The glossy, high-rise district south of the river made famous by the song — luxury shopping, sleek hotels, plastic-surgery clinics, the COEX mall and the city's smartest restaurants and clubs. Modern, spacious and pricey, a little removed from the historic sights but well-linked; the base for business, luxury and a polished, contemporary Seoul.
A look around
What you’ll be living next to. Swipe through.
₩250,000–500,000
typical per night in South Korea
You pay for the postcode
One of the pricier addresses in Seoul.
Where it sits
The circle is Gangnam and roughly a 10-minute walk around it.
How far is everything?
From the middle of this area to the city's headline sights — pick your own on the city page and these become your list.
- N Seoul Tower & Namsan21 min taxi6.9 km
- Myeongdong shopping & street food25 min taxi8.3 km
- Gwangjang Market street food25 min taxi8.4 km
- Changdeokgung & the Secret Garden29 min taxi9.6 km
- Gyeongbokgung Palace30 min taxi10.1 km
- Bukchon Hanok Village31 min taxi10.2 km
- Korean barbecue33 min taxi11.1 km
- A night out in Hongdae34 min taxi11.2 km
On your doorstep
What you’re living next to if you stay here.
- 11.The Han River parks — The wide river that splits the city is lined with grassy parks where Seoulites cycle, picnic, fly kites and order fried chicken and beer to the riverbank by app. Rent a bike, join a summer evening crowd for the Banpo Bridge rainbow fountain show, or just watch the city unwind. The best free window into everyday Seoul life.
- 13.A jjimjilbang (Korean spa) — The Korean bathhouse experience — hot and cold pools, steam rooms and kiln saunas, then lounging in shared halls in matching pyjamas with a shaved-ice bingsu and a hard-boiled egg. Cheap, restorative and utterly local (some stay open 24 hours as budget crash-pads); a wonderfully odd, only-in-Korea way to unwind after a day on your feet.
- 14.Gangnam & the COEX Mall — The glossy south-of-the-river district of the K-pop and luxury world — flagship stores, the vast COEX Mall with its Instagram-famous Starfield Library of soaring bookshelves, an aquarium, and the serene Bongeunsa temple sitting incongruously among the towers. A dose of hyper-modern, moneyed Seoul, and a fun contrast to the old palaces.
When are you staying?
Booking.com & Airbnb open searched to Gangnam; flights via Google Flights.