Left My Heart in Seoul: 4 Days in Seoul, South Korea
LEFT MY HEART IN SEOUL
september 2019 | 4 days in seoul, south korea
안녕하세요 Annyeonghaseyo (hello) and welcome to my Seoul, South Korea travel blog post!
Just over a year ago, I travelled with my family and best friend to two exceptionally beautiful cities in South Korea. I immersed myself into new cultures, devoured delicious food, and captured some uniquely stunning sights. Here’s a quick look at my travel itinerary while staying for 4 days in Seoul and 3 days in Busan (next blog post). This will definitely be a fast track to some of the cities’ most popular sites and will act as my own digital scrapbook. There are still so many things I have yet to see and do - a week in South Korea was simply not enough time to experience it all!
4 Days in Seoul
Let’s start off with Seoul, the high-energy, whirlwind capital city of South Korea! This vibrant metropolitan hub is both modern and traditional. Seoul is known for its extensive public transportation system, beckoning street food, pulsing K-pop music, countless areas to shop til’ you drop, and numerous traditional palaces and historic temples. No matter what types of activities you enjoy doing while on vacation, you’ll surely find something here that sparks your interest. With less than 4 days in Seoul, we tried to make our stay worthwhile by covering as many different districts as we possibly could.
Seoul Travel Itinerary: 4 dayS IN SEOUL, south korea
day 1:
day 2:
day 3:
day 4:
day 1 | Arrival Night | seoul subway SYSTEM and Myeongdong
SEOUL SUBWAY SYSTEM
We arrived to Incheon Airport, the largest and most frequented airport in South Korea. After flying for 12 hours from Vancouver to Seoul, we took public transit to Tmark Hotel in Myeongdong district. The transportation, specifically Seoul’s subway system, is extremely convenient and one of the fastest ways to get around the city. Seoul has nine major subway lines that criss-cross all around the city, suburbs, and surrounding areas. Prior to travelling, I made sure to download a few essential transportation apps. The two most popular ones that offer some English are Naver Maps and Kakao Maps. These both act as good alternatives to Google Maps which is currently restricted in South Korea due to data privacy laws. To pay for public transit, you can purchase and recharge a prepaid public transit card, known as the ‘T-money card’, at subway stations or convenience stores. If you can find it, I’d suggest getting one of the cute Kakao friends cards – it’ll act as a good keep-sake souvenir for yourself at the end of your trip! Learn more about the T-Money card here.
MYEONGDONG
Chicken yakitori sticks - one of my favourites!
After successfully finding our hotel, amidst some confusion on where to exit from the subway station, we finally settled in and explored Myeongdong. This district is known as the ‘paradise’ for shopaholics and the home to many iconic landmarks of the city. In Myeongdong, you can find everything from high-end fashion brands and department stores to more local boutiques and specialty gift stores. The number of Korean beauty stores that you’ll likely encounter here is endless – the self-control to not purchase every face mask variation you see will be tested! Myeongdong is also the go-to place for local street food that continues for what seems like countless blocks in every direction you walk. Our first stop was Namdaemun Night Market where we went to grab some dinner. Each night, hundreds of stalls open up to serve South Korea’s most well-known sweet and savory dishes including tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), mandu (Korean dumplings), blood sausages, bbq skewers, gimbap (rice rolls wrapped in seaweed), tornado potatoes and my personal favourite, japchae (stir-fried glass noodles)! I unfortunately did not take any photos here since I was starving and trying to stay dry amidst the light rain – the camera did not eat first! We spent the rest of the evening walking around, checking out some of the shops, and taking in all the city lights. To make up for my lack of photos, here’s some really great pictures of the street food in Myeongdong.
Day 2 | Hongdae, Noryangjin Fish Market, and Korean Fried Chicken
Now onto the first full day in Seoul! To start things off, we had to make a stop at our neighbourhood 7-Eleven for some food and umbrellas. The ones back home do not even begin to compare to the ones in Asia. We grabbed some samgak kimbap, and cartons of milks – basically the breakfast of champions when you’re on the go!
HONGDAE
Tammy and I walking through Hongdae with our Kakao Friends umbrellas ☔️
Since the weather forecast for the day was expected to have lots of rain ☔️, we decided to opt for an indoors activity and go to the Trick Eye Museum, located in Hongdae. Hongdae is a region in Seoul known for its youthful atmosphere, quirky cafes, indie music culture, unique boutique fashion shops, and lively student nightlife. This area was heavily influenced by the nearby Hongik University (Hongdae) that offers a prestigious fine-arts program. Many visit Hongdae for its off-the-beat eclectic scene. The next time I go back, I’d love to visit this area when it’s a little less rainy and witness it come to life during night time! It’d be great to check out more of the local shops, watch street performers, and experience even more local street food – I can never get enough of all the night markets!
