The tenth largest city in the world, Seoul is everything a national capital should be (at least from the point of view of a tourist)- easily accessible and chockfull of tourist attractions. Although most of Seoul’s present architecture- its busy expressways and soaring skyscrapers- date back only to the 1950s (when the city was virtually rebuilt from scratch), Seoul also has a large number of monuments which have survived intact from earlier times.

Within the city, you’ll find amazingly beautiful ancient pagodas, palaces, temples and shrines, gates and gardens. Combined with the fact that the city offers relatively cheap accommodation and good transportation facilities, it’s hardly surprising that it’s usually a big hit with most travellers in South Korea.