Seoul Museum of History
Seoul Museum of History
4.5
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
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The area
Neighbourhood: Jongno-gu
How to get there
- Gwanghwamun • 7 min walk
- Seodaemun • 8 min walk
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4.5
318 reviews
Excellent
157
Very good
131
Average
28
Poor
2
Terrible
0
Marga B
Pasig117 contributions
Jan 2020
It has a lot of information but it is kind of boring. The audio guides didn't work properly and there are no numbers to indicate what you are seeing. So you are stuck walking around looking at dioramas and reading texts. The kids were engaged for the first 15 minutes then lost interest after a bit. I don't blame them since I was struggling myself. If you are a history buff then by all means go. But as a regular tourist, maybe best to just get the cliff's notes off the internet and do something else with your time.
Written 27 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ElisabethCalif
Castro Valley, CA15 contributions
May 2023
I was pleasantly surprised at how fantastic this museum is. I hadn't seen much info on it from tourist guidebooks, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I learned so much about Seoul's history and how it developed over the many years it has existed. If you want to understand Seoul, you really should visit this museum early in your stay.
Written 18 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hoadjie
Gisborne, Australia311 contributions
May 2024 • Solo
Free entry close to public transport
Not too bad. I learned a bit more about Korean history. Most signs were in English but a lot of the smaller signs only in Korean.
Think I spent about an hour wandering around
Not too bad. I learned a bit more about Korean history. Most signs were in English but a lot of the smaller signs only in Korean.
Think I spent about an hour wandering around
Written 19 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ann K
Seattle, WA56 contributions
Apr 2019 • Couples
We stumbled across this museum and were glad we did! It's a delightful museum that shows the pride the residents of Seoul have in their city and its history. On one of the upper floors, there's a huge miniature layout of the city. You can stand above it or off to the side to see how the city is laid out. You can select neighborhoods and highlight them, but unfortunately this feature is not available in English. I can away impressed with what the people of Seoul accomplished in rebuilding their city after the war.
Written 22 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Choo-Beng G
Singapore, Singapore374 contributions
Oct 2018 • Solo
If you have time do visit this very interesting museum that showcases the six centuries of Seoul’s storied past.
From its early founding as a strategic capital for the unified Korean kingdom because of the fengshui and laid out in Confucian principles it grew to become a walled city with a central avenue of commercial sites and an expanding palace with administrative buildings. If you are familiar with period Korean dramas you will recognise the sets and interiors.
From a medieval city it had to modernise with the arrival of westerners and rapid change in the late 19th century.
The Japanese colonial government further changed the urban landscape from its crowded houses to more planned streets with amenities.
However the medieval soul was gradually torn away with the demolition of historical sites such as the Temple of Heaven. Note the similarities with Beijing in terms of fengshui and Imperial urban planning.
The much disliked colonial townhall was also built to obstruct the Korean palace.
You will start to see the birth of Korean nationalism as you wander into this exhibition area.
All this was devastated during the Korean War that left Seoul pretty much with only standing stone chimneys.
The rapid urbanisation during the Asian Tiger economy era resulted in a functional city with little thought around urban design and well planned spaces for an exploding population that grew to ten million eventually.
You will end the visit with a birds eye model of the entire city to appreciate the geography and some of the major landmarks and notable districts in Seoul.
From its early founding as a strategic capital for the unified Korean kingdom because of the fengshui and laid out in Confucian principles it grew to become a walled city with a central avenue of commercial sites and an expanding palace with administrative buildings. If you are familiar with period Korean dramas you will recognise the sets and interiors.
From a medieval city it had to modernise with the arrival of westerners and rapid change in the late 19th century.
The Japanese colonial government further changed the urban landscape from its crowded houses to more planned streets with amenities.
However the medieval soul was gradually torn away with the demolition of historical sites such as the Temple of Heaven. Note the similarities with Beijing in terms of fengshui and Imperial urban planning.
The much disliked colonial townhall was also built to obstruct the Korean palace.
You will start to see the birth of Korean nationalism as you wander into this exhibition area.
All this was devastated during the Korean War that left Seoul pretty much with only standing stone chimneys.
The rapid urbanisation during the Asian Tiger economy era resulted in a functional city with little thought around urban design and well planned spaces for an exploding population that grew to ten million eventually.
You will end the visit with a birds eye model of the entire city to appreciate the geography and some of the major landmarks and notable districts in Seoul.
Written 24 October 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hkvisitor1997
Hong Kong, China515 contributions
Jun 2018 • Couples
It was raining hard that day, so we decided to take a museum tour and visited many museums, this was our favorite, due to limited time we only spend about 45 minutes, the collections was very well display, from yesteryear long ago and far away, next time when we come, probably stay for a good half day.
Written 30 June 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dave H
Singapore, Singapore125 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
I thought this was great. It is filed with interesting and very detailed models of Seoul throughout its history. It is also free and has great English explanations of almost every item.
Written 5 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
R_A617
Ayr, UK206 contributions
Sept 2019
Recently updated and free.
600 years of Seoul, very well divided into sections. Everything was helpfully in English with very well done brochures/guides for each section.
We visited on a wet day - but spent much longer than intended. Definitely worth the visit.
600 years of Seoul, very well divided into sections. Everything was helpfully in English with very well done brochures/guides for each section.
We visited on a wet day - but spent much longer than intended. Definitely worth the visit.
Written 23 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stray Cat
Halong Bay, Vietnam46 contributions
Jul 2019
Great way to spend a couple of hours on a hot afternoon. Free as well and very easy to get to. It is a shame half of it was closed for renovation when we were there.
Written 21 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stickman1
Canberra, Australia365 contributions
Apr 2019 • Solo
I found this museum more interesting than the Korean War Museum or the National Museum. I particularly liked the section on the reconstruction of the city after 1953 and its development over the following frenetic decades.
Written 13 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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