Seoul-ful
Traditional Hanbok dresses
I knew about K-Pop and I knew about kimchi, but other than that, I knew very little about South Korea. This was all the more reason to visit. I love showing up to a country with no prior opinions or prejudices towards it. It’s like a blank book and I get to write my own words to the novel.
Prior to arriving in Seoul, I asked a Korean-American friend for some tips on what to do and where to go in Seoul. His response was just walk around and explore the city. This seemed to be a strange answer but I thought maybe he didn’t have time to write more? (A few days later I saw that he actually did list some sights to visit but I didn’t notice that part of the message until we had already left Seoul). Since his only recommendation was to explore the city, we were ready to do just that! Within the first hour of walking around Seoul I was struck by the energy of the city. It was young and lively with people shopping and eating everywhere. The two things that stood out to me were the amount of skin products being sold and the amount of food being consumed.
Almost every store sells face masks, lotions, eye cream or some other type of skin product. A lot of these products are made from snail excrement! Although I didn’t buy the snail proudcts, I did buy two large packs of face masks plus some under eye moisturizing patches. I knew this wouldn’t help with the weight of my suitcase but I was hoping it would help with fine lines and wrinkles.
If if wasn’t skin products being sold then it was food. I’ve never seen so many restaurnts, cafes, food halls and street markets in one city! Seoul is inundated with places to eat. I’ve traveled all through Asia so I know how important food is to their culture but nothing compares to South Korea! They have gimbap, bibimbap, barbecue, dumplings, bubble tea, noodles and of course kimchi! What I never expected to find were all the French-influenced cafes. Delicious pastries and wonderful coffee could be found at everyone corner. After coming from Beijing where I didn’t eat much, I was in paradise!
Sights
We may have spent more time exploring the stores and restaurants on our first day but we did actually manage to see some really cool sights while we were in Seoul. Heres are the highlights.
Gyeongbokgung
Seoul has five main palaces with Gyeongbokgung being the most important. It is a large palace complex that also houses the National Folk Museum of Korea. You can spend several hours exploring this fascinating area and I highly recommend you do just that! Fun fact: If you wear a traditional hanbok dress, which you can rent around town, you get free admission! I saw a lot of girls wearing these dresses.
Changdeokgung & Neighborhood
Close to Gyeongbokgung is Changdeokgung, which is another palace. Again, this area has many historical places to visit so allow yourself most of the day here and make sure your camera has a full battery.
My favorite thing about this area is all the museums and art galleries to explore. This neighborhood is a 40 minute walk from the city center but you can spend the entire day here visiting the museums, palaces and galleries.
Bukcheon Hanok Village
In between Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung is where you can find the Bukcheon Hanok Village. This extremely picturesque village features over 400 traditional Korean houses, called hanok. I really enjoyed walking around this area. Besides the authentic hanok houses, the neighborhood is hilly with many small cafes, restaurants, and shops offering handmade crafts and souvenirs.
Insadong
Insadong is another neighborhood in Seoul. Its pedestrianized street is crammed with teahouses, Korean eateries, and food vendors plus shops selling traditional souvenirs. You’re seeing a theme, right? Food and shopping everywhere! We walked through this pedestrianized street from city center on our way to Gyeongbokgung. Although we managed not to buy any souvenirs, we did stop into a cafe for a coffee.
Pedestrian street in Insadong
Myeongdong
This is where we went on our first morning in Seoul. Like I said, it was lively and bustling with a lot of people walking around. This is Seoul’s main shopping district and an absolute must if you are looking to pick up trendy Korean fashion and skincare products. You can also find quirky themed cafes, such as the Hello Kitty Cafe or various cat and dog cafes in this area. Our hotel wasn’t far from here so we ended up walking around Myeongdong at all times of the day. I thought it was busy in the morning but when I went back at night it was popping. I think all of Seoul goes here in the evenings to shop, meet friends, eat at the street vendor stalls or just be apart of the action.
Gangnam
Remember the song Gangnam Style? Well, come to find out that Gangnam is an area of Seoul. Of course we had to check it out. This area is known for skyscrapers, shops selling designer brands, high end night clubs and the famous Gangnam Style sign.
Which is your favorite Gangnam pose?
COEX Mall
We came to this mall to see the Instagram famous bookstore. This mall is huge so it took some time finding it. Covering an area of about 154,000 square meters, COEX Mall is the world’s largest underground shopping mall. It has hundreds of shops with two food courts, a Megabox movie theater, the COEX Aquarium and the bookstore. We got the photos we wanted at the bookstore, we walked around the mall for a short amount of time and then we decided to head to the Gangnam sign which wasn’t too far away.
