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| A night view of Seoul, where rivers, bridges, and dense neighborhoods overlap into a single urban landscape. ⓒ한국관광공사 포토코리아-최진형 |
Seoul can be confusing—in a good way—especially for first-time visitors. One of the most common moments of genuine surprise happens when foreign travelers realize they can’t easily label a place as a “tourist attraction.” On a map, it’s marked as a single location, but once you arrive, you may find a park, an industrial facility, a cultural venue, and everyday commuting routes layered into the same space.
On Reddit and other travel communities, reactions like these appear often:
“I don’t even know how to describe what this place is.”
“It’s not really a tourist spot, but it was too memorable to just walk past.”
“It feels like Seoul is experimenting as a city.”
These reactions suggest something important. Seoul isn’t simply a city with many things to see. It is a city with a distinctive way of using and reshaping space.
As the capital of South Korea, Seoul has had to produce maximum function within relatively limited land. During rapid industrial growth, population concentration, and repeated redevelopment, the city rarely erased everything to start over. Instead, Seoul developed by stacking new roles on top of existing structures, adjusting and reusing what was already there.
That is how a former highway becomes a park, an industrial facility turns into a cultural venue, and the past and present end up sharing the same frame—naturally and sometimes unexpectedly.
So in this article, based on real reactions from foreign travelers, I introduce five experimental and unusually memorable urban spaces in Seoul. These are places many visitors described as “I’ve never seen anything like this in another city” or “This felt like the most Seoul-like experience of my trip.”
They may not fit neatly into the category of tourist attractions, but they have a way of changing how you see the city.
Seoullo 7017 — A Highway Turned Into a Park
Seoullo 7017 is one of the most frequently mentioned “unexpected spaces” in foreign traveler reviews. It leaves a strong impression because an old elevated highway was not demolished, but reinterpreted as a pedestrian walkway.
“This used to be a highway? That’s wild.”
“It feels like Seoul decided not to erase its past, but transform it.”
Although Seoullo 7017 was inspired by New York City’s High Line, it is not simply a copied park. What makes it feel special is not just its appearance, but the way it clearly shows how the city chose to solve a problem.
Instead of removing a car-centered structure completely, Seoul added a new role on top of it—turning it into a space for people— without fully erasing what it used to be.
For many foreign travelers, Seoullo 7017 feels less like an attraction and more like a place where you can experience Seoul’s approach to change and adaptation firsthand.
Mullae Industrial Area — Art Inside an Active Factory Zone
In foreign traveler reviews, Mullae is often described not as a neighborhood, but as a place that feels unfinished—in a good way. It is a space where the city still appears to be in motion.
The most striking detail is that art studios and small exhibition spaces exist right in the middle of alleys where factories and workshops are still operating.
“This isn’t a former industrial area. It’s still alive.”
“I’ve never seen art coexist with real factories like this.”
In many cities, industrial districts become cultural areas only after factories are gone. Mullae feels different because industry has not disappeared. Its sounds, movement, and working energy remain.
That is why foreign travelers often experience Mullae not as a neatly organized arts village, but as a place where two layers of the city—industry and creativity— exist at the same time.
Because studios and small businesses change frequently, Mullae is also the kind of place that can feel different each time you visit.
Oil Tank Culture Park — From Energy Facility to Cultural Space
Oil Tank Culture Park in Mapo is one of the places foreign travelers most often say needs explanation. Originally an oil storage facility, its transformation into a cultural space without fully erasing its structure creates immediate curiosity.
“It feels like the city chose reuse over demolition.”
“This place tells a story without words.”
What makes this space memorable is not a single attraction, but the way it physically shows how Seoul moves forward while choosing not to completely discard its past.
The massive tank structures remain visible, allowing visitors to understand the city’s approach to redevelopment without needing a long explanation.
Many travelers remember Oil Tank Culture Park as a place that quietly teaches them something about Seoul’s relationship with time and transformation.
Ikseon-dong Backstreets — A Dense Mix That Feels Chaotic but Addictive
Ikseon-dong is already well known, yet foreign travelers still frequently describe it as strange but charming.
Narrow alleys, small hanok buildings, and unexpectedly modern cafés and restaurants are packed tightly together in a way that feels chaotic at first.
“It felt chaotic, but strangely intentional.”
“I kept getting lost, and I liked it.”
Ikseon-dong does not guide visitors like a carefully planned tourist zone. The alleys curve, views change quickly, and new scenes appear every few steps.
Rather than confusion, foreign travelers often remember Ikseon-dong as a place designed for wandering, where discovery becomes part of the experience.
Gyeongui Line Forest Path — A Park That Works Like a Living City Route
Gyeongui Line Forest Path is frequently mentioned as one of the best places to walk in Seoul.
What makes it special is not just its beauty, but the way it runs through neighborhoods, connecting everyday life instead of separating itself from it.
“It doesn’t feel like a park you visit. It feels like one you pass through.”
“This is how cities should breathe.”
The park functions less as a destination and more as a living route. Residential streets, cafés, small plazas, and resting areas blend naturally along the path.
Many travelers remember walking here as a moment when they briefly stepped into Seoul’s daily rhythm, passing through a space where the city seems to breathe.
As We Wrap Up
The five places introduced in this article are far from flashy tourist attractions.
Yet foreign traveler reviews reveal a clear pattern. These spaces show that Seoul is not only fast and efficient, but also a city that layers, adjusts, and reuses space— carrying the past and present forward together.
For travelers who want to understand Seoul more deeply, places like these may become the most memorable scenes of their journey.
This article is part of a series exploring Seoul through the experiences of foreign travelers. If you’d like to explore more, you may find these earlier guides helpful:
- Part 1: Quiet Nature Spots in Seoul That Foreign Travelers Didn’t Expect
- Part 2: Seoul Neighborhoods Foreign Travelers Found Surprisingly Memorable
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