Seoul With Kids: The Honest Family Guide To South Korea's Mega-City

At a Glance

Location: Northwestern South Korea – capital city
Best time to visit: April to June or September to November – mild temperatures, festivals, stunning autumn colours
How long to stay: 5-7 days – enough to see the highlights
Best for: Families who enjoy culture, food, history and urban adventure
Budget (family of 4): Approx. 260k Won (USD$175 per day) (Slightly more affordable than Tokyo if comparing)
Getting there: Incheon International Airport – one of the world’s best airports
Getting around: Excellent metro system – T-money card essential
Best area to stay: Myeongdong for central access, or near Children’s Grand Park for families
Family friendly rating: 8/10 – warm, and friendly welcoming locals, great food and brilliant family attractions

My earliest memory of Seoul was the bloodshot, bulging eyeballs of Ben Johnson as he powered past the field in the 1988 Olympic 100m final – only to be disqualified days later for failing a drugs test. A high-profile introduction to a city I knew nothing about.

Nearly forty years later, the only bulging eyeballs were the ones for sale at the local market as we finally arrived in this mega-city – the last stop of the first half of our mammoth year-long family worldschooling adventure.

Seven days. Kids aged nine and seven. One near-missed accommodation arrival. One unforgettable day at Children’s Grand Park. And a Korean BBQ farewell dinner where the kids ate only rice.

This is our honest guide to Seoul with kids.

In This Article:

What is Seoul like for families?
When to visit Seoul with kids
Getting to Seoul
Getting around Seoul with kids
Where to stay in Seoul with kids
Where to eat in Seoul with kids
Things to do in Seoul with kids
Children’s Grand Park – the highlight
Tips for Seoul with kids
Costs and budget
Is Seoul worth it for families?
Frequently asked questions

What is Seoul Like for Families?

Seoul is a city of nearly 10 million people – a sprawling mix of neon lights, high-rises, sizzling street food, and the unmistakable aroma of kimchi drifting through the air. The protective ring of mountains surrounding the city softens the skyline and gives it a surprisingly scenic backdrop for a mega-city.

We arrived after five months on the road. With 4 months in Southeast Asia and 2 weeks in Japan all behind us, we chose to take Seoul at a slower pace. Five months of travel had caught up with us. We were finding cities hard work – louder, busier, and just tiring to navigate. So, we kept things simple.

What we found was a city that was very warm and friendly – Koreans were fascinated by our two blond-haired children and incredibly forgiving of our complete inability to pronounce anything in Korean. Even ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’ felt like full-length tongue-twisters. In the end we just mumbled something vaguely similar and smiled a lot.

Our honest take: Seoul surprised us. After the intensity of Japan, it felt more accessible, more relaxed, slower paced, and in some ways more fun for families. Children’s Grand Park alone was worth the visit. Go with an open mind and plenty of appetite – the food is fantastic.

When to Visit Seoul with Kids

Spring (April to June) – Cherry Blossoms and Mild Weather

Seoul has its own spectacular cherry blossom season slightly later than Tokyo. Temperatures are mild and pleasant (15-20 degrees), and the city’s parks and palaces are at their most beautiful. Our pick for families. We visited in late March and the weather was chilly in mornings and late afternoon but with the sun out in the day it was warm enough to enjoy (around 18 degrees).

Autumn (September to November) – Stunning Colours

Seoul’s autumn foliage is meant to be spectacular with the mountains surrounding the city turn brilliant reds and oranges. October is meant to be particularly good: cool, dry, and beautiful. One of the best times to visit apparently.

Summer (June to August) – Hot, Humid, Rainy

Seoul summers get hot (35+ degrees), humid, and the monsoon season brings heavy rain. Not ideal for families with young children who need to walk a lot.

Winter (December to February) – Cold

Seoul winters are genuinely cold – regularly below freezing, occasionally snowing. I would imagine it’s beautiful but harder to enjoy.

Getting to Seoul

By Air

Incheon International Airport is consistently rated one of the world’s best and we found it efficient, clean and easy to navigate. It’s about 60km from central Seoul. The AREX express train connects the airport to Seoul Station in 43 minutes. Taxis are also reliable and relatively affordable – we pre-booked a taxi via Booking.com and all went smoothly.

