A confluence of events has made this Seoul's moment. A boom in the IT and pop culture industries following the Asian financial crisis of 1997 has increasingly drawn Japanese and other Asian travelers to the city. Seoul has been undergoing a period of urban renewal, as its residents focus a little less on work and more on food, wine, and art. Standards of service are excellent, though on the costly side, especially at Western-oriented establishments.

The country code for South Korea is 82. Prices quoted are for October 2006.

Lodging
Most of the leading chains are here and are increasingly paying attention to the leisure traveler. Seoul's most historic hotel, the Chosun, founded in 1914, played a big role in introducing Western things to Korea, including ice cream and elevators, while serving as the city's political epicenter for decades. It's right downtown, next to City Hall, and was the UN command center and the place U.S. presidents traditionally stayed (2-771-0500; echosunhotel.com; doubles, $275–$440). Not too far away, the venerable Shilla Hotel has commanding views of the city and its own sprawling park (2-2230-3310; shilla.net/seoul/en; doubles, $448–$535).

Among the new hotels, the Park Hyatt, in the Gangnam district south of the Han River, has elegant and spacious rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows (2-2016-1234; seoul.park.hyatt.com; doubles, $280–$380). Far from most tourist attractions but worth the hike, Asia's first W Hotel has a lobby that morphs into a nightclub. Some rooms have hot tubs with spectacular views of the Han (2-465-2222; whotels.com/seoul; doubles, $280–$352).

Dining
Restaurants specializing in Korean and international cuisine have grown in variety and sophistication in the last five years. Seoul is also witnessing a boom in wine bars and top-notch cafés. In keeping with the trend of marrying food and art, some of the best restaurants are attached to the city's top galleries, notably Do Ha Gun, which serves Continental cuisine in a restored hanok, or traditional Korean house, at the Hyundai Gallery, in the Jongno district (109 Sagan-dong; 2-3210-2100; entrées, $20–$36). Nearby, The Restaurant, in the Kukje Gallery, has a French and Italian menu (59-1 Sogyeok-dong; 2-735-8441; dinner, $55–$100). Inside the Art Sonje Center, also in Jongno, Dal is one of the city's best Indian restaurants (144-2 Sokeuk-dong; 2-736-4627; prix fixes, $26–$36).

The Samcheong-dong area has several tea houses and restaurants occupying restored hanoks, including Fragrance of Tea and Culture, a block away from the Art Sonje Center (106-2 Hwa-dong; 2-720-9691; tea, $5–$7). Bar 0101, with a minimalist white interior, makes excellent coffee and sandwiches and is popular among local fashionistas (124-2 Samcheong-dong; 2-723-1259; entrées, $7–$15). Jinsun Book Café is the spacious home of a large collection of art books to browse while dining (150 Palpan-dong; 2-723-5977).

The district of Gangnam has the city's most popular and gastronomically forward-thinking establishments. The Gaon has an innovative contemporary Korean menu, and design to match (631-23 Shinsa-dong; 2-3446-8411; prix fixes, $62–$135). A short walk away, Plastic is a cavernous wine bar and café with delicious cakes (631-13 Shinsa-dong; 2-3446-4646). Mana makes a successful attempt to transplant the no-nonsense Korean barbecue experience into a sleek, date-friendly atmosphere (629-32 Shinsa-dong; 2-545-8292; entrées, $6–$18). Asian Live does good Indian-Asian fusion inside the COEX InterContinental Hotel (2-3430-8620; entrées, $10–$35).

In Gangnam's poshest corner, Chungdam-dong, the Palais de Gaumont is one of the best French restaurants, and everything from the chandeliers to the tablecloths seem to have been imported from Paris (118-10 Chungdam-dong; 2-546-8877; prix fixes, $96–$175). Across the street, Duchamp has fine pastries (117-9 Chungdam-dong; 2-3446-9007). Among the cafés where you could perhaps spot a popular actress are Mazia, which has a large terrace shaded by leafy trees (96-5 Chungdam-dong; 2-515-6545), and the spacious Coffee Mihak (96-6 Chungdam-dong; 2-3444-0770).

Sightseeing
The National Museum of Korea, which was founded at the end of World War II but has moved from one temporary location to another, reopened last year in Yongsan-gu. Its collection includes displays from prehistoric Korea and the various dynasties as well as national treasures, which are numbered in South Korea (2-2077-9000; museum.go.kr/eng). The Leeum Samsung Museum of Art is impressive for its Korean and Western art and its buildings by Mario Botta, Jean Nouvel, and Rem Koolhaas (2-2014-6901; leeum.org).

Two galleries in Samcheong-dong, the Kukje (2-735-8449; kukjegallery.com/eng/) and the Hyundai (2-734-6111; galleryhyundai.com), display internationally known Korean and non-Korean artists. Sandwiched between them is the noteworthy Sun Contemporary Gallery (2-720-5789; sungallery.co.kr/).

Across town, around Hongik University, the nation's biggest art school, scores of galleries give a peek into the work of up-and-comers. Worth exploring are Ssamzie Space (2-3142-1695; ssamziespace.com) and Alternative Space Loop, which moved into an impressive four-story building last year (2-3141-1075; galleryloop.com).

The star attraction downtown, the Cheonggyecheon, or Cheonggye Stream, is the symbol of Seoul's urban renewal. A central part of Seoul life for six centuries, the stream was paved over during the 1960s to make way for a highway but was restored in 2005. There's a tourist information center at Cheonggye Plaza, a block north of City Hall and a short walk from Gyeongbok Palace, built in 1394 by King Taejo, the founder of the Chosun dynasty. The city's biggest palace, it was burned to the ground in 1592, during Japan's first invasion, rebuilt in 1865, and largely destroyed again by Japanese colonial rulers. South Korea began restoring Gyeongbok Palace in the 1990s, a project expected to last through 2020 (2-762-8262).

Reading
The essential academic overview of Korea's history, culture, and politics is Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History, by Bruce Cumings (W. W. Norton, $17). For a veteran journalist's account, the standard is The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History, by Don Oberdorfer (Basic Books, $21). Both were recently updated.

Guidebooks focusing on Korea are few, but Lonely Planet's Korea is comprehensive and useful ($25).