DISCOVER SEOUL PASS REVIEW: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
This post is a Discover Seoul Pass review. All the information you need to know about this pass and more.
Discover Seoul Pass is an affordable way for you to discover different tourist attractions and activities to do in Seoul especially if it is your first time visiting South Korea.
The pass offers a 24hr, 48hr and 72hr duration. It features more than 60 free attractions and more than 100 discounts.
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What is Discover Seoul Pass?
Discover Seoul Pass allows free admission to famous tourist attractions in Seoul and also offers discounts on some attractions, shows, and shops. There are 2 kinds of Discover Seoul Pass, a card pass and a mobile pass.
The difference between the two passes is the card pass is a physical card that has a T-money function and the mobile pass does not have this function as it is in an app.
Buy the card pass if you are planning to use Seoul’s public transport (buses, subways, taxis) and use it as a T-money. T-money is a rechargeable card that can be used to pay for transport fares.
If you do not need the card, purchase the mobile pass for convenience.
How much does it cost?
The price of the passes is the same regardless if you purchase the card pass or the mobile pass.
| Pass Duration | Price |
| 24hr | 50,000 KRW |
| 48hr | 70,000 KRW |
| 72hr | 90,000 KRW |
If you purchased the card pass and use it as T-money, you will have to put in money to use it. The T-money starting balance is 0 KRW and not the amount you purchased the card pass with. You can top up the T-money card in any convenience store, subway station or ATM.
Where to buy Discover Seoul Pass?
The most convenient way to purchase the Discover Seoul Pass is online.
👍 To get a discount on your Discover Seoul Pass, you can purchase the pass here.
You can also purchase it in some designated information centres around Seoul. You will need to bring your passport with you to verify your identity when you buy this pass in person as this is only available for non-South Korea passport holders.
When purchasing the mobile pass, you will need to install the Discover Seoul Pass app and you can use it directly.
When purchasing the card pass, you will need to provide a date and a designated location to collect the pass.
Check the operating hours of the location first before choosing the pick-up date and location. Make sure they are open. All airport locations open early and close late and they are open all year long. Information centres are usually closed on the weekends and public holidays.
Just like when buying this pass in person, you will need to bring your passport with you to confirm your identity when collecting the card pass. Also, make sure to bring a copy of the voucher sent to you after you purchased the pass. You can either print the voucher or take a screenshot of it.
How to use the pass?
Present the card pass or the QR code from the mobile pass at the ticket booth of the attraction. You then get admission tickets. Enter for free or at a discounted price depending on the attraction.
The pass only gets activated if you use it to enter a free attraction. If your first use of the pass is for discounted benefits or T-money, the pass will not get activated. You can also use the pass for discounted benefits and T-money even after the pass reaches the 24hr, 48hr or 72hr duration expiry.
You can only use the pass once for each free attraction and discounted benefits.
Install the Discover Seoul Pass app before using the pass regardless if you purchased the card pass or mobile pass. This is for checking the remaining time on the pass and also keeping track of the attractions you’ve already visited.
Is it worth it to buy the Discover Seoul Pass?
The pass is worth having if you use it the right way. You do not need to buy this pass if you only intend to visit attractions with entrance fees of 3000 KRW or below.
To get the best bang for your buck, you need to pre-plan your itinerary.
Research the operating hours and the days the attraction is open and check the weather especially if you are going to use the pass for an outdoor attraction. You don’t want to waste time and go to an attraction that is not operating on the day you visit.
If you plan to activate the pass during the daytime, start with the attraction that opens early and end with the attraction that closes late. Visit attractions that are in the same area first before moving on to the next.
Give yourself enough time to enjoy the attraction. Do not rush your visit.
Do not forget to use the free vouchers and discounted benefits. You can use them before you activate the pass or after the pass duration expires.
Discover Seoul Pass Review: Sample Itinerary
So, you found this review useful and you now have your Discover Seoul Pass, but what next? Don’t know where to start the pre-planning of your itinerary? Don’t worry, I’ve done some sample itineraries for you.
Downtown Seoul
| Attraction | Operating Hours |
| Seoul Double Decker Bus (Traditional Culture Tour) | 9:30 am – 6:00 pm Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays |
| Do the whole loop | |
| Lunch | |
| Hop on: Seoul Double Decker Bus at DDP Hop off: Tongin Market (Gyeongbokgung Station Exit 2) | |
| Hanboknam | 9:00 am – 7:00 pm |
| Gyeongbokgung Palace | November to February: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm March to October: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm Closed on Tuesdays |
| Return Hanbok at Hanboknam | |
| Museum Kimchikan | 10:00 am – 6:00 pm Closed on Mondays, 1 January, Lunar New Year’s Day, Chuseok and 25 December |
| Color Pool Museum | 10:00 am – 7:00 pm |
| Dinner | |
| N Seoul Tower | 11:00 am – 10:00 pm |
Seoul Double Decker – Traditional Culture Tour
The Seoul Double Decker is also known as the Yellow Balloon City Bus. It offers the Traditional Culture Tour, which is a hop on and hop off bus service around downtown Seoul.
