hy Go Now

Because Seoul is the new Tokyo. With Seoul's proximity to Beijing and Tokyo (both less than two hours away by air), this city of about 10 million is becoming the focal point of transportation and business in northern Asia. Think of it as a capital with the culture and excitement of Tokyo, but less hectic and easier on the pocketbook. It was host to the 1988 Summer Olympics, and is becoming more international and cosmopolitan.

The commercial conglomerates of Seoul, like Samsung and SK Telecom, have kept the city enriched with a healthy diet of skyscrapers and world-class cultural institutions. As the country's economy has stabilized since the late 1990's, design-centered museums, art galleries, restaurants, bars and boutique hotels are thriving.

A quick flip through the Korean versions of GQ and Teen Vogue in any of the scores of Starbucks stores or a stroll down Cheongdam-dong past the fashion boutiques quickly reveal that Seoul is poised for a hipper future. Any of the fashionable enclaves such as Apgujeong, Cheongdam or Itaewon could easily be mistaken for West Hollywood, or the Harajuku, and young Koreans are likely to know as much about Britney Spears as they do about Korean politics.

Where to Stay

The (1) W Seoul-Walkerhill, this hotel chain's first outpost in Asia, opened last September. Perched atop Mount Acha, right on the bank of the Han River (21 Gwangjang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, (82-2) 2465 2222, or on the Web at www.wseoul.com) the W offers a most stunning and seductive view of the city. With floor-to-ceiling windows, the remote-controlled electric curtains automatically open in the morning to reveal the river and the rest of the city skyline, almost within arm's reach. The hotel offers two restaurants as well as a spa, gym and a third-floor pool that is situated with a city view and feels like an extension of the river. Doubles, $308, at 1,084 won to the United States dollar.

The (2) Shilla Seoul, 202 Jangchung-dong 2-ga, Jung-gu, (82-2) 2233 3131 or on the Web at seoul.shilla.net, is a luxurious 507-room hotel with a more traditional Korean d?or. Doubles, $275 and up.

For a location across the Han River, closer to the newer parts of the city, the (3) Coex Intercontinental, 159 Samsung-dong Kangnam-ku, seoul-coex.intercontinental.com, (82-2) 3452 2500 is a modern hotel near the Coex convention center and mall, Korea's largest. Doubles, about $325.

Where to Eat

As you might expect, kimchi, that spicy fermented cabbage, is ubiquitous in Seoul restaurants. It is an option for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and will often be served regardless, depending on where you eat. Other popular Korean food includes bulgogi, marinated barbequed beef and galbi, marinated ribs, which are cooked on a heated pot at the dinner table.

For the most authentic Korean cuisine, try (4) Jihwaja, San 14-67, Jangchung-dong 2-ga, Jung-gu, (82-1) 2 2269 5834, located within the National Theater of Korea. The main dish is gujeolpan, a nine-sectioned plate of food that can be mixed in a rice or wheat wrap. Multicourse dinners cost $25 to $100 a person.

For more adventurous fare, (5) Cafe 74, 83-20, Cheongdam-dong, (82-2) 542 7412, serves an Italian-Eastern fusion cuisine. Italian food is to Koreans what Chinese food is to New Yorkers. While a smattering of fusion cuisines exists in Seoul, such as kimchi-flavored risotto (a harrowing experience), Cafe 74 is quite a reliable way to experience the Korean version of Italian food. Dinners cost between $22 and $32 a person.

The crowds are flocking to (6) Mr. Chow, 91-6, Nonhuyn-dong, Gangnam-gu, (82-2) 517 2100, the first Asian outpost of the chain that currently has locations in New York, Los Angeles and London. While it's hard to get a table without calling well in advance - the restaurant has been so crowded that it has been known to take reservations just to have a drink at the bar - the couches of the dark, cozy bar make an ideal place for a nightcap. Dinners cost around $35 to $120 a person.

What to Do During the Day

A popular place for antiques and historic shops is Insadong, an arts district north of downtown. A thoroughly modern arts center, the (7) Insa Arts Alley, opened a new building this month, across the street from the Insa Art Center, (82-2) 736 1020. With a Guggenheim-like spiral network but set around an open courtyard, the new building shows the work of young, experimental Korean artists, and is a design collaboration between Gabriel Kroiz, an American architect, and Moongyu Choi, a Korean architect.

