Following the Korean War, the country remained as one of the poorest countries in the world. 50 years later: South Korea is now an economic and cultural powerhouse, with its capital city Seoul being at the very center. Despite the cultural and language barrier, you won’t experience as much of a culture shock compared to the buzz and madness you’d get in Tokyo. Nevertheless, the week I’ve spent in Seoul was an enjoyable one! Here’s a round-up of 8 things to see and do in Seoul:
1. MYEONG-DONG
Myeong-Dong: one of the craziest and busiest shopping districts in the city. It’s abundant in its vast range of department stores, restaurants, boutiques and of course, makeup and skincare shops. You definitely can’t escape this place without having a pack of face masks in hand! I often found myself getting lost as not only is the area huge, it’s absolutely packed with people as well!
When visiting Myeong-Dong, you can’t go without the street food here. Everywhere I went there were plenty of vendors selling their mouth watering snacks for you to munch on. I wanted to save some money and eating the street food was definitely more than enough to satisfy me.
2. HONGDAE
Hongdae is essentially the hot spot for the college crowd in this city. It’s bustling with urban art, music culture, clubs and entertainment. The lively atmosphere, college hangout vibe and the many live performances by aspiring entertainers made this one of the top spots that I enjoyed in Seoul.
Did I mention that the locals here are all dressed well? This was true for everywhere I went in the city — especially the younger crowd. A lot of them followed the same trends, so I found many having the same hairstyle, makeup, and clothing style — especially the round glasses and peach eye shadow!
3. GYEONGBOKUNG PALACE
We went over to one of the many shops across the street where you can rent a hanbok to wear while you roam around the palace. Although it was hot especially when wearing the hanbok, this was a great experience!
4. EVERLAND
This amusement park took me 2 hours to get to from Seoul Station. The park is huge, so I didn’t get to explore everything. Although I enjoyed it here, it definitely can’t compare to Disneyland in my opinion.
5. NAMSAN TOWER
You can hike up the stairs or pay to ride the cable car to get to Namsan Tower to soak in the view of the city (I, of course, opted for the latter). There’s some cafes, restaurants, a Hello Kitty museum and a toy museum here. As you walk around, you’ll find many love locks as well!
6. NAMDAEMUN MARKET
Known as the largest traditional market in Korea, Namdaemun Market is filled with many shops that sell products at a more reasonable price. There’s a great range of items to find such as clothes, glasses, kitchenware, toys, fishing/mountain equipment, carpets, flowers, ginseng and many more.
7. INSADONG
Insadong is pretty high up on my list of top spots that I recommend to anyone visiting Seoul. It represents a focal point of Korean traditional culture and crafts. I loved stopping by here and exploring the alleyways as the atmosphere is vibrant and lively, without it getting too crowded.
There is one main road with alleys on each side, where you’ll find galleries, cafes, tea houses and traditional restaurants. On the weekends, the main street is filled with store booths, exhibits and performances.
8. DONGDAEMUN DESIGN PLAZA
As its name suggests, this plaza is comprised of halls showcasing art and design. You can definitely get some cool shots from the architecture in here. Not only did I enjoy exploring the entire place, I also loved browsing through all the products sold at the shops in each hall.
