The Lunar New Year (Seollal, 설날) is a major holiday in Korea, and this year it’s from 18-20 February, 2015. The entire country goes on holiday, and most businesses will be closed two out of the three days. Most of the people that bring life to bustling downtown areas and transportation hubs are back in their hometowns to spend time with family. Unfortunately, when travelers to Seoul check out some of the most popular areas Seoul, many run into uncharacteristic ghost towns.

But shake that frown off your faces and make sure you go to the right places! The Lunar New Year (Seollal) offers some of the most culturally enriching experiences for travelers visiting Seoul. Many tourist attractions are open, and some even provide special events. If you’re looking for things to do in Seoul during the 2015 Lunar New Year holiday (February 18-20), check out this list below.

Tourist Attractions for Lunar New Year 2015

The Royal Palaces

Credit: Romain John

The Royal Palaces of Seoul are not only open during the Lunar New Year, they’re probably the best places to go. In addition to perusing palace grounds just like you can on other days, there are special traditional Korean performances and hands-on experience booths setup at many of the palaces as well. Here’s 5 you can visit:

How to get to Gyeongbokgung Palace:
Gyeongbokgung Station (Line 3), Exit 5

How to get to Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung & Huwon:
Anguk Station (Line 3), Exit 5

How to get to Deoksugung:
City Hall Station (Line 1, 2), Exit 2

How to get to Jongmyo Shrine:
Jongno-3-ga Station (Line 3, 1), Exit 11

Namsangol Hanok Village

Namsangol Hanok Village is a prime destination for visitors to Korea during Seollal (the Lunar New Year). There you can visit a traditional Korean home while also experiencing traditional Korean culture, games and food, for which special performances and cultural booths have been created.

How to get to Namsangol Hanok Village:
Chungmuro Station (Line 3, 4), Exit 4

N-Seoul Tower

N-Seoul Tower is the iconic needle standing atop Namsan Mountain. When you visit N-Seoul Tower, you’ll be at one of the highest points of Seoul, and there you’ll get a full 360 degree view of the city. There’s also restaurants, cafes, a museum and a cable car.

Admission to N-Seoul Tower:
Adults – 9,000 won
Children – 7,000 won

Cable Car Ticket:
Roundtrip – Adults 8,500 won / Children 5,500 won
One-way – Adults 6,000 won / Children 3,500 won

How to get to N-Seoul Tower:
(Cable Car) Myeongdong Station (Line 4), Exit 3
Walk towards Pacific Hotel and take the right fork for approximately 10 minutes.
(Bus) Namsan Sunhwan Shuttle Bus No.02
Chungmuro Station (Line 3, 4), Exit 2 / Dongguk University Station (Line 3), Exit 6.
(Bus) Namsan Sunhwan Shuttle Bus No. 03
Seoul Station, (Line 1, 4), Exit 9 / Itaewon Station (Line 6), Exit 4 / Hangangjin Station (Line 6), Exit 2
(Bus) Namsan Sunhwan Shuttle Bus No. 05
Myeong-dong Station (Line 4), Exit 3 / Chungmuro Station (Line 3), Exit 2

Kyobo Bookstore (Closed February 19th)

Bookstore? Don’t be surprised. Kyobo Bookstore is not just a simple bookstore. It has music for your kpop needs, stationary for school, computer games, DVDs & Bluerays for your entertainment, and of course books. It is a massive bookstore that houses plenty of things to do during your Lunar New Year break.

How to get to Kyobo Bookstore:
Gangnam Branch – Sinnonhyeon Station (Line 9), Exit 6
Gwanghwamun Branch – Gwanghwamun Station (Line 5), Exit 4

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