When we planned our 6-day trip to Seoul, South Korea, I made sure to include several BTS locations in our itinerary. Seoul is home to countless meaningful BTS landmarks – places where the “seven boys from Korea” began their journey. ARMYs often call this a “BTS pilgrimage,” and each location truly feels like a travel bucket list experience.
Most of the locations are within walking distance from each other, but here’s a heads-up – the streets leading to some of them can be quite hilly, so be prepared for a bit of walking and light hiking. I also found BTS Day Tours on Klook that you may want to book if you prefer a more convenient option (some of the visitors we met were part of that tour), but we chose to do a DIY tour so we could take our time.
Below are some of the BTS Day Tours you can book for your convenience.
Get up to 5% discount with my KLOOK discount code: KLOOKRUTH claim it via this link: https://www.klook.com/
Side Story:
There’s an ongoing trend on social media now – an ARMY roll call to “Speak Yourself,” where fans share when they first became a BTS ARMY.
I remember back in 2020, during the pandemic, when I was doing daily livestreams and our theme for the week was Hallyu / K-pop. We needed to add K-pop–related items to our basket to feature in the streams. I got curious because BT21 was so popular, so I did a little digging and found out that BT21 was created by BTS!
I had already been hearing about BTS from my niece, and one livestream viewer even asked me if I was an ARMY. At that time, I just admired their talent and teamwork (I had only seen their performances online). But eventually, I got hooked on their personalities – and that’s when I found my way into the Magic Shop. Thank you to my friend, Ana for feeding more of my ARMY Heart!
Visiting Seoul, South Korea had been a long-overdue dream since 2017, but I wasn’t an ARMY yet back then – so it felt like perfect timing that we finally visited last December.
Here are some of the BTS locations we were able to visit during our 6-day trip to South Korea.
1. Yoojung Sikdang
14 Dosan-daero 28-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
This is a famous restaurant where BTS usually ate during their Trainee Days. The humble Korean restaurant felt like a shrine decorated with posters, merchants and photos of BTS! We ordered the Black Pork Stone Bibimbap (Heukdwaeji Dolsot Bibimbap) and Budae-jjigae (Sausage Stew).
2. Old Big Hit Building
Nonhyeon-ro 145-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
They say that the Old Big Hit Building is the symbol of BTS’ humble beginnings. This BTS location allows fans to write messages, drawings, and graffiti for BTS. Of course, we made sure we left a part of ourselves in this BTS location.
3. Hyuga Cafe
16 Nonhyeon‑ro 119‑gil, Gangnam‑gu, Seoul, South Korea
This charming cafe used to be a BTS Dorm where the boys lived. The cafe has a zen-like feel, I really love the open space and clean layout. The bread and coffee are good, too! We spent time here just hanging out before we headed to the next location.
4. BTS Statue / Gangnam Doll in K-Star Road
517 Apgujeong‑dong, Gangnam‑gu, Seoul, South Korea
The GangnamDols (a mix of Gangnam, idol, and doll) are human‑scaled bear statues spread along a roughly 1 km stretch in the trendy Apgujeong‑Cheongdam area, themed to celebrate major K‑pop groups – and yes, there’s one for BTS!
5. LINE Friends BT21 Handprint display in Myeong-dong.
Like a tiny exhibit dedicated to the BT21 universe, the handprints are located inside the Line Friends Myeong-dong shopping district. You can match your hand with your bias’.
6. Hybe Headquarters
42 Hangang‑daero, Yongsan‑gu, Seoul, South Korea
The Hybe Headquarters is one of the must-visit destination for BTS Army. While we cannot enter the office, you can take pictures outside and check-out the themed buses that fans rent for specific events, like member’s birthday or anniversary.
The area also has cafes around where you can hang and celebrate through the cup sleeves event. We were able to celebrate Jin’s birthday during our visit.
7. Chompi – BTS Suga’s hyung’s cafe
55, Daedagwan-ro34gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
This isn’t exactly centered around BTS, but this is Suga’s hyung’s café, and the food is really good, so you have to include it in your itinerary! We were able to visit during its first week of opening, and I loved the healthy bowl I ordered. The place is spacious and also sells exclusive merch.
early dinner at Chompo with Rodel and Ana
Thankful to have visited and experienced all these with friends!
Hopeful to add more locations in this list!
