type C and F at 220V. If you're coming from the US, you need an adapter and should leave any 110V-only hair tools at home. A portable battery pack matters here more than most cities — between T-money transit cards, Naver Maps for navigation, and Papago for real-time Korean translation, your phone works overtime.

Skip packing toiletries beyond your prescriptions. Korean drugstores — Olive Young in Myeongdong is the biggest, but there's one near every major subway exit — sell skincare and sunscreen that outperforms what you'd bring from home, often at half the price. Sheet masks run 1,000–2,000 won ($0.70–1.35). Sunscreen from brands like Beauty of Joseon or Isntree costs 12,000–15,000 won ($8–10) and uses UV filters that aren't approved in the US market yet. Umbrellas at any CU or GS25 cost 5,000 won ($3.37) — no reason to pack one. Worth noting: Western-style solid deodorant is the one toiletry that's hard to find locally. Korean brands lean toward light spray formulas that most Western visitors find insufficient. If you use stick antiperspirant, bring your own supply.