Namdaemun Market
Having seen many streets markets in Asia, visiting Namdaemun Market wasn’t on the top of our list. However, we did end up walking through it one late afternoon. This is the place to shop for cheap goods, as well as local fruits and vegetables. If you go, the market is open throughout the night from 11PM to 4AM and is almost always crowded.
Banpo Bridge
This is the world’s longest bridge fountain. What does that mean? This bridge has a rainbow fountain that comes out of the side of the bridge. The water for the fountain is pumped directly from the river and is dumped back into the river so it’s continuously being recycled. It’s said that the foutain pumps 22 tons of river water out every second. Not knowing what to expect, we decided to check it out. It was fun to see although the colors of the water were more pastel than rainbow. We stopped here on our way back from Gangnam so if you have time and you’re in the area, why not?
If you do take the time to see the fountain show, you’ll want to watch from the south end. You’ll know you’re in the right place if there’s a green space with a lot of young people picnicking. The show lasts about 20 minutes.
From this area you can also access the Sebitseom, also known as Sebit islets. These are the Floating islands in the middle of the river. Not much to do on the islands but the colors of the glass buildings make it pretty to look at.
Dongdaemun Design Plaza
This modern and futuristic landmark is comprised of five halls: Art Hall, Museum, Design Lab, Design Market, and Dongdaemun History and Culture Park. The Hall is used for exhibitions, conventions and shows and the outside has a lot of different areas to sit and enjoy the ambiance. There is also a shop inside which you can visit. We mainly came for the architecture which didn’t disappoint.
Gwangjang Market
I considered putting this under the food section but the Gwangjang Market is a sight in itself. If you only want to visit one market, forget Namdaemun Market and come here. It’s one of the best places to experience traditional Korean street food and culture all under one roof.
The market opened in 1905 and the food area has vendor after vendor, of mostly women, selling traditional Korean food. Since everyone sells almost the same thing, you become very familiar with the food. Rice rolls with seaweed, savory pancakes, pumpkin porridge, rice cakes in a red sauce and piles of vegetables are all sold here. However, we came to Gwangjang Market for one reason; to eat at Cho Yonsoon’s stall. She was featured on the Netflix series called Street Food, Seoul and we knew we had to taste her food.
Cho Yonsoon has the busiest stall in Gwangjang Market and I think it’s for two reasons- her vibrant personality and her delicious food. Constantly smiling, she’s warm and friendly and makes a point to talk to all of her customers. Besides her personality, her kimchi dumplings are awesome! The menu is small and the place is cash only. You can choose from soup, noodles or dumplings. We ordered the soup that they featured on Netflix which is a peppery homemade broth with thick homemade noodles that she makes right in front of you. The soup is good but the kimchi dumplings were our favorite.
Cho Yonsoon is there everyday and she has two other women helping her make the food. Her husband is the host and waiter. We went there three times, and each time was crowded and we always ended up ordering a second plate of kimchi dumplings!
More Sights to see
We were in Seoul for 4.5 days and ran out of time to see everything. Here’s some things I plan to visit on my next trip to Seoul which you may want to include on your itinerary.
Lotte World
Bukhansan National Park
N Seoul Tower
Further Afield
Besides Cho Yonsoon’s kimchi dumplings, visiting the DMZ was the other highlight of our trip. It was a half day excursion that we booked through Viator. In the end, it really took up most of the day. It costs around $50 per person and it was well worth it. The DMZ, or demilitarized zone, is the border between North and South Korea where you can see that the Cold War Korea is very much alive.
In brief, you’ll first go to Imjingak Park to see the Freedom Bridge, a symbol of the tragedies of the Korean War. Next, visit Dora Observatory for a view of North Korea, which you can see using the telescopes aimed at the propaganda village. Then head towards the Korean Demilitarized Zone to visit the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, which the North Korean Army used to infiltrate South Korea. It is a super low and narrow tunnel that takes 10 minutes to walk through. You’re required to wear a helmet because of the low ceiling and I’m glad I had it on because I did bump my head on the ceiling several times! Lastly, you’ll go to Dorasan Station, the last station before the border with North Korea. Here you can buy a train ticket to North Korea for when the border opens. There’s also a full day tour available where you can put your foot into North Korea. Whichever tour you choose, visiting the DMZ is a MUST!
