Seoul is an ultra-modern city with sleek high-rises and time-tested palaces.
South Korea has so much to offer, whether you want to see the latest K-pop sensation, take a late-night food and drink tour, or find solace in a spa or temple. There are many things to do in South Korea.
There is no better place to eat street food in Korea than at Gwangjang Market. The market has a reputation for having some of the best street snacks in the country.
You can start with an order of tteokbokki, followed by a couple of mandu and a pajeon. Hotteok is a pancake filled with brown sugar and cinnamon and bungeoppang is a fish-shaped pastry. It should be done all over again.
If you only have time to see one thing in Seoul, make it the beautiful architecture, maze-like grounds and serene pagodas. The palace was rebuilt in the 18th century after it was destroyed in the 16th century. The largest and most elegant palace in the city is called Gyeongbokgung.
Take in the changing of the Royal Guard in front of the Gwanghwamun Gate and then stroll the grounds to see striking buildings and ponds. The National Folk Museum of Korea is located on the palace grounds and is a great place to stop after your visit.
Ready to start planning? Sign up for our weekly newsletter and get 20% off your next guidebook.Nothing beats a walk in the summer. This picturesque waterway is lined with walking paths, trees and bridges and stretches for over seven miles. After the Korean War, the city undertook an urban-renewal project to refresh the area and reestablish the stream. It has become a popular place for locals and tourists to take a break from the city.
You will want to use your credit card in the shopping district. Myeong-dong is known for its trendy fashion labels, fancy department stores and beauty boutiques. The Myeong-dong Night Market is a great place to get offbeat souvenirs and traditional street food.
The Pink Pool Cafe at the Stylenanda Pink Hotel flagship store is one of the prettiest cafes in the city. A popular place for photo shoots, this spot has an ice-cream-parlor vibe, indoor pool, and sweet-as-sugar art decor.
bathing in Seoul is more than just a way to get clean. People gather at bathhouses once a week. Jjimjilbang can be defined as an establishment with just a couple of small dipping pools to massive aquatic palaces with multiple pools, water features, cafes, saunas, relaxation rooms and spas.
Some bathhouses don't allow patrons with tattoos and some require bathing in the nude. Take a dip in the hot and cold pools, followed by a stretch in the sauna, and then use a traditional full-body scrub to get baby soft from your bathhouse experience.
Dragon Hill Spa has a wide array of relaxation areas, such as a meditation pyramid and a "jade energy" room, while the female-only Spa Lei has an elegant atmosphere.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Bukhansan National Park is the most visited national park per unit area in the world. Koreans in hiking gear ride the subways on Saturdays and Sundays.
There are jagged peaks, hiking trails, dozens of storied temples and 1300 species of plants and animals. You can hike to the summit of Bukhansan for five hours and see the city before you.
You can hear distant singing on a Friday or Saturday night if you walk down a busy street. It is possible that it is not a K-Pop band, but a karaoke club. Private rooms with big-screen TVs, phone-book-sized lists of songs and even disco balls are included in the singalong. It's a great time if you top it off with room service bringing snacks and drinks.
The most popular drinks in this thirsty nation are the soju and makgeolli. The fact that a standard bottle costs less than a bottle of water helped Soju become the world's best selling spirit.
The most popular labels such as Jinro and Seoul Makgeolli can be found at the picnic tables outside of convenience stores. If you're new to the Korean alcohol scene, the Sool Company is a good place to start.
The 8th century Bongeun-sa Temple in Gangnam has an image of a Buddha statue looking over a high-rise. You can participate in temple life with the monks if you come just to take photos. During a weekend, join in vegetarian meals, morning chanting, meditation and even prostrations to clear the mind and bring you closer to inner peace. There are temple-stay programs at Bongeun-sa.
Do you know that Gangnam district in South Korea has a boulevard dedicated to K-pop artists? There are statues of cartoon bears called GangnamDols, each decorated to represent a different K-pop singer or band, at K-star Road.
Pick up a few mini bears at the GangnamDol Haus after taking selfies with your favorite bears.
The Korean traditional house, called hanok, is made up of sloping roofs, ornate tiles and colorful paintings. A historic district filled with hundreds of charming hanok is located between the Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung palace complexes and is used as a backdrop for period movies and television shows.
While the village has cafes, teahouses, museums and boutiques, it's also home to a handful of hanoks-turned-guesthouses where visitors can sleep on traditional ondol heated floors.
A broadcasting structure dating from 1969 is at the top of the mountain and rising into the sky above the city. The observation deck at the tower offers a panoramic view of the capital. There is a rotating restaurant at the top of the tower that serves French food. You can either ride the cable car or hike the trails to the top of the tower.
The most unusual 24 hours on the Korean peninsula may be spent at the northern border. One of the world's most closely guarded borders is the demilitarized zone between North and South.
Various outfits such as the popular DMZ Tours company take curious onlookers from central Seoul to the border area to glimpse into North Korea from Dora Observatory and even step into North Korea in the Joint Security Area. The last stop to the north for the DMZ Peace Train is Dorasan Station.
The article was last updated about 4 hours ago.
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