Traveling by yourself in a foreign city can be daunting for anyone but visitors to Seoul will be happy to know that the city is not only extremely safe but there’s a wide range of things to do for lone travelers!

The Discover Seoul Pass is perfect for solo travelers looking to make the most of their time in the city. The one-day pass allows the card holder entry to 16 different top attractions around Seoul. This includes the royal palaces, museums like the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art, Hallyu experience centers like K-Live and MBC World, and more. The pass is linked with an official mobile application, with support for five languages, and details information about each attraction. The 24 hour mark begins with the entry to your first attraction and you can check the timber on the app to see how much time is left on the pass. The pass also functions as a rechargeable and reusable Tmoney transportation card so make sure you hold onto it for future use! Cards can be picked up at locations like Incheon Airport and the Myeong-dong Tourist Information Center. For the full details, visit www.discoverseoulpass.com.

The Seoul City Tours are also a great way to see Seoul in a short time. There are a number of themed courses to choose from including a downtown palace tour, Seoul panorama course, and even night courses! For even more savings, present the Discover Seoul Pass that I just mentioned and you’ll receive a discount for the Seoul City Tour!
If you prefer to explore by walking, why not do so on free guided tours? The City Walking Tours are operated by the city and also offer different courses that appeal to all interests from historic sites to ecological nature hikes. These tours are led by highly trained guides and the tours are offered in multiple languages. Search “Seoul City Walking Tour” via the visitseoul.net homepage for detailed information.

There are also a number of free guided tours at museums like the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art, the Seoul branch of the Museum of Modern Contemporary Art, the National Museum of Korea, and the Seoul History Museum. The royal palaces and Jongmyo Shrine also hold guided tours in multiple languages. Check their respective homepages for tour offerings and times.
Seoul’s many traditional markets are fantastic to explore on your own as the lively scene, cheaper prices, and diverse things to shop for makes for a great and unique personal time. Gwangjang Market, Namdaemun Market are some of the larger ones but plenty of smaller neighborhood markets make for fun experience. And of course, the many food stalls and vendors make it cheap and easy to grab snacks or a meal by yourself.

For a quieter way to enjoy Seoul, try having a picnic along the Han River. Simply pick up some food and drinks from the many convenience stores around and enjoy the view! You can also easily and inexpensively rent a bike to ride around from the many bike rental shops. Meanwhile book lovers can head to the many major book stores around the city which carry an ample selection of foreign books or you can visit the Seoul Metropolitan Library in front of City Hall. This historic building is fascinating by itself, even having once been the former city hall building, and now houses many books, magazines and other media available for browsing in multiple languages. There’s even a café on the top floor and a rooftop that’s open to the public in warmer seasons.

While dining alone is perfectly fine in most restaurants, some such as for Korean barbecue, will only accept a minimum of two or more individuals. Gogichon “P” Bar in Sinchon or Gangnam’s “O”mamae are two restaurants that’s meant for solo barbecue lovers while Hana Shabu “J” in Samseongdong offers hotpot shabushabu for individuals. Afterwards, try one of the single-person noraebangs, or coin noraebangs, in areas like Hongdae if you want to let loose your inner singer or head to one of the many draft beer pubs or bars in hot areas like Itaewon for great craft beers, cocktails, and drinks you can enjoy alone. Who knows, you may even make some new friends by the end of the night!