by Aude
Seoul has been on my to do list for like forever but whenever I got a day off or planning a weekend I am like “yeah let’s go to the beach and chill”. Always feel like I need to go somewhere sunny (preferably with a beach) to properly enjoy a break.
With my little brother being in Seoul for 6 months last autumn I had no more excuses. Needed to give it a go. Well guess what? I loved it! Was expecting something nice but nothing more than a city getaway (must confess I have been to Taiwan and Shanghai previously and wasn’t at all seduced by those two cities). Found myself loving every minute of this trip and feeling like I have spent a week there. It’s just so different from Hong Kong and you can get so much in three days: history, food, culture, music, dance … Thrilling! But must confess also a little bit exhausting.
Seoul has been on my to do list for like forever but whenever I got a day off or planning a weekend I am like “yeah let’s go to the beach and chill”. Always feel like I need to go somewhere sunny (preferably with a beach) to properly enjoy a break.
With my little brother being in Seoul for 6 months last autumn I had no more excuses. Needed to give it a go. Well guess what? I loved it! Was expecting something nice but nothing more than a city getaway (must confess I have been to Taiwan and Shanghai previously and wasn’t at all seduced by those two cities). Found myself loving every minute of this trip and feeling like I have spent a week there. It’s just so different from Hong Kong and you can get so much in three days: history, food, culture, music, dance … Thrilling! But must confess also a little bit exhausting.
GOING THERE
GOING THERE
There are more than 10 options available every day to fly to Seoul including Hong Kong Expressand Cathay Pacific.
I went for the Cathay Pacific flight that leaves Hong Kong at 1 am and lands in Seoul at 5.45 am. Ok some may find it tough but if you are short on day off this one is just perfect. Will have you go to the airport after work hours, sleep in the plane and land in Seoul early morning with a full day ahead of you.
Just like in Hong Kong, once at the airport you can easily travel to downtown Seoul by train. Careful though there is an Express Train, traveling directly to Seoul Station and an All Stop Train that stops at 13 stations before reaching downtown. So if you are staying near Seoul Station you definitely wanna go for the Express option. The other option is obviously longer (but cheaper) but allows you to connect with some other railway lines and might be better if you are not staying near to Seoul Station but close to a MTR station.
Every is perfectly explain on South Korea Official Tourism website, right here.
WHERE TO STAY
Seoul is such a vast city, choosing where to stay might be complicated. I would recommend choosing depending on your budget (of course) but also the way you wanna spend those few days there. It’s your first time and need/wanna discover as much as possible? Here for shopping? Here for partying? Each neighborhood is quite different and each offers different things to do. Check the WHAT TO DO part just below, I am introducing my fav neighborhoods.
On a budget: Four Points by Sheraton, Namsan
Of courses if you are on a budget Airbnb is definitely an option to check. Might be me being snobbish but whenever I am flying somewhere for just a few days I like the idea of staying in a hotel and not having to worry about breakfast, houseworks …
I’ve stayed at Four Points by Sheraton and found it a good option. Nothing fancy but the rooms are quite nice and the hotel is perfectly located if you are looking to wander the streets of Seoul and discover some of the most famous monuments.
Looking to treat yourself: Four Seasons
WHAT TO DO
Ok if you are here just like for a few days I can tell you it’s not really gonna be a holiday! There is so much to do and see in Seoul! Of courses you can also take it easy and be like “that’s ok if I don’t see it all, I’ll come back”. That’s not my style, I went for the crazy option “do it all, eat it all”. Yep that’s me, the crazy girl who has to do it all whenever she does something. I bet I am not the only but I do envy those of you who knows how to chill and relax, can be exhausting being me sometimes I swear!
No matter how modern some neighborhoods are, each and every street of Seoul is infused with history and cultural heritage. Loved it.
Of courses you have to visit at least one of the beautiful 5 palaces. Well, you don’t HAVE to, don’t wanna force you into anything but believe me would be a shame to miss that part.
Which one to visit? Well, they are all just so different!
