Cheap Flights to Seoul in May

Seoul's tourist ground zero — dense with K-beauty shops, street food stalls selling egg bread and spicy rice cakes, and mid-range hotels. Skip the overpriced sit-down restaurants here but absolutely walk the main street for the food stalls at night. Good base for first-timers because everything is accessible and the subway connections are excellent.

The college district that never sleeps — cheap eats, independent clothing boutiques, live music venues, and a hostel scene that attracts younger international travelers. Guesthouses run ₩30,000-50,000/night and the street art and busking scene around the park is free entertainment. The AREX stop here means you're 43 minutes from the airport, which is useful.

Seoul's traditional arts district, with tea houses, galleries, and antique shops lining a pedestrian-friendly street. Ssamziegil courtyard complex is worth an hour — indie designers and a rooftop cafe. Good place to find proper Korean ceramics and hanji paper goods that aren't airport-souvenir quality.

A hillside neighborhood of preserved hanok (traditional Korean houses) between Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung palaces. Several guesthouses let you actually sleep in a hanok for ₩80,000-150,000 — a genuinely different experience from a hotel. Come before 9am to see it without tour groups; the residential streets get genuinely crowded by 11am.

The glossy, wealthy district south of the Han River immortalized in that Psy song — luxury hotels, Michelin-starred restaurants, and the COEX underground mall (which connects directly to the subway without stepping outside). The Apgujeong Rodeo area has the best high-end Korean and international dining; stay here if budget is no concern and you want the sleekest version of Seoul.

Seoul's most international neighborhood, sitting below Namsan Mountain — every cuisine imaginable within a few blocks (proper Mexican, Lebanese, Ethiopian, French bistros), plus the best English-language bar scene. It went through a difficult period post-2022 but has rebounded significantly; the Haebangchon (HBC) sub-neighborhood uphill is where the most interesting independent restaurants have set up.

A tiny, dense grid of converted hanok that became Seoul's trendiest low-key neighborhood — artisan coffee shops, tteok (rice cake) dessert bars, and wine bars squeezed into century-old buildings. No major hotels here; stay in adjacent Jongno and walk over. The narrow alleys feel genuinely atmospheric in a way that more famous Bukchon sometimes doesn't.