Hotel
Four Seasons Hotel Seoul
The first Four Seasons in South Korea, a luxury hotel near Gwanghwamun with palace and Namsan views, a year-round pool and the Michelin-starred Yu Yuan.
A 235-room luxury hotel on floors 76 to 101 of Lotte World Tower, with two Michelin Keys, Yannick Alleno's restaurant Stay and the Korean restaurant Bicena.
Good to know
Signiel Seoul is Lotte's flagship luxury hotel, and it occupies floors 76 to 101 of Lotte World Tower, the tallest building in South Korea. That height is the defining feature of a stay: rooms look out over the Han River, the city and the mountains beyond, and on a clear day the view seems to take in the whole of Seoul. The hotel has 235 rooms and suites and holds two Michelin Keys, the guide's recognition for an exceptional stay.
Rooms are modern and stylish, with premium bedding and Diptyque bath products, and floor-to-ceiling windows make the most of the outlook. Guests can also use a library-style lounge, the Retreat Signiel spa, a gym, a sauna and an indoor pool with views across the city. Note that the spa, gym, pool and sauna close on the last Wednesday of each month.
The dining is a highlight. Stay, the modern French restaurant overseen by the celebrated chef Yannick Alleno, serves classic and contemporary dishes with a sky-high view, while Bicena, the Korean restaurant, holds a Michelin star in the 2026 guide and offers refined Korean cooking. There is also a bar, which is a good way to enjoy the view in the evening even if you are not staying.
Signiel suits couples on a special trip, honeymooners and business travellers, and it is a memorable choice for anyone who wants to wake up above the clouds. It is in Jamsil in the south-east of the city, which is convenient for Gangnam, the Lotte World theme park and Olympic Park, though further from the palaces and old city. Allow 40 minutes or so by subway to reach the historic centre. Rooms facing the river and Namsan are worth requesting when you book.
Because the hotel is so high, cloud and haze can hide the view on some days, and spring and autumn usually bring the clearest skies.
The hotel is reached through Lotte World Tower and Lotte World Mall, which connect directly to Jamsil Station on Lines 2 and 8. Seoul Sky, the observation deck, is in the same tower, the Lotte World Aquarium is in the mall below, and Seokchon Lake's lakeside paths are just outside. Airport limousine buses link Jamsil with Incheon Airport.
The hotel occupies floors 76 to 101 of Lotte World Tower.
Signiel Seoul has 235 rooms and suites.
It holds two Michelin Keys for exceptional hotels.
Stay, a modern French restaurant by Yannick Alleno, and Bicena, a Korean restaurant with a Michelin star in 2026.
Yes, an indoor pool, along with a spa, gym and sauna; these close on the last Wednesday of each month.
It is convenient for Gangnam, Lotte World and Olympic Park; the palaces are about 40 minutes away by subway.
Through Lotte World Mall from Jamsil Station on Lines 2 and 8.
Seoul Sky observation deck, Lotte World Aquarium, Lotte World theme park and Seokchon Lake.
Thing to do
One of Seoul's oldest traditional markets, dating from 1905, where rows of food stalls serve mung bean pancakes, mayak gimbap and noodles beside fabric merchants.
Attraction
The first and largest royal palace of the Joseon dynasty, founded in 1395 and home to the throne hall Geunjeongjeon and the Gyeonghoeru banquet pavilion.
Restaurant
Chef Mingoo Kang's tasting-menu restaurant in Gangnam, holder of three Michelin stars, which reworks Korean fermented sauces and seasonal produce with modern technique.
Café
The original branch of the Onion bakery café, set in a stripped-back 1970s building in Seongsu that once housed a factory, known for pandoro and butter…