National Museum of Korea

국립중앙박물관

A huge free museum with gold crowns and a famous Buddha

Hours

10am–6pm, to 9pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays; closed on New Year and Korean holidays

Tickets

Permanent galleries free; special shows paid

Address

137 Seobinggo-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

The largest museum in Korea, and the permanent galleries are free. Silla gold crowns, Goryeo celadon and a ten-storey stone pagoda are all here, by era. The dark room for the pensive Buddha statues makes people stand and look for a long time. A reflecting pool in front mirrors the building. It is too big to see in one go, so pick the floors you care about.