South Korea has earned a unique spot among Asian destinations for its food, history, traditions, and, more recently, its pop culture. Over the last seven decades, South Korea transformed itself, emerging as a cultural and technological powerhouse for the digital era. Now, the whole world is driving, listening to, watching, eating, and wearing South Korea. Yet, how much do most travellers really know about Asia’s ultimate sleeper hit destination?
For a moment in the 2010s, it looked like South Korea was about to become the next big thing in tourism as well. K-Pop exploded onto western music charts. Culinary staples that had long reflected Korea’s heart became trendy additions to western tables. Korean skin care products set a new global standard, while Korean movies and TV dramas gained widespread popularity. Bong Joon-Ho’s sharp 2019 satire Parasite even became the first non-English language Best Picture winner at the Oscars.
All of this certainly boosted tourism. Yet, as I explore the streets of even Seoul’s busiest neighbourhoods and most iconic attractions, I can’t shake how chill this global city of 10 million people feels; always on the move but never rushing. Even the largest crowds around attractions like Gyeonghuigung Palace, Seoul’s largest and busiest historic site, or on the sloped streets of Bukchon with its photogenic hanok houses, move with a quiet, respectful flow that tracks with everything I’ve observed about Seoul. The city has adopted constant evolution as its rhythm, and it flows around historic icons as naturally as the waters of the Han River.
A forgotten icon makes its comeback running Seoul tours.
The humble rickshaw or pedicab has a brief but noteworthy history in Korea. Introduced in 1883 by a Japanese migrant, it became Seoul’s first modern form of transit, and was the first to disappear after the Second World War as motor vehicles became more commonplace. There’s something to be said for getting the best of both worlds on an electric rickshaw tour through some of Seoul’s most beloved local neighbourhoods. I say local because our itinerary bypasses tourist hotspots like Gyeonghuigung, Bukchon, Jogyesa Temple and N Seoul Tower. These are frequent headliners on Seoul tours, or can be easily reached on your own using the city’s excellent transit system.
Instead, my guide wants to show me a Seoul filled with stories I won’t find in a history book or K-Drama. Today is all about local markets, shopping streets, cafes, and curiosities that preserve the city’s story outside of its museums. It also reveals a bright optimism for the future, and if it all seems a bit gentrified, that’s true to Korea’s character as well. Insa-dong, for example, is a culture street unapologetically reimagined for tourists. But it’s just as beloved by locals, boasting great restaurants, local galleries, coffee stops, and unabashed preservation of Seoul’s traditional look. For a glimpse of Seoul’s culinary, retail, and art scenes rolled into one energetic package, you’ll want to spend a few hours exploring Insa-dong.
Explore food and shopping icons along Cheonggyecheon.
No visit to Seoul is complete without a walk along Cheonggyecheon. Once transformed into a road, this public stream was released and revived in the mid 2000s, creating one of Seoul’s favourite public walks. The stream’s starting point near Sejong-daero is its most photogenic spot, but I could easily have spent an hour taking in historic landmarks and public artworks along the walk, hopping out to explore some of the local neighbourhoods and markets including Gwangjang, our lunch stop. But before that, my guide has a surprise planned.
Seoul is famous for its vast electronics markets like Yongsan Electronics Market, TechnoHub, or Samsung Digital Plaza in the chic Gangnam neighbourhood. Seoul’s vintage Maker community, however, finds its treasures at Sewoon Plaza. This mall running off Cheonggyecheon is stocked top to bottom with stores selling used electronics and parts dating back to the 1980s. We’re not talking classic video/arcade games here. You’ll find plenty of stores selling these throughout Seoul, but Sewoon is for serious tech-heads looking to flex some creative engineering. There’s even a rooftop terrace for when you need a break with superb city views.
All that DIY scavenging has worked up an appetite (and I’m not even buying). Luckily, Gwangjang market is right next door. This is one of the most popular food markets in Seoul, so seats fill up quickly, particularly on weekends. But service at just about any of the stalls is fast and an unspoken etiquette keeps everything moving at a friendly pace.
