Seoul’s 25 districts, each with its own personality, make up this booming 24-hour megacity that is at once a vision of the past and the future. South Korea’s capital truly has something for everyone.

Top of any bucket list in Seoul has to be the food. Follow the office workers to food courts at midday for a casual lunch of bibimbap, the sizzling bowl of rice, vegetables, egg, and chilli paste.

Flip a coin for evening meals at ‘chicken and beer’ joints, where fried or fire-roasted chicken is served atop sizzling nurungji (crispy rice), or Korean barbecue.

Bring an empty stomach to 'Gogi-jip', as it’s known locally, where prime cuts of beef or pork are cooked at your table, accompanied by banchan (side dishes) – kimchi, vegetables, and noodles.

Should you be in need of a night-time snack, follow your nose to the street food stalls found throughout shopping and drinking areas, selling a variety of deep-fried skewers.

Nothing typifies modern Seoul better than K-Pop. Get your fix by visiting SMTown coexartium, an interactive shrine to the genre that features a K-Pop hologram theatre and museum.

If you want to delve deeper, head to the west to Yongma Land, the abandoned theme park where girl group Crayon Pop’s music video Bar Bar Bar was filmed, or take a K-Pop studio dance class.

A more sobering day trip, some 60km north of the city centre lies the DMZ that cleaves North and South Korea, complete with tunnels, observation stations, and stories of the hermit kingdom.

This surreal tourist attraction allows visitors to peek into the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK, North Korea) from various observation points. History buffs will be enthralled.