12 Things To Do For Valentine's Day In Seoul

Valentine’s Day is just one of numerous romantic holidays in Korea. It’s a big one though. If you’re revving up to celebrate your love and you need some romantic things to do in Seoul or the best date ideas in Seoul, you’ve come to the right place.

Couple culture in Korea is out of this world with couples often wearing matching clothing and even buying matching underwear. Thus, you can imagine that a romantic holiday such as Valentine’s Day is up there in popularity for couples in Korea.

Here’s what you need to know to celebrate Valentine’s Day in Seoul:

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Do Koreans Celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Yes, Valentine’s Day (밸런타인데이) is celebrated in Korea on February 14th. It’s one of the 12 “love days” with one celebrated on the 14th of every month of the year. It’s celebrated a bit differently than you might expect though.

How Do Koreans Celebrate Valentine’s Day?

In Korea, Valentine’s Day is generally celebrated by women giving their beaus chocolates and other sweet treats to show their love and adoration. It’s not the catch all love holiday that it is in most of the rest of the world. This is then reciprocated by the boys gifting the ladies sweets on White Day, FYI. (And then there’s Black Day for the singles in March.)

What is White Day?

Since the boys have had all of the fun on Valentine’s Day, White Day is one for the girls. An exact month later on March 14th, men give their women gifts galore. Basically, if you gave your beau some love in the form of chocolates and sweets, then he’ll be repaying you on White Day.

Actually… not just repaying, but multiplying what you gave him by 3. The guy is expected to observe the ‘Rule of Three’ and reciprocate with a gift at least 3 times in value of the lovely lady gave him. Also, there should be some white involved in the gifts as well.

Do my husband and I do this? No, but it’s a thing for some people. Make sure you know what your partner is expecting.

Romantic Things To Do In Seoul For Valentine’s Day

Here are some romantic things to do in Seoul if you’re ready to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

1 Visit N Seoul Tower

Long considered one of the most romantic places in Seoul, we’re going to kick off this list of romantic things to do in Seoul with Namsan Tower. Get up to the top of the mountain on the cable car and then place your own love lock on the fence before going up to the top for the twinkling light views.

I recommend you go in the early evening so you can see the sunset and the lights turn on out over the city. If you want to amp up the romance while you’re up there, you can also dine in N Grill which is a fine French restaurant with a 360 degree view of Seoul.

Address: 105 Namsangongwon-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (서울특별시 용산구 남산공원길 105)
Get Tickets: Book tickets on Trazy to get a discount.
Make A Reservation: Make sure to make a reservation for N Grill to make sure you get a table. You can find the information for N Grill here.

CGV Cinema, Seoul, Korea — Photo Credit: CJ CGV Website

2 See A Movie In A Reclining Bed

Have you heard of the cinemas with beds yet? Go luxury for Valentine’s Day and reserve seats, er beds, at one of Seoul’s luxurious theaters. CGV has a few Cine De Chef theaters around the city. Head to the CGV Website and find the theater nearest you with seats open and enjoy a romantically reclined movie theater experience.

3 Get Drinks & A Room At L’Escape

If you’re looking for a truly romantic escape in the heart of the city of Seoul, step into L’Escape. Step through the doors and you’ll immediately be transported to 19th-century Parisian luxury. The entire hotel, designed by French architect Jacques Garcia is elegant and chic and they have a number of fine dining restaurants as well as Marque d’Amour by L’Amant Secret, a chic and atmospheric bar. You can’t go wrong celebrating Valentine’s Day in Seoul here.

Address: 67 Toegye-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul (서울 중구 퇴계로 67)
Make A Reservation: The rooms are fantastic. Make a reservation for L’Escape here on Booking.com or on Agoda.com

Custom Ring Making, Hongdae, Seoul, Korea — Photo Credit: Trazy.com

4 Make Your Own Couples Rings

Go fully Korean style and make your own couples rings… or bracelets, or necklaces. Making your own personalized or symbolic piece of jewelry to share your love with each other. Visit a great shop in Hongdae and you can make a piece using fine silver, coating options available.

Make A Reservation: Book a custom ring/bracelet/necklace experience in Hongdae on Trazy.

5 Take A Trip On The Wine Train

If you’ve got the whole day and want to do something fun, check out the super fun wine train trip. I took the wine train years ago and loved it. The trains have actually been updated since we went and are even more chic now. It’s fun in any case.

Make A Reservation: You can book your seats here.

6 Drink Champagne At Bar 81

Bar 81 purports to have the largest champagne collection in Asia and it truly does have a substantial list. Take in the views out over Seoul from the Lotte Sky Building, the tallest building in Korea as you sip exquisite wine.

