Lonely Planet Seoul

By Lonely Planet, Martin Robinson, Trent Holden, et al.

Book Overview

Lonely Planet's local travel experts reveal all you need to know to plan the trip of a lifetime in this latest edition of our guide to Seoul.

Discover Seoul's most popular experiences and best kept secrets from peeking into the lives of Korean royalty at the five grand palaces of Seoul, to tasting your way through delicious street food snacks at Gwangjang Market, and experiencing traditional Korean Buddhist life through a temple-life day at Bongeun-sa.

Build a trip to remember with Lonely Planet's Seoul travel guide:

Our classic guidebook format contains the most comprehensive level of information for planning multi-week tripsAll-new structure and design that's easy to use so you can navigate Seoul effortlesslyExciting Perfect Day itineraries help you create your ideal adventure with suggestions of unmissable attractions and activitiesExpert local recommendations on eating, drinking, nightlife, shopping, accommodation, festivals, when to go and moreVibrant photography and maps including a pull-out map of SeoulGet fresh takes on must-visit sights from Jongmyo, to Bongeun-Sa, and the Korea Furniture MuseumEssential information toolkit containing tips on arriving, transport, local etiquette, using money, LGBTIQ+ travel advice, useful words and phrases, accessibility and responsible travelConnect with Seoul culture through stories that delve deep into local life, history and traditionsCovers: Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu; Myeong-dung & Jung-gu; Western Seoul; Itaewon & Yongsan-gu; Gangnam & Southern Seoul; Dongdaemun & Eastern Seoul plus day trips to Demilitarized Zone & Joint Security Area, Suwon, Incheon, Ganghwado

Create a trip that's uniquely yours and get to the heart of this extraordinary city with Lonely Planet's Seoul.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1837584133
• ISBN13: 9781837584130
• Release Date: October 2026
• Publisher: Lonely Planet
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.0" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

A good guide to Seoul

I've been in Seoul for over a month and have used this guide to see most of the sights and to find my way around. I've been very satisfied with it. Seoul is an extremely difficult city to navigate, and this book helps get around. The maps could be a bit more user friendly, but in general they are helpful and the descriptions of the tourist sights have been accurate. Since I have an apartment here, I can't speak to the hotel recommendations. I was surprised to see all the negative reviews already posted, but perhaps the new edition (which is what I am using) is better than previosu editions.

Seoul City Guide

Great book! Very informative and very helpful. Definitely taking it with me to the city to use. It is small and convenient for packing and carrying.

Helpful for Newbies

Having never been to Seoul this book was very helpful for finding attractions. I did not use the book for accomodation or dinner recommendations though. A particularly convenient aspect of the book was that it told you which subway exit to leave from for a lot of the attractions. When subway stops commonly have many exits it makes it that much quicker.

Learning about Seoul

Being first time travelers to Korea, we wondered what it would be like. A friend recommended that we order this book. We found it very helpful in answering many of our questions. We also referred to the book on several occasions while in Seoul, confirming our memory of its contents, such as the custom in tipping for services and to remind us of the below ground shopping experiences available within the city. We would recommend the book to others. We also ordered the Korean Phrasebook which we did not use at all -- it was not necessary or helpful for our use.

This book is very informative!

I had lived in Seoul for a year without a guide book. When Lonely Planet's new edition of "Seoul" was released I decided to buy the book. At the time, I didn't think I needed the book because I thought I knew pretty much everything. Anyways, the book is turning out to be very helpful and interesting. I'm finding new and different things to do in a city that I thought I knew.