Seoul is one of the cheapest major cities in the world to sightsee in, because the headline attractions are state-run and priced as public heritage rather than tourism. The four royal palaces cost between 1,000 and 3,000 won each, an integrated ticket to all of them plus Jongmyo Shrine is 6,000 won, and a granite-peak national park inside the city limits is free. Where money actually goes is transport and the private attractions, where prices jump by a factor of ten. Prices are in Korean won as published.

1. Gyeongbokgung Palace

The largest of the royal palaces and the obvious starting point, at 3,000 won for an adult — or free if you are wearing hanbok, which is the best-value trick in the city. Rental shops cluster around the gates, and the official rule requires a matching top and bottom: a jacket thrown over jeans does not qualify.

Hours move with the season. March to May and September to October it is 9:00am to 6:00pm with last entry at 5:00pm; June to August it runs to 6:30pm; November to February it closes at 5:00pm. Closed Tuesdays.

The Changing of the Royal Guard ceremony is free and runs at 10:00am and 2:00pm for about twenty minutes. You do not need a palace ticket to watch it.

2. Changdeokgung and the Secret Garden

UNESCO-listed, and the only palace where you have to decide whether to spend more. The palace itself is 3,000 won; the Huwon, or Secret Garden, is a separate 5,000 won for adults and 2,500 for ages 7 to 18.

The garden is guided-only and capped at 100 people per tour — 50 booked online and 50 sold on the day at the gate. If the online slots are gone, turning up early still works, which is the opposite of what most visitors assume.

Closed Mondays, which is the opposite day to Gyeongbokgung. English-language garden tours run at 10:30am, 11:30am and 2:30pm, with an extra 3:30pm tour from March to November.

3. Bukhansan National Park

A genuine granite-peak national park inside the city limits, reachable by subway and bus, and free to enter. Open 9:00am to 6:00pm, with last entry at 4:00pm in summer and 3:00pm in winter.

One practical warning: programmes are suspended during heatwave, typhoon, heavy rain and fine-dust warnings, and those suspensions can run for weeks in midsummer. Check before committing a day to it between late July and mid-August.

4. Gwangjang Market

The cheapest way to eat well in central Seoul, and free to walk into. The important detail is that the market keeps two different sets of hours: the general market runs 9:00am to 6:00pm, but the Food Alley stays open until 11:00pm.

The main shopping areas close on Sundays while the food section keeps going. Arriving at seven on a Sunday evening still gets you dinner even though the fabric and goods floors are shut — which is exactly when most guides tell you not to bother.

5. Namsan and N Seoul Tower

This is where the free-versus-paid line is sharpest in Seoul. The mountain, the park and the plaza at the tower base are free and give you a full city panorama. The observatory inside is listed at 29,000 won for an adult and 23,000 for a child — roughly ten times a palace ticket.

The cable car is 15,000 won return or 12,000 one way. Walking up and skipping the observatory saves 29,000 won a head and costs you very little in view. The observatory opens 10:00am to 10:30pm on weekdays and 11:00pm at weekends, with last entry half an hour before closing, 365 days a year.

Worth knowing

The short version

Wear hanbok and the palaces are free; otherwise 3,000 won each or 6,000 for the lot. Bukhansan and the Namsan plaza cost nothing, Gwangjang feeds you cheaply until eleven at night, and the only thing here worth skipping is the 29,000 won tower observatory when the view from the base is free.