Family Adventure in Seoul: Food, Culture, and City Walks

We went to Seoul in April 2026 as a family, 8 nights. Would I go back? For sure. From the airport we took an Uber, about one hour to the city, 54,000 won, around 30 euros. Not expensive for that distance and comfortable. Same on the way back. We stayed at The Plaza Seoul. They say 5 star hotel but in reality is more like a 4 star. It was ok, not wow, the rooms are not big. What saves it is the location, really well placed, subway right downstairs. We moved around mainly by metro, sometimes bus. And we walked A LOT, more than we expected. Seoul is a city of big boulevards, even to find the nearest bus station sometimes you walk a lot, crossing big roads, going around blocks. Count your steps there, you will be surprised. We did the regular things like N Seoul Tower but mostly we walked through the city. We went to Yongsan, an international neighbourhood with restaurants from everywhere, and the usual ones, Hongdae, Gangnam. One thing to know, Google Maps does not really work in Korea. We used Naver Map instead, not great either but we managed. For the subway we took the unlimited weekly pass, that was perfect. April was a great time to go. A bit chilly the first days, then shorts and t-shirt for the rest. The food was the best part. First day, tired and hungry, we ended up in a restaurant that served only soup. We saw people waiting in line so we did too. No English menu, just one plastic menu with a photo. We tried it, it was SO spicy and SO hot at the same time, I still don't know how the locals were eating it like that. The plastic menu is in the photos. After that we ate mostly in small places with few tables, we believe that is where the best food is, especially when you see locals waiting in line outside. Prices were really good, sometimes we ate for 15 euros in total for 3 persons, other times 30. We also tried the traditional Korean barbecue, they are everywhere. A bit more expensive than the rest but a nice experience, someone grills the meat for you even if the grill is in the middle of your table. If you are into Korean cosmetics, Olive Young boutiques are literally everywhere, sometimes 100 meters apart, very good prices. One thing that shocked us, the subway stations are marked as shelters in case of war, with gas masks in vending machines. Kind of creepy the first time you see it. I would go back for sure.