If you can name just about any Korean street food or traditional favourite, there’s a stall claiming to have Seoul’s best at Gwangjang. Gimbap (seaweed rice roll), tteokbokki (stir-fried rice cakes), ojingeo twigim (fried squid), bindaetteok (mung bean pancake), spicy soup, and kkwabaegi donuts—filling up, yet? Don’t forget the soju. It’ll help with some of the more adventurous treats like beondegi (crunchy silkworms). Okay, so I didn’t try that one, but I did leave that afternoon a complete and forever convert to Korea’s spicy, flavourful cuisine, with gimbap topping the list as a new personal favourite.
And that’s without trying the barbeque…yet.
Palatial splendour and K-Drama vibes.
History is not in short supply in Seoul. The city’s historic route is dominated by its five imperial palaces. After a cheeky coffee stop at a hidden café (again, just off Cheonggyecheon), we arrive at Deoksugung Palace in time for the changing of the guard. This is the newest and smallest of Seoul’s main palaces, and that yields some advantages. It tends to be overlooked by the crowds flocking to Gyeonghuigung and Changgyeonggung, though it offers similar architecture and many of the same experiences. It also catches Korea at a turning point in its history, as western influences began to creep in. That makes a visit to Deoksugung the perfect complement to any of Seoul’s more traditional palace tours. If you have time to explore, its fusion of styles is beautifully illustrated in two neighbouring museums on the grounds, the Korean Empire History Museum and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art—the old Korea and the new, celebrated on the grounds of a palace that showcases both.
Gyeonghuigung is still emperor among Seoul’s palaces, however. It’s closed on the day of our tour, but a quick elevator ride to the rooftop terrace at the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History yields views over the palace in all its splendour, with the majestic mountain Bugaksan as its backdrop. The museum itself is a great spot to begin your exploration of modern-day Seoul, offering a solid introduction to Korea’s modern culture, technological innovations, politics, sporting obsessions, and, of course, K-Pop.
Winding down the day with two of Korea’s best traditions.
If you’re into vacation spots that satisfy all the senses, South Korea needs to be on your list. Bidding farewell to my guide at Anguk metro station, I round the block to Insadong Spa & Sauna, a foreigner-friendly Korean spa offering a solid balance of luxury, authenticity, and convenience at a fair price. Korean spa culture is unique. Expect gender-segregated baths and possibly shared saunas set at specific temperatures. Opt for a body scrub to see Korean skin care work its magic, as a traditional mixture of salt, sugar or herbs strips away dead skin cells and stress while improving circulation and regeneration. I also highly recommend the traditional Korean massage—with a caveat. This is no relaxing hour on the table. To anyone claiming Turkish masseurs give the world’s most rigorous deep-tissue massage, the masseurs of Korea say, “Hold my soju.” It’s painful, it’s wonderful, and after a few minutes of recovery in the traditional sauna, I feel refreshed enough to tackle the whole day’s itinerary anew.
With that, it’s time for barbeque. Options abound, but the spa manager recommends Iksundong Farm on Donwhamun-ro just 10 minutes walk away. Still glowing and just slightly floating, I scan the menu of different cuts and more importantly, the faces of patrons inside. The restaurant is full of satisfied-looking Koreans, which is a good enough endorsement for me. The server sets up the DIY grill, brings more sides than I’ll have any hope of finishing, then gently suggests a couple of favourite meat options and sauces for a meal that’s as much a social tradition in Korea as it is a culinary one. It’s fun, delicious, the perfect answer to our multi-flavoured market feast, and an ideal cap to a day exploring the more local side of ever-evolving Seoul.
Christian’s first globetrotting adventure saw him get lost exploring the streets of Saigon. Following his nose to Asia’s best coffee, two lifelong addictions were born. A freelance writer and novelist, Christian’s travels have since taken him around his native Australia, Asia, Europe, and much of North America. His favourite trips have been through Japan, Spain, and Brazil, though with a love of off-beat, artsy cities, he’ll seize any opportunity to return to Paris, New York, or Berlin.