The ticket box is located near Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) A3. Present your Discover Seoul Pass in exchange for tickets.
The first bus departs Dongdaemun Design Plaza at 9:30 am and the last bus departs at 5:00 pm. The bus departure is every 40 minutes on weekdays and 30 minutes on the weekends. The whole loop duration is about 1 hr and 20 mins. The bus schedule is subject to change without notice depending on weather, traffic, vehicle breakdown or protests.
Hanboknam
Hanboknam is a hanbok rental store. Hanbok means Korean clothing. Free hanbok rental is available for 90 minutes with additional underskirts, headbands, lockers and hair-do service. Just show them your Discover Seoul Pass. They will need you to leave an identification card. You can get your ID back after you return the Hanbok.
Gyeongbokgung Palace
Gyeongbokgung Palace is one of the most visited palaces in Seoul as its location is easily accessible. It was the main palace of the Joseon dynasty and is the largest of the 5 palaces.
Museum Kimchikan
Museum Kimchikan is a food museum dedicated to kimchi. It exhibits kimchi’s history and its importance to Korean culture. The museum also offers activities such as Kimchi Class 101 with additional admission fees.
Color Pool Museum
Color Pool Museum is an eco-friendly museum that lets you interact with colours with your five senses. It is a very IG-worthy location.
N Seoul Tower
N Seoul Tower is an observatory located at Namsan and it is famous for its love locks.
Around N Seoul Tower, there are a few restaurants and cafes for you to grab some food, snacks or desserts.
Mapo + Yeouido
| Attraction | Operating Hours |
| Seoul Battleship Park | March to October: 10:00 am – 7:00 pm November to February: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm Closed on Mondays |
| Lunch | |
| NatureLabs | 11:00 am – 9:00 pm |
| 63 Square | 10:00 am – 8:00 pm |
| E-Land Cruise | Hangang Tour Cruise: Tuesday to Friday: 2:00 pm, 4:00 pm, 5:00 pm Weekends, Public Holidays: 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 4:00 pm, 5:00 pm Music Cruise: Tuesday to Sunday: 7:30 pm Starlight Cruise: Tuesday to Sunday: 9:00 pm, 10:00 pm |
Seoul Battleship Park
Seoul Battleship Park is a marine theme park that features South Korea’s retired battleship.
NatureLabs Exhibit
NatureLabs is located in the 4F of AK& Hongdae Mall. The place has an interactive exhibit of artworks to convey the coexistence of nature and media art technology. It also has a nature-themed cafe and offers classes.
63 Square
63 Square is a cultural complex where the 63 Art Gallery and Aqua Planet 63 are located. The 63 Art Gallery is located on the 60th floor where you can not only see unique art exhibits but also the overlooking view of the Han River. The Aqua Planet 63 is famous for its mermaid show.
E-Land Cruise
E-land Cruise is a popular ferry cruise service that runs through the Han River.
With the Discover Seoul Pass, you can choose from 1 of the 3 cruises that they offer: Hangang Tour, Moonlight and Starlight Cruise. The Hangang Tour Cruise duration is about 40 mins, the Moonlight Cruise duration is about 70 mins and the Starlight Cruise is about 50 mins. Both the Moonlight and Starlight cruises include a live music performance.
The ticket office is located in Yeouido Hangang Park. Present your Discover Seoul Pass in exchange for tickets. You will need to arrive 15 minutes before the cruise starts. A passport is also required to confirm identification.
Gangnam
| Attraction | Operating Hours |
| Seoul Tiger Bus Tour (Around Gangnam) | 10:00 am – 5:00 pm Closed on Mondays |
| Hop off: COEX Mall | |
| COEX Aquarium | 10:00 am – 8:00 pm |
| Lunch | |
| Hop on: COEX Mall | |
| Do the whole loop or make stops in between | |
| Lotte World Adventure | Lotte World Adventure: 10:00 am – 9:00 pm Ticket Office: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm |
Seoul Tiger Bus Tour – Around Gangnam
Seoul Tiger Bus Tour offers the Around Gangnam tour. You can find their ticket box near Gangnam Station Exit 11. Present your Discover Seoul Pass in exchange for tour bus tickets.
The bus departure is every 60 minutes and the whole loop duration is about 1 hr and 25 mins. The last bus trip leaves Gangnam station at 5:00 pm. The bus schedule may change due to unexpected circumstances, weather or traffic.
COEX Aquarium
COEX Aquarium is a marine theme park that houses 40,000 sea creatures and is located inside the COEX Mall. With the Discover Seoul Pass, you will not only get free entry to the aquarium but also a 10% discount at the Gift Shop.
