Planning to visit Seoul with kids? This is the perfect 2 day Seoul itinerary for you. Whether you’re visiting on a weekend break, stopping over en route to Japan (a great choice given Korean Air flights are so affordable from the UK right now) or squeezing in a quick city break., Seoul is a brilliant destination for families.
We spent 7 days in Seoul with the boys, and we loved every minute!
Why Visit Seoul With Kids?
Seoul is a wonderful city packed with culture, street food, K-pop fun, and playground-like palaces. It also has some of the best kid-friendly attractions in Asia. We didn’t see even half of what this city has to offer in a week. So don’t expect to see everything in 2 days. But you can definitely create your own highlights reel!
This 2-day Seoul itinerary for families gives you the best of the best of the city. It’s everything we would want to see again if we only had two days in Seoul. I’ve covered the highlights, the easy wins, and the must-see places that kids love. This itinerary isn’t for you if you’re young, free and single! Instead it’s designed for parents who want to see Seoul’s top attractions without overloading little legs.
✈ Want to stay longer or dive deeper? I also have a full 5-day Seoul itinerary for families you can check out after this. It will give you other ideas if some of the things on this 2 day itinerary don’t take your fancy!
Ready to go? Let’s dive right in to the perfect 2 day Seoul itinerary:
Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!
DAY 1: Historic Seoul, and Street Food
Stop 1: Gyeongbokgung Palace (9:00 AM)
Day one of your 2 day Seoul itinerary starts with Seoul’s rich history. We had the best day at the Gyeongbokgung Palace. This is a great place to start as it’s the most famous and family-friendly of the three palaces in this part of the city. There’s so much fun to be had in Gyeongbokgung with kids! You can hire traditional Hanbok and walk around the palace. Live our your princess (or little prince) fantasies, which was one of my favourite experiences in Seoul.
🥻 I’ve written a complete guide to renting a hanbok in Seoul, which you can read here.
Our boys loved huge open courtyards, the colourful buildings, and the chance to watch the Royal Guard Ceremony. This is the changing of the guard outside the palace and takes place several times a day outside the main gate. If you want to delve deeper, the museum is just outside the palace gates. But our boys were perfectly happy just exploring the palace and imagining what it would be like to live there!
Book a Gyeongbokgung Guided Tour
This is a great way to learn about the Palace if you’re short on time. It helps bring the palace to life for children, and you get fast entry too.
🎁 Use code THATMUMTRAVEL5KLOOK to get 5% off your tour price.
Mum tip: Rent traditional hanbok if you have time in your schedule! I loved seeing the little girls dressed as princesses and boys get to dress as warriors. (cCmplete with daggers, which had my boys very interested). As an added bonus, hanbok wearers get free palace entry. We used Daehan Hanbok, and you can pre-book this here.
Stop 2: Bukchon Hanok Village (11:00 AM)
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A short walk away is Bukchon Hanok Village, which is one of Seoul’s most photogenic neighbourhoods. We took a walk from the Gyeongbokgung Palace to the Bukchon Hanok Village (a picturesque walk in its own right) and stopped in a traditional cafe for delicious shaved ice on the way.
The narrow lanes, old Korean houses, and viewpoints overlooking the city make it a great place to explore with kids. BUT some of the hills aren’t very stroller (buggy) friendly. AND avoid visiting on a Sunday when tourists are discouraged so that the homeowners can have a day of rest.
If you do visit on a Sunday, please encourage children to use low voices/ avoid talking all together. You’ll find local volunteers on the streets holding signs asking that visitors are silent o Sundays. (We actually DID visit on a Sunday and I felt so guilty about disturbing people’s peace. Which is why I’m sharing this with you now!)
Stop 3: Lunch in Insadong (12:30 PM)
You may only have a short time in Seoul with this 2 day Seoul itinerary, but there’s still time to sit back and relax.
Insadong is perfect for families: lots of restaurants with bibimbap, noodles, BBQ, and kid-friendly options. If your kids are the type that need to eat at set times, or like a schedule, then Insadong is a great place to visit for good grub! I know this is particularly important for families with younger children.
Because my boys are a bit older, I would opt to just stop for a snack at lunchtime. That’s because I know that something big is coming this afternoon……
Stop 4: Myeongdong Shopping & Street Food (3:00 PM)
OK, so it’s not some rich cultural attraction, but I absolutely loved Myeongdong. Myeongdong with kids was an absolute pleasure for our family! We don’t really know much about K-pop, but I do know that this is the best place to go K-pop shopping in Seoul.
What we do know about? Food! We’re a family of foodies! And if you’re looking for Seoul street food, there’s nowhere better to be than Myeongdong. You food-loving families won’t want to miss this. Myeongdong is lively, colourful, and packed with character goods, and beauty stores. (I got so many face masks and must-have skin care here). We loved theendless street food stands. These seem to pop up as the day goes on, and it’s even more chaotic and crowded after the sun goes down.
We shared portions of everything between the four of us, so that we could try as many different things as possible and the kids loved:
- tornado potatoes
- Korean fried chicken sticks
- strawberry mochi
- brownie skewers covered in torched marshmallow
- sweet custard fish pastries (the chocolate ones were great too, but the custard ones are the best!)
Love Food? Book a Myeongdong Korean Street Food Tour
You don’t need to book a tour to enjoy the street food in Seoul, but if you only have 2 days in th city then tours will definitely help you to maximise your time in Seoul
Use code THATMUMTRAVEL5KLOOK to save 5% on all of your tickets
Stop 5: N Seoul Tower (4:30 PM)
Now you’ve all got full tummies, you should have time for one more adventure before you collapse exhausted into bed! To get the most epic Seoul skyline views and to see the best sunset in Seoul, I recommend visiting the N Seoul Tower.
