If you’d rather spend time indoors than outdoors, but you’re tired of movie theaters and shopping malls, there’s nothing like an exhibition. And if it’s free, that’s even better. We’ve rounded up the best free exhibition spaces in Seoul that are easy on the wallet.
1. Seoul Museum of Art
The Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) is always free except for special exhibitions. In addition to introducing domestic and foreign masters such as painter Edward Hopper last year and architect Norman Foster this year, the museum also features ambitious works by young artists.
From the Seosomun Main Building, a renovated former Supreme Court building, to the North and South Seoul Museums, the Nam June Paik Memorial Museum, and the Art Archive, which opened last year and is rumored to be a light restaurant. For more information about the museum’s spaces across Seoul, visit the official website.
📍Seosomun Main Building 61, Deoksugung-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, Korea; North Seoul Building 1238, Dongdaero, Nowon-gu, Seoul, Korea; South Seoul Building 2076, Nambusunhwan-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, Korea
🕑 Closed Monthly, Weekdays 10:00-20:00, Weekends & Holidays Summer (March-October) 10:00-19:00, Winter (November-February) 10:00-18:00
2. National Museum of Contemporary Art
The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), which has the Seoul Museum on Samcheong-ro and the Deoksugung Palace Museum in Seokjojeon, is free to visit on Wednesday and Saturday nights.
The Seoul Pavilion is beautifully organized like seven islands of architectural space, suggesting a Seoul where modernity embraces the past and nature, and is worth a visit even without the exhibitions.
Individual tickets are 2,000 won and combined tickets are 5,000 won. For more information, visit the official website.
📍Seoul National Museum, 30 Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Korea
🕑 Wed & Sat 10:00-21:00, other days 10:00-18:00 (Deoksugunggwan closed on Mondays)
3. Rium Art Museum
Nestled among the galleries of Hannam-dong, the Lium Museum of Art houses a collection of ancient art from prehistoric times to the Joseon Dynasty. The permanent exhibition of ancient art is free to visit.
Known for its spiral staircase, the museum was designed by three world-renowned architects whose names you may recognize if you’re interested in architecture. The Pritzker Prize winners Jean Nouvel and Rem Koolhaas, the Nobel Prize of architecture, and the red brick wizard Mario Botta.
For non-permanent exhibitions, the museum is especially good at introducing emerging Korean artists, so check out the official website for more information.
📍60-16, Itaewon-ro 55-gil, Yongsan-gu
🕑 Closed Mon, 10:00-18:00
4. Culture StationSeoul 284
Spend some time at Culture Station Seoul 284, a restoration of the old Seoul Station with a Renaissance-style facade, and you’ll be transported back to a time you’ve never visited. It has been transformed into a multifunctional cultural space and hosts free exhibitions that cross genres from art to coffee to tech.
It has hosted the International Typography Biennale, the Heatherwick Studio Exhibition, the Fritz Hansen Exhibition, and is currently hosting the immersive sound exhibition “reSOUND: Resonance, Beyond”. For more information, visit the official website.
📍Culture Station, 1 Unification-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul 284
🕑 Closed Mon, 11:00-19:00
5. Arario Gallery
There are some great galleries in Seoul that you can visit for free, including Kukje Gallery, Face Gallery, and Song Eun. They’re smaller than museums, but if you’re lucky enough to find an artist that resonates with you, you’ll be happy you did.
Arario Gallery is one of them. Right next door to the gallery is the Arario Museum, which is run by the same foundation and features an eclectic collection of contemporary art, but you have to pay for the exhibitions. For more information, visit the official website.
📍1 Unification-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul 284
🕑 Closed Mon, 11:00-19:00