Lotte World
Lotte World is a famous theme park in South Korea where it offers over 50 attractions. With the Discover Seoul Pass, you will get a Universal Pass. This means free admission to Adventure and Magic Island and also the museum. Free tickets are redeemable at Gate 28 before 6:00 pm.
👍 To get a discount on your Discover Seoul Pass, you can purchase the pass here.
Discover Seoul Pass Review: Personal Experience
I used the Discover Seoul Pass in 2017, the first time I visited South Korea, and in 2019. I have visited some attractions I would not have gone to without this pass and saved a ton on admission fees.
2017 Trip
I stumbled upon the Discover Seoul Pass when I was searching for tours online for my first trip to Seoul. At that time, Discover Seoul Pass was just recently launched and it only offered a 24hr card pass. It also only featured a few free attractions but the attractions were interesting enough for me to buy them.
In 2017, the pass cost 39,900 KRW but it was on sale and I bought it online for 29,000 KRW.
The attractions we visited were N Seoul Tower, MBC World, Trick-Eye and Ice Museum, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seodaemun Prison History Hall and Lotte Fitin K-Live.
Without the pass, we would have paid a total of 82,000 KRW for all the admission fees. We saved heaps!
| Day | Time | Attraction | Admission Fee |
| Day 1 | 8:00 pm | N Seoul Tower | 10,000 KRW |
| Day 2 | 10:00 am | MBC World | 18,000 KRW |
| 12:00 pm | Trick-Eye and Ice Museum | 15,000 KRW | |
| 2:00 pm | Gyeongbokgung Palace | 3,000 KRW | |
| 3:30 pm | Seodaemun Prison History Hall | 3,000 KRW | |
| 5:30 pm | Lotte Fitin K-Live | 33,000 KRW | |
| TOTAL | 82,000 KRW |
Read more about my First Visit to South Korea here.
Update: MBC World, Trick-Eye and Ice Museum and Lotte Fitin K-Live are not part of the available attractions for Discover Seoul Pass anymore.
2019 Trip
In 2019, I bought the 72hr card pass for 70,000 KRW. In our first 24hrs, we visited MBC World, Trick-Eye and Ice Museum and Grevin Museum. On the next day, we got tickets to the Seoul Tiger Bus Around Gangnam Tour and SMTown. We also used the pass to watch a recorded EXO concert in SMTown Theatre.
On the last day of the 72hr pass, we did the Seoul Double Decker Bus Traditional Culture Course. We also wandered around Gyeongbukgong and Changdeokgung Palace and tried the hanbok rental at Hanboknam. We did the Running Man Experience Centre and headed off to N Seoul Tower afterwards.
Without the pass, we would have paid 157,000 KRW. It’s more than double what we paid for the 72hr Discover Seoul Pass. A huge saving indeed!
| Day | Time | Attraction | Admission Fee |
| Day 1 | 10:00 am | MBC World | 18,000 KRW |
| 1:30 pm | Trick-Eye and Ice Museum | 15,000 KRW | |
| 4:00 pm | Grevin Museum | 18,000 KRW | |
| Day 2 | 10:00 am | Seoul Tiger Bus Tour (Around Gangnam) | 16,000 KRW |
| 1:30 pm | SMTown Museum | 28,000 KRW | |
| 7:30 pm | SMTown Theatre | * | |
| Day 3 | 9:30 am | Seoul Double Decker Bus (Traditional Culture Course) | 20,000 KRW |
| 1:00 pm | Gyeongbokgung Palace | 3,000 KRW | |
| 3:00 pm | Hanboknam | 10,000 KRW | |
| 4:00 pm | Changdeokgung Palace | 3,000 KRW | |
| 6:00 pm | Running Man Experience Centre | 16,000 KRW | |
| 8:30 pm | N Seoul Tower | 10,000 KRW | |
| TOTAL | 157,000 KRW |
Read more about my 10-day trip to South Korea here.
Update: MBC World, Trick-Eye and Ice Museum, Grevin Museum, SMTown and Running Man Experience Centre are not part of the available attractions for Discover Seoul Pass anymore.
Discover Seoul Pass Review Recap
The Discover Seoul Pass is a must-have pass if you visit attractions that have expensive admission fees. You do not need to have this pass if you only intend to visit attractions with fees of 3000 KRW or below. You will also need to pre-plan your itinerary and do research on the attractions operating hours.
Remember to always check the list of attractions and discounts when planning to buy this pass as it changes from time to time. For more information on the list of available attractions, see here.
Discover Seoul Pass Review Links
- Accommodation – Agoda, book here
- Discover Seoul Pass – To get a discount, you can purchase the pass here
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South Korea In 10 Days: An Amazing Travel Itinerary