Must-see attractions in Gangnam & Southern Seoul

  • Magic Hour of Bongeunsa Temple in Gangnam, Seoul

    Bongeun-sa

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    Located in the heart of ritzy Gangnam, the shrines and halls of the Buddhist temple Bongeun-sa, with its tree-filled hillside location, stand in direct…

  • View of Tangent building

    Tangent

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    Hyundai Development Company commissioned Daniel Libeskind to work with Seoul-based firm Himma on its headquarters opposite COEX Mall. The result, Tangent,…

  • Olympic Park with pond and ducks in foreground.

    Olympic Park

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    This large and pleasant park was the focus of the 1988 Olympics. Strolling its paths takes you past its stadiums surrounded by plenty of greenery, ponds…

  • Lotte World

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    This huge complex includes an amusement park, an ice-skating rink, a cinema multiplex, a department store, a folk museum, a shopping mall, a hotel,…

  • Banpo bridge

    Some Sevit

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    At the south end of Banpo Bridge are these three artificial floating islands interconnected by walkways. Each features futuristic buildings in a complex…

  • Lotte World Tower

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    Completed in early 2017, Seoul's latest landmark is the 555m-high Lotte World Tower – the tallest skyscraper in Korea (and sixth highest in the world)…

  • SMTown coexartium

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    This five-level interactive shrine to K-Pop in the COEX Mall has already become a pilgrimage hot spot for fans since opening in 2018. The photo hall is…

  • Seoul Arts Center

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    As well as being home to Seoul's premier concert halls, this art centre also has three art galleries. Seoul Calligraphy Museum is devoted to hand-drawn…

  • Seoul Olympic Museum

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    Seoul's Olympic Museum has been completely updated as an interactive museum to not only show highlights of the 1988 Olympics but also the thrills of the…

  • Museum of Gugak

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    A part of the National Gugak Center, this engaging museum covers gugak (traditional Korean music) with displays of Korean stringed instruments and unique…

  • Starfield Library

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    More like a 13m-tall, neon-lit, designer shrine to books than a library, you can't actually take anything away here, but there are desks, sofas and…

  • Samsung D’Light

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    Spread over three floors, one of which is devoted to selling the latest lines of gadgets, this showroom showcases the technology of the Korean electronics…

  • SOMA

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    Bunker-like SOMA features modern and contemporary art in six galleries. Most are special paid exhibitions, covering both local and big-name international…

  • GT Tower East

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    The curvaceous stylings of the slinky GT Tower sit beside the major crossing of Teheran-no and Gangnam-daero.

  • Seonjeongneung

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    Seonjeongneung Park contains two main burial areas for kings and queens from the Joseon dynasty. The first tomb is for King Seongjong (r 1469–94), who was…

  • Banpo Bridge Rainbow Fountain

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    Covered with 10,000 lights, the Banpo Bridge Rainbow Fountain's coloured water rains down in messy arcs from the double-decker Banpo Bridge. More…

  • Lotte World Adventure & Magic Island

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    Lotte World Adventure & Magic Island is a mainly indoor Korean version of Disneyland, complete with ‘flying’ balloons, 3D films, laser and music shows,…

  • World Peace Gate

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    Standing at the main entrance to Olympic Park is the colossal World Peace Gate, with its striking winged arches designed by Kim Jung-up for the 1988…

  • Seoul Baekje Museum

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    Olympic Park’s Seoul Baekje Museum illuminates the history and culture of Hanseong (18 BC–AD 475), when this part of Seoul was the capital of the Baekje…

  • King Seongjong's Tomb

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    The most notable of the three royal tombs at Seonjeongneung park is that of King Seongjong (r 1469–94), who was a prolific author and father – he had 28…

  • King Jeongjong's Tomb

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    The tomb of King Jeongjong (r 1506–44) is one of three royal burial areas at Seonjeongneung park. He was the second son of King Seongjong and Queen…

  • Gangnam Style 'Horse Dance' Stage

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    Outside Gangnam subway is the multimedia Gangnam Style stage, a shrine to Psy – somewhat ironic given the song was a parody of the neighbourhood. While…

  • Lotte World Folk Museum

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    The Folk Museum at Lotte World uses imaginative techniques like dioramas, scale models and moving waxworks to bring scenes from Korean history to life…

  • K-Wave Experience

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    Upstairs from the Gangnam Tourist Center, this is the place to live out all your K-Pop fantasies, with a full makeover to transform you into a K-Pop star…

  • Sool Gallery

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    This small exhibition with some English explanations will clue you into the various types of Korean alcohol, such as makgeolli, soju and yakju. If you…

  • SeMA Nam Seoul Museum

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    Housed within a beautiful colonial building (c 1901) that was the former Belgian consulate, this branch of SeMA promotes itself as a 'living arts museum',…

  • Gangnam Style Sculpture

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    The horse dance in Psy's music video for 'Gangnam Style' has been iconified as a giant pair of bronze hands on a stage on the east side outside COEX Mall…

  • Urban Hive

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    Above Sinnonhyeon Station is this building, which looks like an enormous concrete beehive, giving it unique structural support, and is lit from within at…

  • Opera Gallery

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    This high-end commercial gallery is worth popping into for a gawk at works (and price tags) by artists such as Damien Hirst, Joan Miró and Salvador Dalí…

  • SongEun ArtSpace

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    In the heart of Gangnam's fashionable Cheongdam district, this contemporary art gallery promotes works by emerging and established Korean artists with…

  • Horim Museum

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    Within the lustrous walls of the stylish Horim Art Center, this museum has three floors devoted to Korean ceramic masterpieces and temporary exhibits on…

  • Mongchon Museum

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    Mongchon Museum has some precious golden relics of the Baekje kings, a seven-pronged sword and the usual dull pots. The history of human settlement here…

  • 313 Art Project

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    In the middle of Apgujeong's chic art hub, this slick gallery shows contemporary works by emerging and established artists, both local and from abroad.

  • Prugio Valley

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    Looking like a giant music speaker crossed with a slab of Swiss cheese, this incredible steel-clad building was designed by Unsangdong Architects.

  • K-Star Road

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    Gangnam's 'Hallyuwood Walk of Fame' pays homage to K-Pop stars in the form of cutesy bear sculptures dedicated to K-Wave singers and actors.

  • Queen Jeonghyeon Wanghu's Tomb

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    One of three royal tombs at Seonjeongneung park. Queen Jeonghyeon Wanghu was the second wife of King Seongjong.

  • Fifty Fifty

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    A decent art gallery with a fantastic space for its regularly rotating art shows by emerging local artists.

  • Kyobo Tower

    Gangnam & Southern Seoul

    The hulking 26-level brick edifice of Kyobo Tower (2003), designed by Mario Botta, is meant to be reminiscent of the bulkiness of Egypt's Sphynx.

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