Gyeongbokgung Palace is the largest of the five palaces of the city and also considered as the most beautiful. It is also therefore the most touristy but definitely worth wandering!
Deoksugung Palace is quite small compare to Gyeonbokgung but worth checking as it is sitting alongside modern buildings creating quite a unique backdrop. It is also known for hosting every day (except Mondays) at 11 am, 2 pm and 3.30 pm The Royal Guard Changing Ceremony at the Daehanmun Gate. It’s super touristy yet but still a beautiful moment, the costumes of the guards with vibrant colors are just beautiful.
Changdeokgung Palace is the most well preserved of the palaces and is a UNESCO World Heritage Monument. The palace is also known for its rear garden: Huwon Secret Garden. The garden was before only accessible to the members of the royal family as a place of leisure and was kept as natural as possible, only touched by human hands in case of absolute necessity. Secret Garden can only be visited through a guided tour (lasting around 1.5H) but if you ask me it’s a must do!
Hong Kong Madame tips: they are only 2 English guided tours a day, at 10.30 am and 2.30 pm and tickets sold out very quickly as they are limited. I would suggest heading to the palace first thing in the morning around 9, buying your tickets and either going for coffee before joining the 10.30 am tour or coming back later on if you are joining the 2.30 pm one. But do not plan on just coming last minute … you’ll most likely end up disappointed and not able to join the tour and discover this beautiful garden and all its pavilions.
No worries, Seoul is not about palaces only! Here are a few neighborhoods you might wanna check.
Hong Kong Madame tips: they are only 2 English guided tours a day, at 10.30 am and 2.30 pm and tickets sold out very quickly as they are limited. I would suggest heading to the palace first thing in the morning around 9, buying your tickets and either going for coffee before joining the 10.30 am tour or coming back later on if you are joining the 2.30 pm one. But do not plan on just coming last minute … you’ll most likely end up disappointed and not able to join the tour and discover this beautiful garden and all its pavilions.
No worries, Seoul is not about palaces only! Here are a few neighborhoods you might wanna check.
The Gangnam district, made internationally famous in 2012 through the Gangnam Style song, is mostly popular for shopping and entertainment. Quite an upmarket shopping area though hosting for example the seventh largest Cartier shop in the world. You might wanna check also the side streets and not only the big avenues as those littles streets welcome a lot of nice restaurants and bars.
Insa-dong district has nothing to do with the posh Gangnam. This neighborhood welcomes more than 100 art galleries but also cute tea-houses, restaurants and shop promoting craftsmanship.
Hong Kong Madame tips: if you can, you might wanna check it on a weekend rather than on a weekday as the main street is closed to traffic on Saturday and Sunday with stores setting-up booths in the streets and street-food being available all around to grab while discovering the area.
Hong Kong Madame tips: if you can, you might wanna check it on a weekend rather than on a weekday as the main street is closed to traffic on Saturday and Sunday with stores setting-up booths in the streets and street-food being available all around to grab while discovering the area.
Hongdae is probably my fav district! An area where a lot of young people and students live and such a popular hangout. The area is always packed but in a vibrant and nice way.
Hong Kong Madame tips: it’s nice to discover by day and enjoy the fashion shops and accessory stores of the area but also make sure to go there at night. Preferably on a Friday or a Saturday! Hongdae Walking Street becomes an outdoor stage for band performances and you don’t wanna miss that all K-Pop culture! Fascinating! I could have spent hours looking at those bands! Plus the streets also host an night market filled with all the crazy stuffs you would never buy at home but do find attractive whenever you are abroad and of course street food all around!
Itaewon also known as Western Town, welcoming many restaurants serving cuisine that are usually not easy to find in Korea: Italian, French, Indian, British, Turkish … The place is very famous among tourists and expat people. But if you do take time to step off the multinational Gyeongnidam Street you will find some super cute streets some of them with a very village feels.
