The Monocle Travel Guide to Seoul

The South Korean capital is energetic and sprawling; it’s a 24-hour city that’s home to some 10 million people and plenty of brightly lit billboards, skyscrapers and shops. But that’s not all. We’ve amassed our favourite architectural feats – from a leafy women’s university to an ivy-clad red-brick church – and sipped our way through the snappiest coffee shops, including one in an old printing press. The hotels we long to hunker down in vary from glittering glass towers to traditional hanok. Plus, we’ve mapped out four top-notch itineraries. Hike up your hanbok and come and meet the people putting their hearts into Seoul.