We flew from Osaka which is a quick two-hour flight. The arrival was almost spoiled when we discovered our host had forgotten we existed. This was around midnight with two tired kids but after some frantic messaging and the intervention of an incredibly helpful taxi driver, we were eventually installed in our apartment. Welcome to Seoul.

Book your flight to Seoul here.

Getting Around Seoul with Kids

Metro – Excellent

Seoul’s metro system is extensive, affordable and considerably less intimidating than Tokyo’s. Everything is signed in English as well as Korean, and the T-money card (Korea’s equivalent of Suica) works on all lines, buses and taxis. Note that the kids need to get a different T-money card than adults for cheaper fares.

Taxis

Seoul taxis seem to be reasonably affordable and easy to find. We downloaded the Kakao Taxi app (the Korean equivalent of Uber) and although we didn’t use it in the end, it seemed functional and easy to use.

Where to Stay in Seoul with Kids

Seoul has a wide range of accommodation options and although most people told us it’s cheaper than Tokyo, we couldn’t find anywhere cheaper. This may be due to leaving it until the last minute, but we had to settle for accommodation quite some distance from the centre within our budget. We stayed in Sadang in a very small 2-bed apartment, for 128k Won per night (USD$85), which was a very residential area with no real tourist attractions but it gave us a good glimpse into local life – plenty of places to eat, shops and a few good parks – about 40 minutes to the centre by metro.

Area Recommendations

Myeongdong – central, great shopping and street food, easy metro access. Good first-time base – but much more pricey
Sadang – where we stayed. Residential but cheaper and very relaxed. A good way to experience local life. A fairly long way to the centre but we made it work.
Near Children’s Grand Park (Gwangjin-gu) – quieter, easier access to the centre and easier access to the park

Book the same place as us in Sadang here.

Book other accommodation options here.

Where to Eat in Seoul with Kids

Seoul’s food scene is pretty awesome – there seems to be somewhere to eat at every step. Locals seemed to be constantly eating out; we wondered if anyone cooks at home. With prices fairly reasonable by western standards (certainly not Southeast Asian levels), eating out doesn’t completely blow the budget

The Gwangjang Market is Seoul’s oldest market and has some of the best street food in the city. Go hungry and try everything but have kimchi avoidance strategies ready for the kids

Korean BBQ – Do This

For our final dinner we treated ourselves to a proper Korean BBQ. The waiter arrived with a tray of hot coals and impressive chunks of pork, immediately getting to work on the grill. Then came an endless stream of side dishes – every fermented vegetable imaginable. The meat was incredible. The sides were full of flavour (included in the price and refillable if you want more). The fussy kids ate only rice. Some things never change.

Things to Do in Seoul with Kids

1. Children’s Grand Park – The Highlight for us

Despite the name, this is brilliant for adults too. Playgrounds, lakes, fountains, botanical gardens, a mini theme park, cafes, and even a free zoo. Everything you need for a brilliant family day in one place.

We met up with a local contact and her seven-year-old son. The kids had an absolute blast and we got a lovely glimpse into Korean family life. This is highly recommended if you visit Seoul with kids. Allow the whole day.

2. Gyeongbokgung Palace

Seoul’s largest and most impressive palace – built in 1395 and beautifully restored. The changing of the guard ceremony (10am and 2pm daily) is particularly good. Arrive early, the palace is enormous and gets very busy.

Book tickets to Gyeongbokgung Palace here.

3. Gwanghwamun Square

The grand ceremonial square in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace – impressive statues of Admiral Yi Sun-sin and King Sejong, wide open space for kids to run around, and the perfect foreground for photos of the palace and mountains behind.

4. Lotte World / Tower & Mall

Seoul’s huge indoor/outdoor theme park in Jamsil – one of the world’s largest indoor theme parks. Good for a full family day. We admired the 555-metre Lotte Tower nearby from the cherry-blossom walkway around the lake rather than going up (we had been scarred from an awful queuing experience at Tokyo’s Sky Tree). There is a huge mall nearby for great shopping if you intend to splash some cash.

Book tickets for Lotte World Adventure here.

Book tickets for Lotte World Tower here.

