With over 10 million people, a figure that doubles if you include neighboring cities and suburbs, Seoul is by far the largest city in South Korea and the unquestioned economic, political and cultural hub of the country. By some measures, it is the third largest urban agglomeration on the planet, after Mexico City and Greater Tokyo.
Seoul suffers from a partly unwarranted reputation for pollution and traffic jams. These days, strict emissions laws have brought the pollution under control (it's certainly no worse than, say, Tokyo) and, while traffic jams do still snarl up Seoul's streets at rush hour, the extensive subway network means that the traveler can easily shortcut through it almost all of the time. With beautiful palaces, great food and a hopping nightlife, Seoul is worth a visit.
Orientation
Seoul is so vast in size that getting to grips with it takes a while. The city is divided in two by the Han River (한강 Hangang), which runs east to west across the city. The Joseon-era historical core of the city, containing most palaces and government offices, lies on the north side in and around the district of Jongno (종로), overlooked by the 262-meter peak of Namsan (남산). The south of the river, known as Gangnam (강남), is more 'uptown' and more modern. The island of Yeoui-do (여의도), in the river, is the closest Seoul gets to Manhattan with skyscrapers, the National Assembly and the Seoul Stock Exchange.
Eat
It would take a determined man to starve to death in Seoul — much of Korean social life revolves around food. This fate may still befall you if you insist on English menus and meals consisting only of easily identifiable, familiar ingredients; see South Korea for a quick Korean menu reader. An alternative is to just point and eat, your hosts generally will accomodate. Do be careful with the usually very spicy food if your stomach is not used to it.
Budget
Seoul has plenty of budget places to eat. Everything from convenience store junk food and noodles to street stall food and lots of 24 hour Korean fast food restaurants. The 24-hour restaurants are great because they've usually got a wide variety of foods. Some great stews, soups, rice rolls, rice stir-fries and pork steaks with gravy. Prices do vary from about 2,000won to 9,000won at these restaurants.
Mid-range
Splurge