Actually, for most kids, getting to the N Seoul Tower is an adventure in itself, because you get to ride the Namsan cable car! (You can walk up and down to the tower, but i’ve seen that walk, and I don’t recommend it for little legs unless you’re a particularly athletic family and you still have loads of energy left!)
Once you get to the top of the tower, you can enjoy the most incredible panoramic views AND we really liked seeing the love-lock fences there too. I wish i’d thought to bring one: if you plan ahead it would be very cool to leave your family’s mark at this high point of the city.
Book N Seoul Tower and Cable Car Tickets on Klook Don’t forget to use my code THATMUMTRAVEL5KLOOK to get a 5% discount
Now you COULD spend the evening partying some more, but I strongly recommend you head back to your hotel room early because you’ll need energy for Day 2!
🏨 On the subject of hotels, if you’re not sure where to stay, we chose the ENA Suite Hotel Namdaemun in Seoul, and you can read my full review of that hotel here.
DAY 2 Of Your 2 Day Seoul Itinerary
Good morning, and welcome to day two of your whistle-stop 2 day Seoul itinerary! Seoul is actually well-known for it’s theme parks, and as you’re travelling with kids, I recommend using this day to one big theme park (Lotte World or Everland), which your kids will absolutely love!
OPTION A: Lotte World (Best for younger kids)
Spoiler alert: When faced with this exact same decision, we chose to visit Lotte World! It’s one of the best Korean theme parks, it’s a great choice for younger kids, AND they regularly collaborate with Pokemon, so we visted for their Pokemon Spring event.
We thought Lotte World with kids was exceptional: the rides were great, the theming was exceptional, and we felt it was good value too.
🎢 You can read my ultimate guide to visiting Lotte World Seoul here
If you want a theme park inside (perfect for winter or summer heat), Lotte World is ideal. It has indoor and outdoor rides (so you get the best of both worlds) as well as parades, food, and a magical atmosphere. Theme park food often doesn’t have the best reputation, but the food here was GOOD and lots of big chains had their own branches inside.
Book Lotte World Tickets on Klook Use my code THATMUMTRAVEL5KLOOK for 5% off tickets
Some of the highlights of Lotte World for families include:
- Kid-friendly rides in the indoor Magic Island (We loved Pharaoh’s Fury which is an indoor roller coaster with an Egyptian theme)
- A huge ice rink that acts as a centre piece for the park
- Indoor parades
- Short ride queues if you visit at the right time. We visited on a weekday and managed to ride just over 20 of the 40 rides during our visit!
OPTION B: Everland (Best for thrill-loving families)
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I never lie or write full reviews of places we haven’t visited. And we haven’t visited Everland with our kids, but it is known for having the best rollercoasters in Seoul. What I can tell you is that Everland is Korea’s biggest theme park, full of rollercoasters, themed zones, and a large zoo. It’s almost completely outdoors (like most traditional theme parks) and you will need to take a shuttle bus to visit as its actually outside of the city.
But if you have older kids, theme park and rollercoaster junkies, or you’re looking for a bigger and more exciting day out it might well be worth making the extra effort for. People also travel from miles around to Everland for the chance to visit Panda World: the only place in Korea that you can see pandas!
Book Everland Tickets and Shuttle on Klook Use my code THATMUMTRAVEL5KLOOK to get an extra 5% off ticket prices, which all adds up to a BIG saving!
Stop 2: Myeondong For Dinner (6:00 PM)
After a full-on theme park day, I recommend heading back to Myeondong for Dinner. There are so many amazing restaurants here, whether you’re looking for a traditional Korean BBQ, light noodles, or even the best pizza we ever had (which you can find at Myeondong Pizza). We even visited the themed Hello Kitty Apple Cafe for dessrt here one evening.
This also gives you time to pick up some last-minute souvenirs before you head home: this is also the best place to do a bit of shopping. We all had caricatures drawn in the famous Acorn Caricature in Myeongdong (which we loved and which now hang proudly in our living room) and I couldn’t resist all the skincare products, while the boys hit all the sports shops!
I also think Myeondong looks even better at night when all the neon advertisements are lit up, so although it may sound counterproductive to visit the same area again, it really is worth the trip.
Planning a longer trip?
For a more detailed breakdown of Seoul with kids, including extra temples, markets, and an epic day trip to the DMZ (which was my absolute highlight of our stay in Seoul) please don’t miss my full 5-Day Seoul Itinerary for Families. It covers absolutely everything you need for the perfect family trip! The Ultimate 5 Day Seoul Itinerary With Kids: Our Family Friendly Adventure!
Where to Stay in Seoul With Kids?
I recommend being central and close to the attractions you want to visit. Look for accomodation near Myeongdong, Dongdaemun, or Jamsil.
We chose to stay at the ENA Suite Hotel Namdaemun and I would definitely opt for a hotel in Namdaemun again next time. It was easy to walk to many of the places we wanted to visit, and there were loads of great food options available nearby too.
Final Thoughts: 2 Day Seoul Itinerary With Kids
Look, we all know that two days isn’t a long time. But even with just 48 hours in Seoul, you can absolutely experience the city’s best cultural landmarks, street food scenes, theme parks, and skyscraper views. Although Seoul is a big city, it feels relatively compact and easy to navigate. And if you only have two days to spare, I still think Seoul is worth visiting.
This family-friendly 2 day Seoul itinerary is ideal for:
- Short breaks
- Stopovers
- Those heading onward to Japan (Which is what we did)
- Parents travelling with younger kids
Seoul is clean, safe, easy to navigate, and full of things children genuinely enjoy. I really can’t emphasise how much of a good time we all had, the boys included. I actually think Seoul is one of Asia’s most welcoming family travel destinations.
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Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!
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