Food
As I’ve mentioned several times, food is everywhere in Seoul. Some tips about eating in Seoul:
The chopsticks are metal, not wood or plastic
Cutlery is located in a drawer under the table of the restaurant
Most restaruatns have a self-service area where you can get water, a hot cup of broth, kimchi and other pickled vegetables
Kimchi is served at every meal
The popular dishes of South Korea are
Gimbap- similar to a Japanese hand roll, gimbap is an assortment of sushi rice, Korean pickled vegetables, spinach, and ham all wrapped in sheets of toasted seaweed. Unfortunately, it’s not served with wasabi or pickled ginger, though.
Bulgogi- barbecued beef
Korean barbecue- order a few plates of meat, and you’ll also be given an assortment of side dishes such as lettuce, garlic, peppers, and chili pastes to make meat wraps
Mung Bean Pancake- mung beans and scallions are shaped into pancakes and cooked on a griddle with oil. You’ll find them all over Gwangjang Market
Bibimbap- a bowl of mixed ingredients including, but not limited to, rice, sautéed vegetables, mushrooms, beef, soy sauce, chili paste and a fried egg.
Tteokbokki - rice cakes simmered in a thick red sauce. You’ll also find this all over the Gwangjang Market. Not my favorite but give it a try.
Kimchi- I’ve mentioned kimchi several times because it’s a staple in Korea. Kimchi is fermented cabbage and other vegetables in a chili paste that is served room temperature. It is an accompaniment to every meal. Each place you’ll visit makes it slightly different.
What To Pack
Seoul is a fun city but not too casual. Since the downtown is also the business center, you will see many smartly dressed people going to work. The young Koreans have a unique sense of style. Round glasses and trench coats were all the vogue when we were visiting. It is hot in the summer and cold in the winter so dress accordingly. Pants, jeans, sundress are all appropriate. I did wear black shorts one day but dressed it up with a blouse.
Getting Around
Don’t expect to put a location into your GPS and follow the walking route. GPS does not work in Seoul. That’s the most critical piece of advice I can give you. However, we were able to find a location on Google maps and as we walked there the blue dot followed us. This makes it more challenging than other countries but it’s far from impossible.
There is a subway that is easy and convenient to use. Some stops have multiple exits so know which exit number you need.
We also used the bus quite often. You have to pay the exact fair in cash when you get on the bus but it was usually the same price for every ride so I was always ready with cash in hand when I boarded the bus. They do not give you change. You CAN use google maps to access the bus route.
Fitness
You’ll have no trouble keeping up your running in Seoul. If you’re staying in city center there is the Cheonggyecheon Stream which is an 11 km long modern stream that runs through downtown Seoul. It was created as part of an urban renewal project and you’ll find runners and joggers there in the early morning. A lot of people use it to walk to work and it’s a popular meeting place for friends during lunchtime. The stream starts from Cheonggye Plaza, a cultural arts venue, and passes under a total of 22 bridges before flowing into the Hangang River, where you can continue to run endless miles. At one point you can even turn off from the path and follow another stream that has a jogging path alongside it. The fun part about running along Cheonggyecheon Stream is crossing from one side to the other. You’re forced to skip over large boulders in the stream. I looked forward to running here each morning.
If you’re south of the city, you can run along the Han River, where the Seoul Marathon takes place. There are also a number of parks where you can run. Since you’ll definitely be eating your way through Seoul, it’s a good idea to start your day on one of these scenic paths.
Even if you don’t know much about South Korea, you will no doubt enjoy Seoul. Seoul has all the neon lights, food and culture you expect from an Asian country. It’s extremely safe, orderly and the people follow rules (especially at pedestrian traffic lights. Sigh). In some ways, it’s similar to Japan. However, the Koreans seem more laid back and relaxed than their Japanese neighbors. I hope you enjoy Seoul as much as we enjoyed this modern city!
Quick Facts
Language: Korean with some people speaking English. We never had a problem communicating or getting around
Currency: South Korean Wan
Electrical Voltage: 220V; Plug type C & F
Drive: Drive on the right side
Airport Transfer: You can take the subway from the airport to city center. There is a booth in the airport where you can purchase your ticket and an assistant will help you plan your journey. The ride takes about one hour.
Water: it’s safe to drink but most people prefer bottled water because of the high chlorine content in the tap water. Hotels always gave us two bottles of water per day
Vaccinations: No vaccinations required
Visa: No visa needed for travelers coming from USA, Canada and UK. All other passport holders should check to see if you need a visa. You must show proof of a flight out of Korea before entering Korea.
Time: GMT +9 (NYC +14 hours)