Seoulmates: Our top six things to do in the world’s coolest city
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Last year I spent a week alone in Seoul after a decade of loving Korean skincare and food. It was the best week ever.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably been similarly seduced. If you’re not listening to at least one KPop group you’re likely using Korean skincare or deciding between your favourite Korean restaurant or KBBQ place for dinner.
And even if none of this is you, you probably still want to visit Seoul, one of the coolest cities to be seen in this year. With iconic street food, jaw-dropping shopping, exceptional cafe culture and achingly cool locals, Seoul is where it’s at in 2024.
My goals for Seoul were to shop, stuff my face with pastries, visit an onsen and generally just wander around looking at beautiful things. If you want to do the same, I got you.
First time in Seoul? Stay in Myeongdong
I based myself in the vibrant shopping district of Myeongdong – and I highly recommend it.
Myeongdong’s benefits for a first-timer are plentiful – it’s home to many KBeauty and fashion flagship stores, is a mostly pedestrian area with plenty of charming alleys to explore, stays open very late, has a bustling night market and is centrally located (perfect for getting your head around Seoul’s sprawl).
It’s seen as a little touristy by locals – but keep in mind that Seoul is by no means overrun by Western tourists, so all this means is that staff and shopkeepers in Myeongdong are more likely to speak English.
Stroll up to see the grand Myeongdong Cathedral one morning – the best view is from Molto Italian Espresso Bar, on the rooftop terrace of the building opposite. Grab a coffee and pastry and people watch from the gorgeous balcony then stroll a block down to check out Butter Shop for cutesy knick knacks and the Olive Young Flagship Store for a whopping dose of KBeauty.
Butter Shop.
The Myeongdong Night Market is a mecca for all things Korean street food – new and traditional. Make sure you try tanghulu (candied fruits), hotteok (deep fried pouches of dough) and marshmallow and brownie-wrapped ice cream that’s been toasted. Bring cash.
Kyoja Myeongdong is a Michelin Guide-listed noodle restaurant that has literally four menu items and lines for entry every single night. Line up early and bring cash as they make you pay when you order, at the table. Just know – in Korea if there’s no cutlery on the table it’s because it’s in a drawer in the table.
For a souvenir you’ll actually love, head to Myeongdong Caricature Art for the cutest hand-drawn portrait, where a row of artists are waiting to draw anyone who walks up for around $15 per portrait, right there and then. You can even ask them to draw your friends and family (and pets!) from photos you have. Did someone say ‘perfect gift’…?
The paper quality is really good too – perfect for framing.
As for a hotel recommendation, I stayed at Hotel Creto which was stylish, minimal, sparkling clean, super warm and a stone’s throw from the action while being really quiet. There’s also a gorgeous record bar across from the hotel called Objktt Record Bar.
Explore hipster haven Seongsu
The cute little enclave of Seongsu is a hipster suburb next to a beautiful park where family homes from the 1970s have been transformed into boutiques, pop-up stores, cafes and restaurants.
Take the metro to Tteukseom Station and then walk to here and explore the neighbouring streets and alleys.
Make sure to check out a photo booth or two, buy a pastry and coffee at Lowide Bakery, pizza by the slice at PizzaNista or a matcha from SuperMatcha and shop in the many, many adorable boutiques.
Once you have a coffee and pastry in hand, wander through to Seoul Forest Park for a leisurely stroll. On weekends, families fill the park and during autumn, you can people watch as everyone tries to get the perfect autumn leaves shot for Instagram.
Time to budget: A full morning and lunch
Stuff your face at Gwangjang Market
One of Seoul’s OG food markets (both for street food and ingredients) Gwangjang Market is home to Netflix’s knife-cut noodle guru Cho Yonsoon but there are oodles of great street food stalls here and the stallholders speak English.
It’s super busy and bustling (bring cash!) but you’ll always find a (heated!) seat. Make sure to try teokbokki, Korea’s signature spicy, chewy rice noodles.
Time to budget: A lunch or dinner
Café Onion + Bukchon Hanok Village
Café Onion is one of the most iconic and photographable cafes in Seoul so the lines are crazy (I waited for around an hour for a seat) but the pastries are to die for and the setting, in an old Hanok (cottage) home, is worth the wait.
Pastries at Cafe Onion. The wait is worth it.
Cafe Onion is also located near one of Seoul’s most beautiful hanok villages, Bukchon Hanok Village, where all the winding streets are filled with beautiful wooden homes so I very much suggest combining the two for a morning of culture and coffee.
Hanok villages are areas where traditional single-story wooden homes have been heritage-listed and preserved. First designed in the 14th century, hanok homes have stood the test of time and now often contain trendy cafes, restaurants and boutiques.
Start your morning by taking the metro to Anguk Station, then walk to Café Onion.
