Nathalie recently got a Seoul Pass to try out for a video she wanted to make and I went out for a weekend to help her film.
The Discover Seoul Pass is a 24 to 48 hour pass that let’s you into many of the attractions of Seoul for free. You can also put money on it and use it as a Tmoney card for transit or to pay for things in convenience stores. There are about 21 different attractions to visit and experience that the pass lets you into for free. I’ve made a map of all the places you can get into for free using the Discover Seoul Pass. You can look at it here.
We only had about a weekend to explore, so we barely made a dent in all the things you can do. We went to Hanboknam, Rode on the double-decker tour bus, Visited the Trick Eye Museum to test out their new 3D video app, Gyeongbokgung palace, and N Seoul Tower.
The only note I would make for N Seoul Tower, is that last time I went I hiked up the mountain and this time we took the cable car. The cable car, round trip is 8,500 for both adults. The cable car runs from 9-11pm every Tuesday-Sunday weather allowing and on Mondays from 9-2pm. We tried to make it up to the top of the tower for sunset and were hit with a ridiculously long line so expect to wait. Even when we did make it up to the tower there was an extra wait there, about an hour-long or so and we found that most of the restaurants around the tower were closing/ out of food.
If you manage to catch the cable car at a good time or your just exhausted I would say taking it up is totally worth it, but it isn’t included in the pass.
All of the attractions included with the pass for free are:
- Alive Museum– optical illusion photography opportunity
- An optical illusion photography experience
- Hours 9-8:30 pm, last admission at 7:30
- Changdeokgung Palace– UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Closed: Monday’s
- Hours: 9-6 pm, last admission ~1 hour before closing
- does not include secret garden tour
- Changgyeonggung Palace – UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Closed: Monday’s
- Hours: 9-6:30 pm, last admission ~1 hour to closing
- Coreana Cosmetics Museum – History of beauty in Korea
- Closed: Sunday’s, traditional holidays, and New Years Day
- Hours: (Seasonal) 10-7/6 pm, last admission ~ 1 hour till closing
- Deoksugung Palace – UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Closed: Monday’s
- Hours: 9-9pm, last admission ~1 hour till closing
- Figure Museum – Action Figure Museum and shop
- Closed: Chuseok, Lunar New Year day, January 1st
- Hours: 11-7 pm
-
Grévin Museum – wax museum
- Hours: 10-9pm/ Sunday’s 10-6pm
- Gyeongbokgung Palace – UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Closed: Tuesday’s
- Hours: 9-5pm, last admission ~ 1 hour till closing
- Hanboknam – traditional clothing experience (hanbok) and photography opportunity
- Hours: 9:30-9pm
- Jongmyo (Royal Shrine) – UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Closed: Tuesdays
- Hours: 9-6pm
- Guided tour required every day but Saturday
- Kimchi Museum – History of Kimchi, Kimchi tasting and DIY Kimchi course
- Closed: Monday’s, New Year’s Day, Lunar New Year, Chuseok, Christmas
- Hours: 10-6 pm
- Leeum Samsung Museum of Art – Korean antiquities and Contemporary art
- Closed: Monday’s, January 1st, New Years weekend, New Years day, Chuseok
- Hours: 10:30-6pm
- MBC WORLD – Interactive virtual experiences with k-pop and k-dramas
- Closed: Lunar New Year’s Day, Chuseok Day
- Hours: 10-6pm, last admission 4 pm
- National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul – art
- Closed: January 1st, Lunar New Year’s Day, Chuseok
- Hours: 10-8 pm, last admission~ 1 hour till closing
- N Seoul Tower (Observatory) – See Seoul from above
- Hours: 10-11 pm (Saturday’s open until midnight)
- Seodaemun Prison History Hall – Historical/Memorial Site and Tour
- Closed: Monday’s, January 1st, Lunar New Year’s Day, Chuseok
- Hours: Seasonal 9:30-6/5pm, last admission 30 minutes prior to closing
- 1-1 1/2 hour guided tour
- Seoul City Tour Double-Decker Bus – Hop on Hop off bus
- Hours: 9:30-6pm
- Last bus leaves at 5pm
- traditional course only with pass
- Simone Handbag Museum – history and showcase of handbags
- Closed: Mondays, January 1st, Lunar New Year, Chuseok
- Hours: Tuesdays-Saturdays 10-7pm, Sundays 11-7pm
- SM Town@coexartium(Theatre) – K-pop cafe, theater with musicals and hologram concerts, shopping
- Hours: 10-10pm
- Teseum Seoul – Interactive hands on teddy bear exhibit, with reservation make your own.
- Hours: 8:30-7pm, last admission 6pm
- Trick Eye Museum – optical illusion photography experience
- Hours: 9-9pm, last admission 8pm
The pass can be picked up at Incheon or at multiple locations in Seoul. We went to Myeongdong’s main tourist information center. It can be purchased in person or online ($24 at One More Trip seems to have the cheapest price)