5. Insadong

Seoul’s traditional arts and crafts district – tea houses, galleries, street food, traditional Korean goods. The Ssamziegil courtyard is particularly good for kids with street performers and quirky shops. We loved this area, taking our time strolling around, soaking up the atmosphere and mooching around the stores. The kids of course loved touching everything they could in all the gift shops.

6. DDP Plaza

The DDP is one of Seoul’s most striking modern landmarks – a vast, swooping silver structure designed by Zaha Hadid that looks like a spaceship has landed in the middle of the city. Even if you don’t go inside, it’s worth a visit just to walk around the exterior and watch the kids try to work out what on earth it is. There’s a playground on one of the higher floors but its more for younger kids.

Tips for Seoul with Kids

Get a T-money card at the airport – works on metro, buses and taxis
Download Kakao Maps and Kakao Taxi before arriving – strangely Google Maps doesn’t work properly in Korea – you can view places but it wont give you a route/calculate distances.
Korean is harder than Japanese to approximate – even hello and thank you are challenging. Smile a lot instead.
Koreans are fascinated by Western children, especially blond ones – expect a lot of attention which is warmly meant. We had a few elderly locals touching our kid’s hair, which is generally crossing boundaries, but we could tell it was purely affection than anything else.

Costs and Budget for Seoul with Kids

Accommodation: 120-150k Won per night is probably the cheapest you will find (subject to time of year). We paid 128k per night (USD$85), and were 40 minutes from centre
Metro: 1,250-2,150 Won per journey (USD$1-1.60)
Korean BBQ dinner (family of 4): 60-100k Won (USD$45-75) – we paid 85k for ours.
Street food meal per person: KRW 5,000-10,000 (USD$4-8) – we ate at markets a lot
Children’s Grand Park entry: Free
Gyeongbokgung Palace: 3k Won per adult, children under 7 free
Overall daily budget (family of 4): approx. 260k Won (USD$175)

Is Seoul Worth It for Families?

Absolutely.

Coming from Japan, Seoul felt more accessible, more relaxed, slightly more affordable, and in general a slower pace, despite being a large city. The food is great. The people are warm and welcoming. Children’s Grand Park is one of the best family attractions. And the Korean BBQ alone was awesome even if the kids did only eat the rice!

Seven days was about right – enough to see several key sights and slow down without burning out. We know we could’ve done a lot more and have left a lot out for another visit, but we wanted to take it easy and we really enjoyed exploring the local residential neighbourhood rather than chase all over the city sight-seeing. This gave us a real cultural feel. A city worth returning to.

Ready to Book?

🏨 Find hotels in Seoul here.

🏖️ Book tours in Seoul here.

🎡Book Lotte World tickets here

🎡Book Gyeongbokgung Palace tickets here

✈️Book flights to Seoul here.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is Seoul good for families with young children?

A: Yes – Seoul is very family-friendly. Children’s Grand Park alone makes it worth visiting with kids. The metro is manageable, the food is adaptable, and Koreans are particularly warm towards children. Ages 7+ will get the most from it.

Q: How many days do you need in Seoul with kids?

A: Five to seven days is ideal. Five gives you the highlights; seven allows a slower pace. We spent seven days and felt we’d only scratched the surface because we took it so slow. At a faster pace you cover much more than we did.

Q: Is Seoul cheaper than Tokyo?

A: Yes – just about. Accommodation we found more expensive but that may be due to booking at the last minute. Food and transport are all more affordable in Seoul than Tokyo. A family of four can manage comfortably on USD$175 per day including accommodation compared to USD$250 per day in Tokyo.

Q: Do you need to speak Korean in Seoul?

A: No – but it would probably help the experience. We found English signage is widespread in tourist areas and major metro stations. Korean is genuinely difficult (even hello and thank you feel like tongue-twisters) but Koreans are incredibly warm and forgiving. Smiling and pointing goes a long way. We found English not widely spoken.

Q: What is Children's Grand Park Seoul?

A: One of Seoul’s best family attractions – a large park containing playgrounds, a free zoo, botanical gardens, a small theme park, fountains and excellent cafes. Free entry to the park and zoo. A genuine full-day family destination that is often overlooked by visitors.

Q: What is the best time to visit Seoul?

A: Spring (April to June) for cherry blossoms and mild weather, or autumn (September to November) for spectacular foliage and comfortable temperatures. Both are excellent for families.