Korea 🍗🍻🎤⚾️

SEOUL

WHAT TO DO

DAY 1

  • Rent a hanbok and enter Gwangbokgung Palace for free, and then eat lunch at Amie Wine Bar (hanok style architecture)

  • Walk to Bukchon Hanok Village (many cafes/shops along Yulgok-ro 3 gil and Bukchon-ro 5-gil)

  • Check out the cute shops and cafes at Ikseon-dong and take sticky pics! Can also come back here for dinner

    • Cafes: Cheongsudang Cafe, Appiforet, Hanok Langsom

    • Try salt bread at Soha Salt Pond Bakery

    • Shops: Ruda, My Poetry

    • Restaurant: Banju

  • Explore Insadong and Jogyesa Temple

    • Cafe Onion: hanok cafe with delicious pastries

    • Cafe Knotted: donuts

    • Shin Tea House

  • Eat at Gwangjang Market: one of the oldest traditional markets in Korea

    • Try bindae-tteok (mung bean pancake), kalguksu (knife cut noodles), tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), mayak kimbap, mandu (dumplings), eomukguk (fish cake soup), hotteok (sweet rice flour pancake)

  • Get drinks at Euljiro: former industrial area with narrow alleyways and cool bars & restaurants

    • Beer: Euljiro Brewing, The Ranch Brewing Euljiro, Vinzip

    • Cocktails: Ace Four Club, Seendosi, Adda, Mind Your Head (enter tiny doorway to a 70s bar), Pyeong-gyun-yul (listening/vinyl bar), Dressing Room

    • Restaurants: Euljiro Darak (Korean-Italian fusion), Odo Myeonok (KBBQ), Sarangbang Kalguksu

    • Cafes: Baekdu Gangsan, Coffee Hanyakbang, Hayley’s Coffee, Horangii Cafe, Champ Coffee

DAY 2

  • Spend the day walking around Seoul Forest Park, exploring hip cafes and shops at Seongsu-dong (“Williamsburg of Seoul”) and Common Ground (shipping container shopping center)

    • Daelim Changgo: cafe showcasing emerging artists

    • NUDAKE: artistic dessert and giant croissants

    • Other cafes: Grandpa Factory Cafe, Camouflage Coffee, Puff Out, A to B

    • Restaurants: Bisabeol Jeonju (magical hangover beansprout soup), Lemongrass, Hanoi102

    • Shops: AMORE, LCDC, 29cm Seongsu

  • Watch a KBO baseball game (Korea’s #1 sport) with chimaek (chicken & beer): season runs between April-Oct, Jamsil Baseball Stadium is closest in Seoul (Lions & Twins teams based here)

    • Can also play screen baseball instead at Strikezon

  • Treat yourself to Korean beef omakase at Michelin restaurant Born & Bred (~$270 per person, BYOB free corkage, top 50 restaurant in Asia)

DAY 3

  • Hike Inwangsan Mountain Trail, eat lunch at Patic, get dessert at Alkimia Seocheon Iceacream and explore Seochon Hanok Village OR Hike Bukhansan National Park

  • Visit War Memorial & Museum and National Museum of Seoul

  • Explore Hongdae (“East Village of Seoul”): next to Hongik University, known for urban arts & indie music culture, shops, bars & entertainment

    • Cafe: Harry Potter cafe (943 King’s Cross), Samoyed cafe (Winter’s Village)

    • Karaoke: Su Noraebang

    • Restaurant: Yun Seoul

    • Get a facial at Areuke Spa

DAY 4

  • Visit Leeum Museum of Art, and then get lunch at Gongi

  • Play screen golf: Golfzon is one of the biggest chains in Korea

  • Get drinks at Itaewon

  • Cafe: en Dive, Anthracite Coffee, Grau Haus

  • Restaurants: Mosu, Gongi, Hue 135, Soom Ricebar

DAY 5

  • Bike along Han River

  • Explore Gangnam (Sinsa-dong, Apgu-jeong)

    • Get a facial at Spa Lei or Sulwhasoo Spa

    • Cafes: NUDAKE Haus Dosan, Milestone Coffee, MAMMAMIA

    • Shops: Gotomall, FR8GHT, Gentle Monster, Tamburins

    • Restaurants: Ongijeong, Ohboksoosan, Le Brunchic

    • Bars: ZEST Seoul (#5 best bar in Asia, #18 best bar in the world)

    • Bowling: Smashing Bowl (Cheongdam)

  • Check out COEX Shopping Center and Starfield Library

DAY 6

  • See the views of Seoul from Namsan Tower and add your love lock!

  • Buy your Kbeauty products at Myeongdong and try all the street food

BUSAN

WHAT TO DO

DAY 1

  • Explore Gomcheon Village (“Santorini of Korea”)

  • Go to Nampo for lunch and eat seafood (Jagalchi Market, BIFF Square, Gukje Market)

  • Walk along the coast at Igidae Park / Oryukdo Skywalk OR Taejongdae

  • Dinner in Jeonpo (recommend Freewill Pizza) OR Somyeon (recommend Shabu Shabu)

DAY 2

  • Visit Haedong Yonggusa Temple (seaside Budhhist temple)

  • Explore Haeundae

    • Eat lunch at Mipo-jib (seafood) or Badamaru (abalone porridge)

    • Get dessert at Horangi Jella Tteok Rice Cake

    • Walk along Haeundae Beach and Dongbaek Park

  • Spend the rest of the day in Spa Land Centum City (in the biggest shopping center in the world)

MUST DO

  • Beef omakase at Born & Bred was one of our fav things to do, highly recommend

  • Explore cafe culture and have a coffee and pastry daily! Try salt bread (the new thing in Seoul). Fav places to explore cafes was in Ikseon-dong and Seongsu-dong

  • Eat bingsu (shaved ice dessert)

  • Karaoke (called noraebang or “NRB”)

  • Try screen golf or screen baseball

  • Shop locally: best hair and phone accessories, jewelry, clothing and skincare/makeup

  • Go to a photobooth (they’re everywhere!)

  • Check out Seoul nightlife and try soju cocktails, maekgolli (Korean rice wine) and craft beers

  • Get a facial at a spa or facial treatments at a dermatologist

  • Get a scalp treatment at a head spa

  • Get your personal color analysis done

  • Go to a jjimjilbang (traditional Korean bathhouse)

    • Spa 1899: Gangnam

    • Sulwhasoo Balance Spa: Gangnam

    • Spa Lei: Gangnam (women only)

    • Centum Spaland: Busan

    • Hurshimchung Spa: Busan

TIPS

  • Download Naver Map or KakaoMap, since Google Maps is not widely used in Korea and only works for public transportation

  • There is no Uber or Lyft in Korea, but public transportation is plentiful and easy to get around

  • Buy refillable subway card from convenient store (eg. E-mart, 7/11)

  • Respect the elderly and pregnant seating in subway and do not sit there

  • Koreans love their iced americano (called “ah-ah”) and iced vanilla latte ("called “ah-va-la”)

  • No tipping culture here

  • Clean up after yourself and return your tray in every cafe

  • You can get delicious meals at convenient stores and it’s normal to eat there. They provide microwaves and hot water.

  • Buy all your kbeauty products at Olive Young (“Sephora of Korea”)

Eunice Chin