Seoul one-week stay in Seongsu: a two-room flat by Seoul Forest

"Where in Seoul can I stay for a week and actually live like a local?"

"Is a hotel in Myeongdong really the only option for seven days?"

"Can I find somewhere with a washing machine and a park nearby?"

A week in Seoul goes fast. Most visitors spend it moving between a hotel room and the big sights, and only feel the city on the last day. If you want your week to feel more like living in Seoul than visiting it, the neighbourhood you sleep in matters as much as the itinerary.

This guide looks at Seongsu-dong (성수동), the riverside district on the east side of the city, and at a ground-floor two-room flat that sits about 30 seconds from Seoul Forest. It covers how the area works for a 6-night stay, what a week actually costs, and what a recent guest said about living there.

Why Seongsu works for a week in Seoul

Seongsu used to be a district of shoe workshops and small factories. Many of those red-brick buildings are now cafés, design shops and pop-up stores, which is why the area shows up on so many Seoul travel lists. The difference for a longer stay is that the quiet residential lanes are only one street away from the busy ones.

The flat in this guide sits on the edge of Seoul Forest (서울숲), one of the largest parks in the city. On one side you have lawns, tree-lined paths and the Han River (한강). On the other side you have a café street with small restaurants, a GS25 convenience store and everyday shops.

You get Seongsu's energy without sleeping in the middle of it.

Within about 5 minutes on foot there is a bus stop, an Olive Young, a Daiso, a Starbucks, a supermarket and a pharmacy. That short list covers most of what you need for a week of normal life, from toiletries to groceries.

Seoul Forest on your doorstep in late autumn

Late October to mid-November is one of the best times to be here. The park's ginkgo and zelkova trees turn yellow and red, and the mornings are cool enough for a long walk with a coffee. Daytime temperatures in Seoul usually sit around 10–18 °C at this time of year, so a light jacket is enough.

Living next to the park changes your routine. Instead of planning a visit, you can walk in before breakfast, loop back for lunch, and come out again at sunset. Paths connect toward the Han River, so a longer walk or a rented bike ride along the water is easy to add.

The park becomes your front yard rather than a stop on a list.

Weekends are busier with families and picnics, and weekdays are calmer. If you are working remotely for part of the week, a mid-afternoon break in the park is a good reset.

A lived-in week: mornings at home, evenings in Seongsu

A hotel week usually means eating out three times a day. In a flat with a kitchen and a dining table, breakfast can be fruit and bread from the supermarket, and dinner can be whatever you picked up at a local market. That alone keeps a week in Seoul calmer and cheaper.

A simple rhythm works well here. Mornings at the table or in the park, afternoons in another part of the city, and evenings back in Seongsu for dinner on the café street.

The busiest part of Seongsu is easy to reach on foot or by one subway stop.

Yeonmujang-gil (연무장길), the street known for pop-up stores and flagship shops, is one stop away from Ttukseom Station (뚝섬역) at Seongsu Station (성수역) on Line 2. You can spend an evening there and still come home to a quiet lane.

What to check before booking a week in Seongsu

Seongsu has many listings, and they vary a lot. A few checks make the difference between a smooth week and a stressful one.

✔️ Station access: Ttukseom (Line 2) and Seoul Forest Station (서울숲역, Suin-Bundang Line) are both walkable from this part of Seongsu. Line 2 loops through central Seoul, and the Suin-Bundang Line crosses the river toward Gangnam.

✔️ Full kitchen and washing machine: for 6 nights or more, laundry and cooking at home matter more than a lobby or room service.

✔️ Utilities included: check that electricity, water and gas are part of the price you see, so the total does not change at checkout.

✔️ Flexible dates: a week can turn into ten days. Look for stays where you can choose your own length from one week up.

✔️ Real reviews: look for guests who mention noise, cleanliness and how easy it was to get around.

If a listing passes these five checks, the rest is about taste.

A real short-term rental in Seongsu: guest review

30 seconds to Seoul Forest: a clean ground-floor two-room near Ttukseom and Seoul Forest stations (Listing ID : 46906)

KRW 454,000 (approx. USD 340) for 6 nights (utilities included) / about KRW 76,000 (approx. USD 56) per night on the 6-night rate (utilities included) / deposit KRW 200,000 (approx. USD 150) for 6+ nights

Staying a month: KRW 1,898,000 (approx. USD 1,410) for 30 nights (utilities included) / about KRW 63,000 (approx. USD 47) per night (utilities included) / deposit KRW 300,000 (approx. USD 220) for 30+ nights

Rating ⭐ 5.0 (5 reviews)

Approx. 36 ㎡ (11 pyeong) | Low-rise house, ground floor | Two-room layout | 1 double bed

🌿 The air conditioner has been taken apart and fully cleaned.

🌿 Seoul Forest, a GS25 and the Seoul Forest café street are about 30 seconds on foot.

🌿 A bus stop, Olive Young, Daiso, Starbucks, a supermarket and a pharmacy are about 5 minutes on foot.

The flat is a two-room unit on the ground floor of a low-rise brick building, so there are no stairs to carry luggage up. The kitchen has an induction cooktop and sink, and the washing machine sits in the bathroom. Seongsu Station is one stop away for the pop-up stores and restaurants on Yeonmujang-gil.

📍 Recent guest review (July 2026 · 박** · ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, translated from Korean)

This guest was visiting Korea and had stayed in several temporary places before. They wrote that this was the cleanest of them all, right down to the rubber seal on the washing machine, which is usually the part that bothers them elsewhere. They expected noise from the shops around it, but found it quieter than an apartment complex, with enough room for luggage and a fridge and kitchen that worked well for real cooking.

Finding a short-term rental in Seongsu on Liveanywhere

Liveanywhere is a Korean platform for stays of one week or longer. Most homes come fully furnished with a kitchen, a washing machine and bedding, and contracts are signed online, so you can arrange everything before you land.

You choose the length of your stay from one week up. The average deposit across the platform is about KRW 300,000 (approx. USD 220), and each listing shows its own deposit and utilities-included price before you book.

A week by the park can be enough to make Seoul feel like home.

Picture it: a coffee on the bench under the ginkgo trees, groceries from the corner shop, and dinner a few lanes away in Seongsu. And if you come back in spring, the same path turns into a tunnel of cherry blossoms.