Seoul, South Korea, travel guide and things to do: Nine highlights

Seoul has a frenetic pace.Credit: Alamy

THE ONE HISTORIC NEIGHBOURHOOD

Old Seoul was levelled during the Korean War but one area of town where a semblance of its past can still be glimpsed is Bukchon, a charming hillside neighbourhood distinguished by its proliferation of traditional hanok wood and stone houses. Some of these buildings, such as those managed by the venerable Rakkojae Hanok Collection, have been sensitively transformed into gracious hotels and tearooms reminiscent of Japan's ryokans. See rakkojae.com

THE ONE FOOD MARKET

A fun and easy introduction to Korean cuisine in Seoul is the lively and tourist-friendly Tongin Market, home to dosirak or Korean-style lunch boxes. At this colourful covered market diners purchase a chain of special gold coin tokens to be exchanged for any of the dishes they fancy from the array of stalls flanking a long laneway. Once you've filled your lunchbox, head upstairs to the cosy dining area above the stalls where drinks and sweets are also available. See english.visitkorea.or.kr

THE ONE MOUNTAIN TEMPLE

A meditative, in every sense, contrast to frenetic Seoul, the origins of tranquil Jingwansa Temple, cradled in mountains surrounding a national park under 90 minutes west from the capital, date to 1010BC. Destroyed during the Korean War and rebuilt three decades ago, foreigners can either visit for a half-a-day or overnight here and join in a Jingwansa Buddhist cultural program incorporating its simple and salubrious vegan temple food. See eng.templestay.com

THE ONE SPECTACLE

Credit: Alamy

Many capitals around the world hold changing of the guard ceremonies at their most important public buildings but few boast one quite as elaborate or rousing as that staged thrice daily at Seoul's Gyeongbokgung Palace. The Palace Royal Guard Changing Ceremony, complete with traditional costumes, weapons and banners, faithfully reenacts the age-old procedure performed during Korea's 500-year long Joseon dynasty. See english.visitkorea.or.kr

THE ONE DEMILITARISED ZONE

The pandemic combined with increased cross-border tensions has more or less put an end to the surreal opportunity for tourists to eyeball stoic North Korean guards manning the Demilitarised Zones (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas. But sections of the DMZ, including a sinister secret tunnel built by the North Koreans as well as a telescope-filled observatory overlooking the contentious border, can still be visited. See english.visitkorea.or.kr

THE ONE COOKING CLASS

Upstairs in a nondescript Seoul office building housing a Korean car dealership at ground level is the Food & Culture Academy cooking school run by the congenial Ellie Hyewon Lee and her mother Soo Jin Kim. Lee, who once lived in Australia and speaks fluent English, heads up the duo's Korean fun cooking classes which see guests preparing, cooking and eating their Korean dishes. See koreanrecipe.co.kr

THE ONE K-POP SHRINE

Until recently serving as the headquarters of Korean Tourism, the second floor of the new HIKR Ground exhibition space for tourists to Seoul is devoted to K-pop, Korea's massive popular music export. Visitors via XR (Extended Reality) technology can, if they're inclined, make their own personal music videos using numerous different backgrounds and stages, including a Seoul subway train carriage. See english.visitkorea.or.kr

THE ONE FIVE-STAR HOTEL

With uncommonly spacious rooms overlooking the mountain-ringed city, along with fine dining Italian, Japanese and Cantonese restaurants, the 317-room Four Seasons Seoul also notably hosts a speakeasy-style bar called Charles H. Reached through a discreet, if not hidden, doorway, it rates as one of Seoul's most fashionable drinking holes. See fourseasons.com

THE ONE MEGA KOREAN BATHHOUSE

The ritual of bathing is one tradition that the Koreans share with the Japanese but even the latter nationality would be pressed to match the scale of the modern Aquafield public bath and sauna complex inside Goyang Starfield Mall. Forget your inhibitions and indulge in a variety of bathing and treatment experiences (even though every visitor does receive their own T-shirt, shorts and slippers to wander around in before stripping off). See english.visitkorea.or.kr

ONE MORE THING…

After a decade-and-a-half hiatus, Qantas has resumed flights to Seoul from Sydney. Services depart four days a week during our summer (winter in South Korea) and three times a week in the warmer Korean months between May and October. See qantas.com

The writer travelled to Seoul as a guest of Qantas Airways and the Korean Tourism Organisation. See english.visitkorea.or.kr