Although the rain was a bit of a downer while exploring Hongdae, visiting the Trick Eye Museum was one of the top activities on my to-do list. Originating in Seoul in 2010, there are now a number of different Trick Eye Museum variations around the world. The renowned optical illusion museum combines AR and 3D effects with large wall paintings and art installations to provide a unique experience for visitors of all ages. All you need to do is download their mobile app and watch the art come to life when taking a photo or video. For 15,000 KRW ($~16.65 CAD), I was thoroughly impressed and had a great time roaming through all the many interactive rooms. Check out some of our pictures below - we definitely had some good laughs!
NORYANGJIN FISH MARKET
It continued to rain on our parade for the rest of the day 😢 but nevertheless, onto our next destination, Noryangjin Fish Market! This is a wholesale fish market established in 1927 that offers hundreds of types of live seafood to purchase. From what I remember, the first two floors were both dedicated to live fish stalls, and the floors above were for restaurants. I had never seen such a vast selection of fish before, and all housed under one roof! There were some very unique creatures throughout the many different stalls. The Noryangjin was an interesting experience but I can’t say it’s something that everyone would enjoy. If you don’t do well with the smell of fish, then it’s probably not the best place to go. Thankfully, we were all wearing closed toed shoes because sandals would not have cut it!
Before heading back to Myeongdong, we stopped at Tiger Sugar for some bubble tea, as per my cousin’s recommendation. Bubble tea (or boba as some people call it) will never the same – even the one back home in Richmond can’t compare! Tiger Sugar offered the perfect thirst-quenching brown sugar bubble tea that a girl could ask for ☺️. I’d love to one day go to Taiwan to try the drink from where it originated from.
KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN
You can’t go to Korea without having the perfect combo of Korean fried chicken and beer – so that’s exactly what we did! In Myeongdong, there are a number of different restaurants to choose from for fried chicken so it was pretty overwhelming trying to narrow down our options. Originally, we wanted to go to BHC Fried Chicken but there was a gigantic line 😢 so onto option 2 – Chicken 678. Both were along the same strip of restaurants that all served the iconic Korean fried chicken. We ordered the crispy original, sweet & sour, and soya chicken – I was in chicken heaven 🍗😋
Day 3 | GYeongbokgung Palace, Bukchon Hanok Village, Insadong, and Itaewon
The weather forecast for our third day looked a little better so we thought it would be best to do our outdoors activities.
GYEONGBOKGUNG PALACE
Seoul is home to the “Five Grand Palaces”, which includes Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace, Gyeonghuigung Palace, Deoksugung Palace, and Changgyeonggung Palace. Built in 1395 during the Joseon dynasty, Gyeongbokgung Palace was the first of the five royal palaces. Since we only had one day to explore this area of Seoul, we decided to just visit the one main palace so we could take our time admiring the beautiful architecture and historical landscape. There is a small entrance fee of 3000 KRW (~$3.50 CAD). Or if you wear the traditional two-piece Hanbok, you can enter for free. We arrived to the palace at 9:30am to catch the changing of the guards ceremony at 10:00am. This occurs every day at 10:00am and 2:00pm, except for Tuesdays, in front of Gwanghwamun, the main gate of Gyeongbokgung. Each viewing lasts about 15 minutes.
Located within the grounds of Gyeongbokgung palace is the National Folk Museum of Korea. My family and I stopped by here to grab a snack, wander around and learn more about Korea’s unique history. The exhibits throughout the museum showcased Korean folk culture and lifestyle from prehistoric times to the end of the Joseon Dynasty. The displays and artifacts included different pieces of traditional tools, clothing, food, instruments and artwork. I really enjoyed viewing the elaborate displays of food colourfully laid out for special occasions and celebrations, including birthdays and weddings.
Before exploring Hanok Village, we stumbled upon this delicious noodle soup restaurant called Biwon Son Kalguksu. It ended up being the perfect place to stop for lunch and dry off after walking for blocks in the pouring rain. The best way to describe the food would be ‘simple yet satisfying’! We ordered 4 bowls of steaming hot noodles in soup, and two types of mandu dumplings. The broth was light and refreshing, hand-made noodles were tasty with just enough chewy texture to them and the dumplings were the perfect blend of meat and vegetables. I learned that this restaurant has been located in the Changgyeonggung palace area for over 30 years. Based on the posters of the owner, an adorable elderly women, scattered all around the restaurant, I believe Biwon Son Kalguksu has been featured in a handful of variety shows and K-dramas. If you’re near the palace, definitely give this place a try for some home-cooked traditional Korean food – it’ll fill your stomach and warm your soul!
BUKCHON HANOK VILLAGE
Between Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changgyeonggung Palace is the Bukchon Hanok Village. It is a 600 year old village originally built during the Joseon Dynasty that embodies traditional Korean culture and architecture. Throughout the city, most of these Hanok houses function as cultural centers, restaurants, guesthouses and tea houses – and some are even K-drama locations! Many are still privately owned as residential areas so it’s important to be respectful while wandering around this beautiful village. Although we didn’t stay in one of these traditional houses during our stay in Seoul, that is also an option for travellers wanting to fully immerse themselves in Korean culture.
