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Discover Seoul Pass Itinerary – is it worth it?

Last Updated on September 2, 2024 by Alex

Whenever we travel to a big city with plenty of activities and write about it, we always get asked about the local pass. The same goes for Seoul. Is buying the Discover Seoul Pass worth it? What is a Discover Seoul Pass itinerary that would make it worth it?

The answer is always the same: it depends.

It depends a lot on your travel style, the activities you would like to include on your itinerary, and how many of them you would have to pay for.

Depending on your time constraints, purchasing a Discover Seoul Pass might be worth it.

However, you will find all the answers to your questions, including a few itinerary options.

Read also: Hongdae or Myeongdong? Where to stay in Seoul as a tourist

This post contains affiliate links. Read more about it on our disclosure page here.

Table of Contents

  1. What is the Discover Seoul Pass?
  2. How much is Discover Seoul Pass
    1. What do you get for that money
  3. Where to buy the Discover Seoul Pass
  4. How to use Discover Seoul Pass
  5. Is it worth it? How to take advantage of the pass to the maximum
    1. Other things to have in mind for taking advantage of your pass to the maximum
    2. Discover Seoul Pass Itinerary examples
      1. Discover Seoul Pass itinerary Option 1: city center exploration
      2. Discover Seoul Pass itinerary Option 2: explore the south of the river
      3. Discover Seoul Pass itinerary Option 3: Gangnam & Yeouido
    3. Can you get a refund on a Discover Seoul Pass
    4. What discounts do you get with the Discover Seoul Pass
    5. Can you use two passes in a row?
  6. Alternatives to the Discover Seoul Pass
    1. Go City Explore Seoul
      1. What you don’t get with the Go City Explore Seoul Card
    2. Other Travel Resources

What is the Discover Seoul Pass?

Discover Seoul Pass is a city pass that offers discounts to the most important tourist attractions and activities in town. The card was created by the Seoul Tourism Organization to help tourists better plan their trips and save while they visit South Korea’s capital.

It is available both as a physical card and as a mobile pass.

Once you purchase the card, you don’t have to worry about public transportation or paying entrance fees at many of the town’s tourist attractions.

You can use the card (or the mobile app) as an admission ticket to get discounts where applicable or as a public transportation ticket (instead of buying the T-Money Card).

Renting a Hanbok in Bukchon Hanok Village

Each card is nominal, so when you travel as a group, you each need to purchase one card.

The card is valid for 5 years from the moment you purchase it. Thus, even if you have used your free tickets and activities, you can still take advantage of the discounts.

Read also: Where to stay in Seoul for the first time

How much is Discover Seoul Pass

Discover Seoul Pass Itinerary

You can choose between the 3 available options, depending on the time you spend in Seoul:

  • The 24 hours card is 50.000 won (around 41 USD)
  • The 48 hours card is 70.000 won (around 57 USD)
  • The 72 hours card is 90.000 won (around 73 USD)

What do you get for that money

As mentioned before, the city pass offers FREE entrance to many of the favored Seoul travel destinations or activities, along with discounts for shopping or other attractions.

The best FREE entrance attractions included

COEX Aquarium entrance ticket (16.5 USD full price)

Renting a Hanbok for a full day (29 USD full price here)

Lotte World Adventure ( around 50 USD full price)

Eland Cruise on the Hangang River (around 18 USD full price)

N Seoul Tower observation deck ( from 13 USD full price)

Nami Island admission + Ferry to the island (around 13 USD full price) – book your shuttle to Nami Island here!

National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art ( 2.5 USD)

Seoul K-Medi Center (4 USD for experiences)

All the palaces in Seoul ( each has an entrance fee of around 2-3 USD)

Changgyeonggung Palace (1.6 USD full price)

Korean Folk Village ( 26 USD full price)

On top of that, you get to travel free with the KLimousine, 1 Free One-way ticket by AREX, 1 full day with the Seoul City Tour Bus, and 1 full day of Seoul Public Bicycle rental.

Read also: The top things to do in Seoul at night

Where to buy the Discover Seoul Pass

You can buy the pass directly in Seoul or on their official website.

However, when you choose to purchase in advance on sites like Klook or Trazy, you can take advantage of various discounts. You can also have your pass with you once you arrive in the city. That would mean you can use it to get from the airport to the city and to get around to your hotel.

Read also: Where to buy skincare in Seoul

How to use Discover Seoul Pass

getting around Seoul

You must select the pick-up location when you purchase the pass on their official website.

