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 the time you have on your hands, purchasing a Discover Seoul Pass might or might not 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
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What is the Discover Seoul Pass?
Discover Seoul Pass is a city pass that offers discounts to most important tourist attractions and activities in town. The card has been created by the Seoul Tourism Organization in order to help tourists better plan their trip, 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 to have to pay for entrance fees at many of the tourist attractions in town.
You can use the card (or the mobile app) as an admission ticket, in order to get discounts where applicable, or as a public transportation ticket (instead of having to buy the T-Money Card).
Each card is nominal, thus when you travel as a group you each will need to purchase one card.
A good thing to know is that 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
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 and you can have your pass with you once you arrive in the city. That would mean you get to 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
When you purchase the pass on their official website, you will need to select the pick-up location.
If you purchase the mobile pass, you can start using it straight away.
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, on the app, you can see the time availability for your card. The timer only starts to count down at the first point of redemption – so at the first attractions you use your card for.
Is it worth it? How to take advantage of the pass to the maximum
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 the palaces) and focus on the ones that will offer you 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 hours pass and spending all the time in one place.
Another thing to have in mind before you decide is how many of the attractions you will have 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 not familiar with its public transportation and/or map (location of different museums and attractions).
To have you covered, we have created a few itinerary options, that will 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, that works as a T-Money card as well.
You can use the mobile app to check for the remaining duration.
Make sure to check opening times for each of the attractions you want to visit. Also, plan your itinerary in advance – check the map for distances and necessary time for commute.
Choose how you start your use of the card: you either start with a late activity (let’s say you activate your card at around 5PM 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 that already have a small 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, and that would mean spending around 3000 won.
Let’s look at a few one day itinerary options for when you choose to 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 won’t 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
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 9PM or 10PM 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
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 towards 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, as long as you haven’t used the card.
What discounts fo you get with the Discover Seoul Pass
The most important discounts in my view are the following:
SAFEX – you get 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 2 passes in a row?
Let’s say you are visiting Seoul for 7 days or longer and you want to take full advantage of the benefits Discover Seoul Pass offers you. But the 72-hour option is too short and you would like to purchase and use 2 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 attractions included, 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 in order 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 get 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 attractions on a pass.
The All Inclusive Pass
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 Days pass is 120.000 won, while a 3 Days 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 1 day with the Discover Seoul Pass; Price without pass: ₩30000)
K-Pop Hollywood Tour (Price without pass: ₩50000)
Example for how much you can save
The Explorer Pass
You get to choose between 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 activities on one pass. And 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
As 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
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