The views are stunning and if you want to just make a staycation of it, you can also book a room at Signiel Hotel. We’ve stayed twice and it’s amazing. Call ahead to reserve a table at Bar 81 if you want to get a seat in the windows. If you want to spend the entire evening here, STAY, a French restaurant in the hotel is fantastic and very chic.

For More Information: To see what our experience was like and recommendations from the general manager, check out this post on Bar 81.
Address: Lotte World Tower, 81st Floor 300 Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu Seoul (서울특별시 송파구 올림픽로 300 롯데월드타워 81층)
Make A Reservation: 02-3213-1281
Bar 81 Website

7 Go Sweet & Cheap At Your Local Convenience Store

Stop into pretty much any convenience store on the block and you’ll find flower bouquets and boxes of chocolates and other sweets on tables just outside or inside the place. There is plenty to buy and this is especially appealing if you’ve forgotten the holiday is coming and you’re running home to your love at the last minute.

Don’t discount the convenience store goods. You can find Ferrero Rocher and Chupa Chups bouquets and other similarly outlandish but quirky and cute treats.

Seoul Yacht Marina, Yeouido, Seoul, Korea

8 Take A Han River Ferry Boat Cruise… Or A Private Yacht Tour!

A ride on the Han River seeing the city lights in the evening can be extremely romantic. It’s a different view of Seoul than many have seen and it’s a really underrated experience. You can do it on a budget or go private and book just a couples experience. I’ve done both options and they were both fantastic.

Make A Reservation:

Book An E-Land Ferry Cruise departing from Yeouido on Klook.

9 Eat Michelin Starred Cuisine In Seoul

There are some very special restaurants with very good cuisine and they usually require Valentine’s Day reservations so make sure you think ahead on this one.

Jungsik: Located in Gangnam, Jungsik is a two-Michelin starred restaurant that serves contemporary and creative Korean cuisine. For Valentine’s Day, there is a special dinner for W270,000 per person. You can make reservations on their website.
- Address: 11 Seonreung-ro 158-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (서울 강남구 선릉로158길 11)
La Yeon: Located on the 23rd floor of The Shilla Hotel, La Yeon is a three-Michelin starred restaurant and was actually the first Korean restaurant to be awarded the rating. La Yeon offers the traditional taste of Korea in an elaborate and delicate fashion. You can make reservations on their website.
- Address: 249 Dongho-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul (서울 중구 동호로 249)
the GAON: Also located in Gangnam, the GAON is a three-Michelin starred restaurant. They serve Korean food as an ultimate piece of culinary art and focus on seasonal food imbued with hard work over a long time. You can make a reservation on their website.
- Address: 317 Dosan-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (서울 강남구 도산대로 317)
Kwon Sooksoo: Located in ____, Kwon Sooksoo is a two-starred Michelin starred restaurant that serves modern korean cuisine with ingredients from all around the country and homemade jang, kimchi, jeot-gal, and jangachi. Enjoy high-class Korean food with carefully selected wines and Korean traditional liquors. You can make a reservation on their website.
- Address: 37 Apgujeong-ro 80-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (서울 강남구 압구정로80길 37)

10 Get A Cake To Show Your Love

Koreans love getting cakes for holidays. Really, no holiday is complete if there isn’t a cake of some sort. This is a good option if you’d like to hunker down at home, treat yourself a bit, and maybe watch a romantic flick and eat pastries. Stop into any Paris Baguette or other bakery and you’ll find some red, white, or pink Valentine’s Day styled cakes and pastries.

Noraebong, Korean Karaoke Room, Seoul, Korea

11 Serenade Each Other At A Noraebong

Any list of romantic things to do in Seoul that doesn’t have a noraebong, or karaoke room, on it is just not complete if you ask me. Sure, my husband and I are both creative musical people, but even if you aren’t, it’s just fun and sure might be slightly awkward at first, but if you love each other, you will no doubt end up laughing, smiling, and enjoying your Valentine’s Day in Seoul.

This is also a relatively cheap way to spend the holiday as well so a great budget friendly option. If you want to be romantic about it, also go for the more decked out fancy noraebongs… yes there are some that are more than just a room with a couch and a screen.

Seoul City Bus, Hop on Hop off Bus, Seoul, Korea

12 Take A Seoul City Bus Night View Tour

The hop-on hop-off Seoul City Bus Tours are a great way to see the city but the night view tour is romantic and a fun way to see the city. It’s something a bit different to do and not just for tourists despite what you might think. Hop on and enjoy the views of Seoul as the lights twinkle!

Get your tickets online with Klook to confirm the date in advance.

There is plenty to do to have a fantastic Valentine’s Day in Seoul. I wish you a loving and fun day whether you’re with friends, or a lover. Enjoy!

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12 Things To Do For Valentine’s Day In Seoul

Do Koreans Celebrate Valentine’s Day?

How Do Koreans Celebrate Valentine’s Day?

What is White Day?