Best Seoul Hotels

Rooms in the three areas below start at $67 a night in Gangnam and reach $189 in Myeong-dong, and the difference buys a river crossing and a taller building more than a larger bed. Myeongdong Cathedral is a 5-minute walk (about 410 m) from Migliore Hotel Seoul Myeongdong and 12 minutes (about 900 m) from HOMES Stay Myeongdong. The Dongdaemun Design Plaza is 8 minutes (about 620 m) from DONGDAEMUN NEW HOSTEL. Gangnam Station is 7 minutes (about 540 m) from Ocloud Hotel Gangnam.

Myeong-dong is for a first trip: shopping lanes, street food, and a base with the palaces a subway transfer north. Dongdaemun Market is for the wholesale market at midnight, design shows at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, and cheaper 4-star rooms. Gangnam is for offices, restaurants, and the lowest rates, on the south side of the Han River. Choose the area first, then the building.

Where to stay in Seoul: the short answer

Pick Myeong-dong for a first visit built on shopping, street food, and the walk to the cathedral. Pick Dongdaemun Market for late-night shopping, the design plaza, and the cheapest rooms in the old city. Pick Gangnam for a business address south of the river, with the trade that the palaces and markets sit across the water. Most Seoul hotels sit in one of these three areas, because that is where the sights and the stations overlap: Line 4 runs through Myeong-dong and Dongdaemun, and Line 2 circles the center and crosses the river to Gangnam.

Prices are the cheapest room in each area for the next seven days, so they compare the areas with each other at one moment. They are not a forecast for your dates.

Best Hotels in Myeong-dong: Myeongdong Cathedral

Myeong-dong fills the blocks between Myeongdong Station on Line 4 and Euljiro 1-ga on Line 2: pedestrian lanes lined with cosmetics shops, clothing stores, street-food carts, and two department stores on the southern edge. Myeongdong Cathedral, at 74 Myeongdong-gil, sits on the rise above the lanes, a brick Gothic building with a tall spire and a small garden. Namdaemun Market is southwest, the Namsan cable car runs up the hill behind the district, and Cheonggyecheon is north. The area suits a first visit, a shopping trip, and evenings that end on foot. Rates run from $141 to $189, the highest of the three areas.

What's walkable: Myeongdong Cathedral is 5 minutes (about 410 m) from Migliore Hotel Seoul Myeongdong, 10 minutes (about 720 m) from NINE TREE BY PARNAS SEOUL MYEONGDONG 2, and 12 minutes (about 900 m) from HOMES Stay Myeongdong.

• Lowest rate in the district: Migliore Hotel Seoul Myeongdong: 4-star, $168, rated 7.8 from 1,000+ reviews. On Toegye-ro at the south end of the lanes, 5 minutes from the cathedral and beside the Myeongdong Station entrance; the guest score is the lowest in the district.
• Top of the range: NINE TREE BY PARNAS SEOUL MYEONGDONG 2: 4-star, $189, rated 9.0 from 1,400+ reviews. Mareunnae-ro, east of the main lanes and 10 minutes from the cathedral, with the highest rate in the district and a guest score to match.
• The Namsan-side option: HOMES Stay Myeongdong: 4-star, $141, rated 8.6 from 2,300+ reviews. Pil-dong, on the hill toward Namsan, 12 minutes from the cathedral and on the quietest side of the district.

When to pick it: two or three nights, a first visit, and evenings that end with shopping bags and a street-food stall.

Best Hotels in Dongdaemun Market: Dongdaemun Design Plaza

Dongdaemun is the old east gate of the city and the wholesale clothing district that grew behind it. The Dongdaemun Design Plaza, at 281 Eulji-ro, is the landmark: a silver, curve-walled building by Zaha Hadid with a park on its roof and a plaza that runs beneath the road. The market buildings sit on either side, open late for fabric, clothing, and accessories, and Heunginjimun Gate, the stone and timber east gate, stands a few blocks away. Gwangjang Market, the covered food market, is west along Jong-ro. Rates run from $121 to $168, and this is the district where a 4-star room costs less than in Myeong-dong.

What's walkable: the Dongdaemun Design Plaza is 8 minutes (about 620 m) from DONGDAEMUN NEW HOSTEL, 11 minutes (about 860 m) from Hotel Skypark Kingstown Dongdaemun, and 11 minutes (about 790 m) from Summit Hotel Seoul Dongdaemun.

• Lowest rate in the zone: DONGDAEMUN NEW HOSTEL: hostel with no star rating, $121, rated 9.2 from 230+ reviews. Jong-ro 46-gil in Changsin-dong, on the quiet side of the market, 8 minutes from the plaza and the highest guest score in the district.
• Hotel Skypark Kingstown Dongdaemun: 4-star, $168, rated 9.0 from 1,500+ reviews. Jangchungdan-ro 13-gil, beside the Dongdaemun shopping towers, 11 minutes from the plaza and the pick for a shopper who wants the bags carried upstairs.
• Summit Hotel Seoul Dongdaemun: 3-star, $139, rated 8.6 from 500+ reviews. Jangchungdan-ro, east of the market on the road toward Jangchung, 11 minutes from the plaza at a lower rate than the Kingstown.

When to pick it: market nights, a design or fashion trip, and a room rate that leaves budget for the stalls.

