Myeongdong & Euljiro

Things to know

• The integrated palace ticket is ₩6,000, not ₩10,000. It covers Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung (palace only, NOT the Secret Garden), Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung and Jongmyo, one entry each, valid six months from purchase. Buying the five separately costs ₩9,000, so it pays off from three sites. Palace admission has been frozen since 2005 and a revised fee structure is slated for 2027.
• Namdaemun Market is closed on Sundays, and so are several of the district's best restaurants (Hadongkwan, Pildong Myeonok, Mugyodong Bugeo Gukjip all shut Sunday). Sunday in Jung-gu is a genuinely worse day to eat here — plan it for Myeongdong's carts or Euljiro instead.
• Deoksugung closes Mondays; so do DDP, Namsangol Hanok Village, SeMA and Sungnyemun. Monday is the day to do Myeongdong, Namdaemun and Namsan.
• The Deoksugung changing-of-the-guard happens three times a day — 11:00, 14:00 and 15:30, in front of Daehanmun — is free to watch from the street, and is cancelled on Mondays and in extreme heat or cold.
• Several of the great old restaurants here run out and close, rather than closing at a set hour. Hadongkwan lists 07:00–16:00 but stops when the gomtang vats are empty, often well before. Go early.
• The Namsan cable car is ₩15,000 return and does not include the N Seoul Tower observatory, which is a further ₩29,000. The view from the free public terrace at the tower's base is the same view; the observatory buys you height and glass. Walking up from Namsangol or the Myeongdong side takes 30–40 minutes and is free.
• Google Maps walking and transit directions do not work properly anywhere in Korea. Use Naver Map or KakaoMap; both are free, both have English, and both give subway exit numbers, which matters enormously in a district where exits are hundreds of metres apart.
• Subway base fare is ₩1,550 as of June 2025. Seoul's official tourism pages still publish the old ₩1,400 figure in places — do not trust posted prices on tourism sites without a second check.
• Euljiro's bars are mostly on upper floors and in courtyards behind unmarked doors, which is not affectation — the ground floors are still workshops paying commercial rent. Expect to look for an intercom or a stairwell.