For a spectacular view of the city, go to the gleaming, 1,200-foot-tall (8) Seoul Tower, Namdaemun-ro 1-ga, Jung-gu, (82-2) 775 6222, in Namsan Park. Also near Namsan Park is a recent addition to city's cultural landscape, (9) Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, 747-18, Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, or www.leeum.org, which opened in October with a campus of three buildings each designed by a different architect. Rem Koolhaas, Jean Nouvel and Mario Botta created a stunning assemblage of drastically different designs. The museum shows the Samsung Cultural Foundation's top-notch contemporary and traditional art collection. The museum is free to the public but is open by appointment only. Located in a densely populated residential neighborhood on Yongsan Mountain, it is difficult to find, even for experienced cabdrivers, so be sure to note that it is near the Grand Hyatt.

What to Do at Night

Our best source of intelligence came from the bartender at (1) Woobar, (82-2) 2022 0022, a multilevel lounge complete with silver-pod D.J. booth and private cabanas on the ground floor of W Seoul-Walkerhill (see above). During the day, the main boulevards in Cheongdam-dong are the fashionable places to shop, she explained, but at night, the locals come out to enjoy themselves there. Some of the best bars and clubs in Seoul are off Cheongdam-dong. Jazz clubs are the rage in Seoul, and one of the less kitschy venues is 10Hwa Su Mok, 125-24 Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, (82-2) 548 5429, which means Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or fire, water and wood, in Korean. The jazz is superb, and the crowds tend to be more low-key.

Itaewon, a neighborhood in the center of the city north of the river, is where you will find (11) Areno, 395, 5-ga, Namdaemun-ro, Chung-gu, (82-2) 317 3244, a popular dance club inside the Millennium Seoul Hilton. Nearby, inside the Hamilton Hotel, you'll find 12 Limenight, 119-25, Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, (82-2) 790 0588, a big 1980's-style club where international bankers and local hipsters mix, as well as 13J Bar, a quieter and more funky bar and lounge in an alley adjacent to the hotel.

Where to Shop

UN Studio, a Dutch architectural firm, recently outfitted the 14Galleria department store, 494, Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, (82-2) 3449 4114, or www.galleria.co.kr, with a massive new facade with 4,300 white discs. At night, it is easily the most luminous sight in Apgujeong, as it flashes images and patterns in a multitude of colors for the store, which carries such brands as Christian Dior and Chanel.

From the Galleria, Apgujeong-dong runs south until it intersects Cheongdam, where Western luxury retailers have their boutiques. Farther down, visitors will find Boon the Shop, a popular Korean retailer. The first Boon opened three years ago as a single-level retail space designed by the New York architectural firm of LOT/EK. In August, the store opened a four-story shop, (15) 1F Boon the Shop Building, Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, (82-2) 317 0397, that immerses shoppers in the store's stock of Burberry Prorsum and Commes des Gar?ns.

One of the city's most talked-about shops, (16) Mue, 93-6 Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, (82-2) 3446 8074, occupies an exquisite three-level space that, along with its smattering of Martin Margiela and Viktor & Rolf's clothes, includes fashion-architectural theatrics by the designer Minsuk Cho such as translucent concrete walls and 20-foot-high multimedia projections.

How to Stay Wired

Cheap Internet cafes can be found scattered around the city. Most charge about $1 an hour. Free Internet access can be found within the Seoul Information Center, 31 Daepyungno 1-ga, Jung-gu, (82-2) 731-6337, located on the second floor of (17) Seoul City Hall.

Your First Time or Your 10th

Slightly north of downtown is (18) Gyeongbokgung, end of Sejong-ro, (82-2) 732 1931, the main palace during the Chosun Dynasty (1392-1910) in Seoul. Visitors who come from the Gwanghwamun subway station can instantly see down Sejong-ro to the majestic gates of the palace, which are framed by the Bukaksan Mountains.

The grounds are expansive, and include historic Korean, pagodalike structures as well as the (19) National Folklore Museum, 1-1, Sejongno, Jongno-gu, (82-2) 720 3137. But when one stands at the palace gates, the juxtaposition is jarring: In the foreground is 500 years of Korean history, and glittering in the background is the rest of Seoul, with its ultramodern skyscrapers arrayed across the horizon.

How to Get There

In 2002, the city opened Inchon International Airport on an island about an hour west of the city, leaving the city's other airport, Gimpo, to handle domestic flights. Inchon acts as a major hub for a number of airlines such as United and Korean.

During peak seasons, fares to Seoul from New York can be as much as $1,300. The best time to travel is in March and April, and in September and November. The city experiences the mildest temperatures in those months, and the fares are around $900. United, Northwest and Korean Airlines all offer direct flights from Kennedy Airport in New York to Tokyo, which take approximately 13 hours, and then another two-hour jump to Seoul. Less direct flights can take up to 25 hours or more.

How to Get Around

Traffic is notoriously bad in Seoul, particularly in rush hour, so use the city's subway systems, which are clean and cost around 85 cents a trip (5:30 a.m. to midnight, and until 1 a.m. on weekends).