Leeum, Itaewon and Haebangchon

Three architects on one hillside, Itaewon's shops and antiques, then dinner with a Namsan view

11:00–17:30 + dinner · ≈3.0 km · ≈40 min walking · Moderate · Yongsan-gu · Start: Hangangjin station · End: Noksapyeong station

Leeum puts Mario Botta, Jean Nouvel and Rem Koolhaas on one hillside. After a Thai lunch in Hannam-dong, walk west along Itaewon-ro's shops, browse the furniture and antique dealers, climb through Gyeongnidan's cafés to Haebangchon, the hillside village settled after liberation, and stay for pasta with a Namsan sunset.

Your half day: 11:00 to 17:30

1. 11:00 Leeum Museum of Art (80 min): Botta's terracotta drum, Nouvel's rusted-steel boxes and Koolhaas's black concrete.
2. 12:30 Lunch (55 min): Lunch in Hannam-dong.
   • Youhan: A small Thai bistro in Hannam-dong with creative twists. Michelin Bib Gourmand.
3. 13:40 Itaewon (45 min): Itaewon-ro's shops: tailors, vintage, big-size shoes and the mosque on the hill.
4. 14:30 Itaewon Antiques Street (40 min): The antique and furniture dealers on Itaewon Antiques Street.
5. 15:30 Gyeongnidan-gil (40 min): Gyeongnidan's cafés and small restaurants.
6. 16:25 Haebangchon (40 min): Haebangchon's steep lanes and Sinheung Market.
7. 17:30 Dinner (70 min): Dinner in Haebangchon as the sun sets behind Namsan.
   • Goobok Mandu (구복만두): A family-run dumpling shop known for pan-fried kimchi dumplings, below Haebangchon.
   • Egg & Flour: Fresh pasta on Haebangchon's main street, with window seats that look over to Namsan at sunset. In the MICHELIN Guide.

Stops

1. Leeum Museum of Art (리움미술관)
   Three architects, three buildings, one campus. It is one of the clearest places in the city to compare how different designers handle material and light.
2. Itaewon (이태원 관광특구)
   The streets that grew up beside the US Army base after the Korean War: tailors, vintage and big-size shops, bars of every nationality, and Seoul Central Mosque on the hill.
3. Itaewon Antiques Street (이태원 앤틱 가구 거리)
   Dealers in European and Korean antique furniture, lamps and ceramics along the road between Itaewon and Noksapyeong. Shop hours vary.
4. Gyeongnidan-gil (경리단길)
   The lanes beside the old army base wall, named after the army finance corps building, which filled with small cafés and restaurants in the 2010s.
5. Haebangchon (해방촌)
   A hillside neighbourhood under Namsan settled after liberation and the Korean War, now known for its steep lanes, Sinheung Market and small bars with skyline views.

Best time: Tuesday to Sunday (Leeum closes on Mondays). Book Leeum online; the permanent collection is free with a booking.

Tips

• Itaewon is busiest on Friday and Saturday nights.
• Bus 02 (Yongsan) runs from Haebangchon down to Noksapyeong if your legs are done.

Access

Leeum is step-free with lifts. Itaewon-ro is level; the lanes up to Gyeongnidan and Haebangchon are steep, with steps.

All walks