Best Hotels in Gangnam: Gangnam Station

Gangnam is the business district on the south bank of the Han River, and it is not a first-trip base for the palaces and the old markets. Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Bukchon, and the Myeong-dong lanes are all north of the river, and reaching them means a subway ride with at least one transfer. What Gangnam does well is offices, restaurants, late-night cafes, and lower hotel rates than the old city. Gangnam Station, in the middle of Gangnam-daero, is the center of it: Line 2 and the Shinbundang Line meet underneath the road, and the streets around the exits are dense with restaurants. Rates run from $67 to $128, well below Myeong-dong.

What's walkable: Gangnam Station is 7 minutes (about 540 m) from Ocloud Hotel Gangnam, 11 minutes (about 840 m) from Toyoko-Inn Seoul Gangnam, and 30 minutes (about 2,270 m) from Hotel Newv Gangnam Seoul. That last walk is too long to repeat daily, and the practical answer is Seolleung Station on Line 2 and the Suin-Bundang Line, which is far closer to the Newv.

• Lowest rate in Gangnam: Toyoko-Inn Seoul Gangnam: 3-star, $67, rated 8.8 from 1,100+ reviews. Gangnam-daero in Seocho-gu, 11 minutes from the station, and the lowest rate of the three areas.
• Best value for a 4-star: Ocloud Hotel Gangnam: 4-star, $128, rated 8.6 from 600+ reviews. Sapyeong-daero 58-gil, 7 minutes from Gangnam Station and closer still to Sinnonhyeon Station on Line 9 and the Shinbundang Line, with larger rooms for the extra money.
• Hotel Newv Gangnam Seoul: 3-star, $82, rated 8.6 from 800+ reviews. Seolleung-ro 85-gil in Yeoksam-dong, 30 minutes from Gangnam Station, so book it for the Seolleung Station side of the district and the lower rate.

When to pick it: a work trip, a stay built on restaurants and offices, or a trip where the rate matters more than the postcard view.

Seoul Hotels Outside the Core: Hongdae, Seongsu-dong, and the Palaces

The three districts above hold most of the bookable rooms because they are where a sight, a station, and a meal sit close together. The rest of Seoul matters when the trip has a different center of gravity.

Hongdae, in Mapo-gu, is the university district: indie music clubs, small galleries, vintage shops, and the Airport Railroad stop at Hongik University Station, an easy arrival from Incheon. Seongsu-dong, east of the river, is the converted-factory district, with design studios, pop-up stores, and cafes in the red-brick buildings that once made shoes; hotel density is low. The palace district, around Anguk Station on Line 3, is where Bukchon's hanok lanes, Insa-dong, Gyeongbokgung, and Changdeokgung sit within walking distance of each other, and it is the better base for a trip built on history.

Those areas suit a second trip or a specific interest. For a first week in Seoul, the walkable inventory is in Myeong-dong, Dongdaemun, and Gangnam, where the sights and the stations overlap.

Subway, Airport Trains, and Trip Length: What Changes the Pick

Two questions settle the choice faster than any rate: whether you arrive by car, and how many nights you have.

A car is a liability in all three districts. Central Seoul hotels charge for parking by the night, the lanes in Myeong-dong are pedestrian, and the subway covers the sights. If you drive, ask whether the nightly rate includes parking before comparing rooms.

The subway map decides the rest. Myeong-dong has Myeongdong Station on Line 4, Euljiro 1-ga on Line 2, and Chungmuro on Lines 3 and 4, which is the transfer for Anguk and the palaces. Dongdaemun has Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station on Lines 2, 4, and 5 beside the design plaza. Gangnam has Gangnam Station on Line 2 and the Shinbundang Line, Sinnonhyeon on Line 9, and Seolleung on Line 2 and the Suin-Bundang Line. From Incheon Airport, the Airport Railroad runs to Seoul Station, where Line 4 continues to Myeong-dong, and the airport limousine buses stop in Myeong-dong and Gangnam.

Trip length finishes the job. Two or three nights fit Myeong-dong. A market or design trip fits Dongdaemun. A work week, or a trip where the room rate decides the itinerary, fits Gangnam.

FAQ

Where should a first-time visitor stay in Seoul?

Myeong-dong. Migliore Hotel Seoul Myeongdong is 5 minutes from the cathedral at $168, the lanes and the street food are outside the door, and Line 4 and Line 2 reach the palaces and Dongdaemun without a taxi.

Which Seoul hotels cost the least?

The Gangnam hotels, where Toyoko-Inn Seoul Gangnam starts at $67 and the other two in the district sit at $82 and $128. Myeong-dong is the most expensive of the three areas, from $141 to $189.

Is Gangnam a good base for a first trip to Seoul?

No, unless the trip is built on offices or restaurants. The palaces, Bukchon, and the Myeong-dong lanes are north of the Han River, and the route is Line 2 from Gangnam Station to Euljiro 3-ga, then Line 3 to Anguk. Gangnam rewards a traveler who wants the lowest rate and does not mind the river crossing.

How far is Myeongdong Cathedral from the Myeong-dong hotels?

5 minutes (about 410 m) from Migliore Hotel Seoul Myeongdong, 10 minutes (about 720 m) from NINE TREE BY PARNAS SEOUL MYEONGDONG 2, and 12 minutes (about 900 m) from HOMES Stay Myeongdong.

Do you need a car when staying in Seoul?

No. Line 4, Line 2, Line 3, Line 9, and the Shinbundang Line cover the three districts, parking is charged by the night at central hotels, and the lanes in Myeong-dong are pedestrian. Rent a car only for a day outside the city.

※ Prices and policies may change. Confirm with official sources before booking.