If you purchase the mobile pass, you can use it immediately.

When you purchase the pass on Klook, you must pick up the physical card from Kbooks (경인문고) in Incheon Airport T1 after showing your voucher.

As soon as you have your card, you can start using it for public transportation and show it at the museum/attraction/activity of choice.

It is also worth knowing that you can see the time availability for your card on the app. The timer starts to count down at the first point of redemption, so at the first attraction, you use your card.

Is it worth it? How to take advantage of the pass to the maximum

Discover Seoul Pass Itinerary

All in all, is purchasing the pass really worth it?

With a little bit of planning and a well-set-up itinerary, you can take full advantage of all the perks that come with it.

Our suggestion is to skip the cheapest museums and attractions (such as palaces) and focus on those that offer more for your money.

Of course, there are attractions where you will get to spend the full day—it won’t be worth spending the money for a 24-hour pass and spending all the time in one place.

Another thing to consider before you decide is how many attractions will be available after 6 PM. Seoul is a great metropolis, and getting from one place to the other can take time.

If you are new to the city, you might also waste time because you are unfamiliar with its public transportation and/or map (locations of different museums and attractions).

We have created a few itinerary options to cover all your needs and help you make the best use of the Discover Seoul Pass.

Other things to have in mind for taking advantage of your pass to the maximum

You can only access a site once, even if you purchase the 72-hour pass.

Discounts are available for up to 5 years from the purchase.

By purchasing the online version of the card, you cannot redeem your AREX / airport express link pass from Seoul Airport to Seoul Station. You can only do that with the physical card, which also works as a T-Money card.

You can use the mobile app to check for the remaining duration.

Check opening times for each of the attractions you want to visit. Also, plan your itinerary in advance—check the map for distances and the necessary time for the commute.

You can choose how you start using the card: you either start with a late activity (let’s say you activate your card at around 5 PM today) so you can have an almost full day the next day (you will be able to use the card until the next day at 4:55 PM), or you start early in the morning and fit as many activities as you can in one day.

Discover Seoul Pass Itinerary examples

As stated before, I don’t suggest you use your Discover Seoul Pass to visit the attractions at a low price. That’s why I won’t include visiting the Palaces here. If you have only 3 or 4 days in Seoul, you might want to see only one of the palaces, which would mean spending around 3000 won.

Let’s look at a few one-day itinerary options when you purchase Discover Seoul Pass.

I will try to keep it real, Seoul is a big city and getting from one point to the other will take some time.

Including too many things on the itinerary is not realistic, and you either won’t have time or will not get to enjoy the attractions to the fullest.

Discover Seoul Pass itinerary Option 1: city center exploration

9:00 AM: Start your day by renting a hanbok (Korean traditional dress) at HanbokNam (around 79.000 – 99.000 won). Please be aware the store is closed on Tuesdays.

Address: 17, Bukchon-ro 5na-gil, Jongno-gu

9:30 – 11:00 AM Wear your hanbok around the Bukchon Hanok Village. Take pictures, drink a good coffee at one of the nice cafes, or book a professional photographer for some memories that will last forever.

Don’t leave without visiting the Bukchon Traditional Museum.

11:30 – 12:30 Have lunch in Insadong

13:00 Option 1: have some fun at the Colorpool Museum (15.000 won) and the Alive Museum (12.00 won). If you are not interested in either of these, learn how to make kimchi at the MUSEUM KIMCHIKAN (5000 won).

Option 2: Take the Hop-on-Hop-off bus from Insadong and do a tour of the city (20.000 won)

Get off at Namdaemun Market or Namsan Ormi, and head over to NSeoul Tower (16000 won). Read how to get to Namsan Tower here!

19:30 Finish your day with a Han River Moonlight Music Cruise (available from Tuesday to Sunday) (29.900 won)

Address: 290, Yeouidong-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu

Activities Total: 197.000 won

Price with Discover Seoul Pass 1 day: 50.000 won

You save: 147.000 won

Discover Seoul Pass itinerary Option 2: explore the south of the river

Lotte World Seoul

Today will be all about exploring Gangnam.