Once you’ve fuelled up with pastries and coffee, walk up Bukchon-ro, towards the Tamburins Flagship Store. Tamburins is one of Korea’s most beloved perfume companies and the store is gorgeous.
Then, keep walking up towards this stairway where you’ll climb a lot of steps to the top of Bukchon Hanok Village. Wind your way towards this iconic viewpoint for a great snap and then walk down the hill, making your way out of the village. If you need a pick-me-up after the walk there’s a CU convenience store at the bottom of the hill.
Time to budget: A whole morning
Go south for giant croissants and an onsen experience in Gangnam
Nudake is Seoul’s iconic giant croissant café and is totally worth it for the combination of taking photos of their hilarious life-sized baked goods and then eating the real-size versions of them. I visited the Sinsa branch, located in a cute part of Gangnam, south of the river.
To get there, head to Sinsa Station and make your way to Nudake (go early to avoid lines!). You line up outside, then select your croissants downstairs and eat them upstairs in their incredibly Instagrammable café.
Afterwards, stroll around the neighbourhood for some window shopping. I recommend a walk to Nice Weather Market for the coolest clothes ever.
If you’re keen to try a classic Korean onsen (jjimjilbang) experience, I recommend visiting women-only onsen Spa Lei. Around $40 gets you access to the various hot and cold pools of the onsen, just be aware that this is a fully naked bathhouse experience, as is the custom.
When you’re not in the bath area, you can visit the relaxation areas, saunas, café and restaurants in your robe. I highly recommend paying for a scrub, where – lying fully naked on a plastic massage table in full view of the onsen pools – you’ll be scrubbed to within an inch of your life by a friendly Korean ajumma (aunty) and doused with buckets of warm water. Your skin will never be softer – just remember to bring cash (in the pocket of your robe) as you’ll need to consult the price list and pay on the spot, in cash.
Little English is spoken here but hey, you’re here for the local experience, right?
Time to budget: A whole morning.
Nudake Sinsa. That croissant was taller than me.
Café hopping in Ikseondong
Ikseondong is full of adorable alleyways of hanok houses with cute boutiques and cafés. Come with an empty stomach and a fully charged phone or camera.
To get there, take the metro to Jongno 3-ga and leave via Exit 6. Continue along the street until you get to here and walk through the alleyway into Ikseongdong.
Some highlights include souffle pancakes at Flippers, Instagram-famous bread at Mil Toast and a cheese-themed café called Cheese Industry. There are also plenty of photobooths, restaurants, boutiques, arcades…the list goes on.
Ikseondong is firmly on the tourist trail and it’s not uncommon to fight through large tour bus groups in the alleyways, so I recommend coming for breakfast or morning tea to avoid them.
Time to budget: A whole morning
What to know before you get to Seoul
Maps + Getting around
You may have heard that GoogleMaps doesn’t work in Korea which is sort of true. It still works so you should use it to plot your trip while in Australia by saving locations on GoogleMaps – you just shouldn’t use it to navigate as you walk in Seoul, as it can’t calculate walking distances or give you street directions.
Naver Maps or Kakao Maps are best for navigating as you walk and subway around the city.
Transport
The subway is super easy to navigate and all signs are in English. The easiest way to travel is to get a T Money card or other type of re-chargeable transport card, which you can buy in convenience stores or large metro stations. You can top up the card as you go.
ATM
Cash is king in Korea and the ATM I found that worked best with my Australian debit cards were those from Woori Bank. My recommendation is to have about $100 AUD worth of won on you.
Budget
Speaking of cash…in this economy, I can understand that budget trips are where it’s at. Seoul isn’t the cheapest of places – but it can certainly be done cheaply.
I flew with Jetstar and my biggest splurge was on my hotel – around $150 per night to make sure I was somewhere I felt safe as a solo female traveller. Once you’re there, fuel yourself on convenience store iced coffee (if you know, you know) for $3, eat street food as much as possible, make a stop at an expensive cafe a meal instead of just a snack and seek out restaurants like Kyoja above – a huge bowl of Michelin-starred noodles was $10.
Weather
Seoul is a city of extremes – the winters are snowy and cold and the summers are humid, with drenching monsoon rains. Naturally, this means autumn and spring are the times to visit but be aware that this is peak tourist season too, especially as the week-long festival of Chuseok (the autumn harvest celebration where many Koreans travel to spend time with family) and popular cherry blossom season occur during these times, so check your dates and avoid travelling then if you can, as flights and accommodation can be more expensive.
I visited Seoul in late November and found it to be clear, crisp and sunny – similar to a late autumn day in Canberra. This was perfect as you could layer outfits and accessories and, to be perfectly honest, I couldn’t think of anything worse than sweating through a summer in minimal clothing next to Seoul’s stylish locals.