INSADONG
A short stroll away from Bukchon Hanok Village is a must-go destination for first timers to Seoul – Insadong! This area is great to wander around and explore a unique variety of shops, restaurants, and museums. One of my favourite places was Ssamziegil, a colourful 4-story spiral mini retail center offering quirky and cute fashion, art, and home décor items. I got a chocolate pooped-shaped waffle from here 😂💩!
ITAEWAN
After eating a Korean BBQ dinner back in Myeongdong, Tammy and I decided to take a 25 minute subway trip to Itaewan. Best known for its lively nightlife, party atmosphere and international uniqueness, Itaewan is Seoul’s most culturally diverse district. Clubs, bars and lounges line the streets, each with their own distinct characteristics and flair. Itaewon has become a popular destination for international tourists since it offers cuisine and culture catered for people all around the globe! As North Americans, I still find it funny that during our bar hopping adventure, we ended up going to an American Hawaiian-themed bar. Next time, I’d love to try the amazing food options here.
Day 4 | Ihwa Mural Village, Gangnam, starfield COEX Mall, and N Seoul Tower
As per usual, we started off our day with a Gimbap breakfast from 7-eleven. I was excited that the 7-eleven near our hotel had a ‘bulgogi’ flavour since each location always had varying options. We then walked for 30 minutes to our first destination of the day – Ihwa Mural Village. I don’t know if we were slow walkers, or if the Naver app was way off, but it took much longer than just half an hour. I’d like to think it’s the latter but it’s probably the former 😕. On the plus side, we did get to see some different street views of Seoul, stumbled upon the Jungbu Dried Seafood Market and passed through a more industrial part of the city.
IHWA MURAL VILLAGE
The Ihwa Mural Village is made up of colourful paintings and unique art installations created by 70 different local artists. Be warned that this is no walk in the park! We really had to work to find those murals as we walked up and down the multiple levels of cascading staircases in the sweltering heat. Depending on which artworks you want to see, you can plan your route accordingly with the map located in front of the Information Centre of the village.
Since the village is located at a high elevation from the main city, it was a great opportunity to get some photos overlooking Seoul.
GANGNAM
After a quick lunch in Jung-gu, we headed off to Gangnam. Meaning “south of the river”, and made famous by PSY’s ‘Gangnam Style’ song, Gangnam is Seoul’s wealthiest district. The streets are lined with overarching skyscrapers, corporate headquarters, high-end designer brands, and fine-dining experiences.
One of the main reasons we decided to go to this area was to visit the Line Friends and Kakao Friends Flagship Stores. All the characters are so adorable and I am such a sucker for anything cute 🥺! Tammy and I ended up both getting BT21 character pop-sockets for our phones here. These globally popular BT21 characters are inspired and drawn by members of the Korean Pop sensation boy band, BTS.
STARFIELD COEX MALL
Since the Gangnam district spans across a large area, we had to take a 15 minute subway ride from the central station to our next stop, Starfield COEX Mall. I was amazed to learn that this is the world’s largest underground shopping mall! It contains a variety of convention centers, exhibition halls, an aquarium and one of the most aesthetically pleasing, instagrammable libraries I ever did see. The now famous Starfield library is an open public space for all to enjoy, browse a wide selection of books and take one too many photos at!
Located just outside of the main building of the mall is SMTOWN Coex Artium. This multi-floored atrium features a museum, theatre, store and cafe that attracts K-pop fans from all around the world.
If you’re tight on time and looking for a quick place to eat in the area, I highly recommend checking out the Starfield COEX Mall’s food court! For just 8900 KRW ($10.50 CAD) I had a delicious pork rib dinner set 😋.
N SEOUL TOWER
Our very last stop for the evening was to one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, the N Seoul Tower (also known as Namsan Tower). Although we were tight on time, I am so glad that Tammy and I transited for 45 minutes and decided to catch one of the last shuttle buses up to the top. The weather was a little misty that evening but we were still able to capture the breathtaking panoramic views and bright city lights of Seoul. Due to time, we decided not to go up to the observation deck which costed 11,000 KRW (~$13 CAD) and instead just enjoyed the view from around the outside of the tower base. The railing and fences that surround the platform are covered with ‘padlocks of love’. Similar to all the other many places around the world that have these same locks, they symbolize the declaration of eternal love. Although this token of love is meant for romantic partners, I like to think that this declaration can also be for other types of important relationships in one’s life including friends and family. Continuing the theme of love, the heart-shaped benches are also meant to use the gravitational pull of the earth to guide two people to the seat’s centre. How cute and cheesy, I love it! 😂💕 Next time, I’ll have to visit the N Seoul Tower in the daytime for a completely different experience.
With 4 days in Seoul, I got to experience a taste of what this vibrant city has to offer. With gorgeous city skylines, incredibly delicious food, and some of the cutest characters I ever did see, Seoul is definitely a place worth traveling to. I’ll be coming back for you, Seoul!
Next Up 🚅 ➡ Busan, South Korea 🇰🇷
Looking to explore the beautiful city of Busan? Here’s my 3-day travel itinerary for visiting Busan, South Korea!