10:00 AM Start your day at the COEX Aquarium (28.000 won)

Address: 513, Yeongdong-daero, Gangnam-gu

Take the subway and go to Lotte World Adventure (closes at 9 PM or 10 PM depending on the day of the week, full price 62.000 won)

Address: 240, Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu

Activities Total: 90.000 won

Price with Discover Seoul Pass 1 day: 50.000 won

You save: 40.000 won

Other things to do in Gangnam, FREE with the pass:

Go on a tour around Gangnam on the Seoul Tiger Bus Tour

Relax at the Sealala Jimjilbang and Sauna (read all about spending a day at a Korean SPA here)

Figure Museum W

Discover Seoul Pass itinerary Option 3: Gangnam & Yeouido

Discover Seoul Pass Itinerary

10:00 AM Start your day at the COEX Aquarium (28.000 won) or Lotte World Adventure (full price 62.000 won)

After lunch, take the subway toward Yeouido

63 Square (Aqua planet 63+63 ART) – full-price ticket around 20 USD

19:30 Finish your day with a Han River Moonlight Music Cruise (available from Tuesday to Sunday) (29.900 won)

Address: 290, Yeouidong-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu

Activities Total: 111.900 won or 77.900 won

Price with Discover Seoul Pass 1 day: 50.000 won

You save: 61.900 won, or 27.900 won

On top of the activities stated above, factor in also the following advantages:

Basic T-Money Card – full price 4000 won, you have it covered fully

SIM card with data for one day: 6600 won

Can you get a refund on a Discover Seoul Pass

Yes, you can get a refund within 90 days from the purchase if you haven’t used the card.

What discounts do you get with the Discover Seoul Pass

The most important discounts, in my view, are the following:

SAFEX – you get a 10% discount on luggage storage and luggage delivery service from Incheon Airport to your hotel

HYUNDAI DEPARTMENT STORE DUTY-FREE – Silver Membership (5-10%)

The Shilla Duty-Free Seoul Store – various discounts and benefits

Nanta Show – 25% discount

Lotte World Tower Seoul Sky – 10% off

Ohui & Whoo Spa Myeong-dong – 10% discount

K-POP X Korean Drums – 10% off

Yacht&Boat Tour (Golden Blue Marina) – 10% discount

Can you use two passes in a row?

Let’s say you are visiting Seoul for seven days or longer and want to take full advantage of the benefits Discover Seoul Pass offers. But the 72-hour option is too short, and you would like to purchase and use two passes in a row. Can you do that?

Of course you can!

If you purchase the physical card, you can activate the second one by visiting one of the included attractions as soon as the first one expires (or later, depending on your itinerary). However, if you purchase the mobile pass, it is better to wait until the first one expires to purchase the second one.

Alternatives to the Discover Seoul Pass

Are there alternatives to the Discover Seoul Pass? Of course, there are!

Here is my favorite one!

Go City Explore Seoul

With the Go City Explore Seoul Pass, you can enjoy a few different tours and experiences than with the Discover Seoul Pass.

You can choose between the All-Inclusive Pass – designed for 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 days in Seoul; or the Explorer Pass – and get picky with a 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7-choice attraction on a pass.

The All-Inclusive Pass

It is for those who want to see and experience as much of Seoul as possible.

A 1-day pass is 80.000 won, a 2-day pass is 120.000 won, while a 3-day pass is 156.000 won.

What is included with this pass option (some attractions):

Lotte World and Folk Village (Price without pass: ₩62000)

Cookin’ Nanta Musical Comedy Show (only discounted with the Discover Seoul Pass; Price without pass: ₩55000)

Everland Shuttle Bus (not included with the Discover Seoul Pass; Price without pass: ₩20000)

DMZ Tour (not included with the Discover Seoul Pass; Price without pass: ₩80000)

Nami Island Tour (not included with the Discover Seoul Pass; Price without pass: ₩16000)

14-day Korean SIM Card (only one day with the Discover Seoul Pass; Price without pass: ₩30000)

K-Pop Hollywood Tour (Price without pass: ₩50000)

Example of how much you can save

The Explorer Pass

You can choose between 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 activities on one pass. You have 60 days to use it.

How much does it cost:

3 attractions – 68000 won

4 attractions – 89000 won

5 attractions – 109000 won

6 attractions – 129000 won

7 attractions – 149000 won

What you don’t get with the Go City Explore Seoul Card

Compared to the Discover Seoul Pass, you don’t get transportation options included.

Other Travel Resources

Where to stay in Seoul on a budget

What to do in Seoul when it rains

Where to buy skincare in Seoul

Best Korean Subscription Boxes

SIM Card or Pocket Wifi

South Korea Bucket List

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