Spending the weekend in Seoul without doing any shopping seems impossible. At least to me. There are shops everywhere, each one looking more attractive than the previous one. And if you are a beauty addict watch out, you might end up needing to check-in your cabin luggage because it’s too full of cosmetics (me? Absolutely not …). Korean beauty is definitely a thing!
Another nice idea is to experience Seoul with a local! Nothing like digging into food with a local guide, right? I have shared this experience already on the website here.
Speaking of food …
WHAT AND WHERE TO EAST Hong Kong Madame tips: it’s nice to discover by day and enjoy the fashion shops and accessory stores of the area but also make sure to go there at night. Preferably on a Friday or a Saturday! Hongdae Walking Street becomes an outdoor stage for band performances and you don’t wanna miss that all K-Pop culture! Fascinating! I could have spent hours looking at those bands! Plus the streets also host an night market filled with all the crazy stuffs you would never buy at home but do find attractive whenever you are abroad and of course street food all around!
Itaewon also known as Western Town, welcoming many restaurants serving cuisine that are usually not easy to find in Korea: Italian, French, Indian, British, Turkish … The place is very famous among tourists and expat people. But if you do take time to step off the multinational Gyeongnidam Street you will find some super cute streets some of them with a very village feels.
Spending the weekend in Seoul without doing any shopping seems impossible. At least to me. There are shops everywhere, each one looking more attractive than the previous one. And if you are a beauty addict watch out, you might end up needing to check-in your cabin luggage because it’s too full of cosmetics (me? Absolutely not …). Korean beauty is definitely a thing!
Another nice idea is to experience Seoul with a local! Nothing like digging into food with a local guide, right? I have shared this experience already on the website here.
Speaking of food …
I’d better warn you, Seoul is not the right place for detox and diet. Absolutely not. But for a foodie like me … well I had a blast!
Street food in Seoul is definitely a thing and if you are just like me you’ll find yourself eating from the moment you get out of your bed to the moment you get back into it. There are so many things that look just so yummy everywhere in the streets! Haven’t tried it all – would have loved to of course but no matter how hard I am trying I can’t eat more than 10 times a day and I know it doesn’t look like eat but also trying to keep my boyfriend into the illusion that is dating a perfectly normal girl and not a walking stomach. Won’t say that I am a Seoul street food export because I am not but if I should choose one savory and one sugary fav treats that would be:
- the Pajeon: Korean green onions pancakes
- the Pul-bbang: Korean pancake dumplings filled with red bean paste `
Hong Kong Madame tips: the best place to grab stuff yourself with street food is Namdaemun Market.
As for a casual restaurant, I do not have any specific address to recommend. Just enter anywhere that looks appealing to you (preferably somewhere where there are more Korean people than tourists … just saying) and order a Bibimbap or a Bulgogi. It has been my strategy for three days and turned out very yummily well.
SAEBYUKJIB
Wanna treat yourself to a proper Korean bbq? I definitely recommend Saebyukjib rated as one of the best Korean bbq in town (by local guides, the Michelin guide, CNN travel, SCMP styles and many others). Of courses it’s a little by more expensive than a casual restaurant but the experience is just so worth it.
By the way, do you know the proper way to eat your meat at a Korean bbq? Grilled you meat, put it on a salad leaf, add grilled kimchi and some grilled onions or garlic and roll the leaf like a wrap. How do I know? Jessie my Korean guide from the Seoul Food Tour with Flight Centre taught me that (would have never think of grilling the kimchi if she hasn’t tell me).
MINGLES
If you have read some of my previous travel guides, especially the one on Cape Town, you know I got that little foodie guilty pleasure: booking myself a World Best Restaurant when traveling abroad (if one of those is located in the city I am traveling to).
Mingles is number 15 on the list. I had to give it a go right? They serve seasonal Modern Korean Cuisine which I would define as a fusion between Western (especially French) cuisine and Korean one. Definitely worth checking if you are a foodie or if you wanna treat yourself and the one you love to a romantic and yummy dinner.
Dinner tasting menu is KRW 150,000 so aa little more than HKD 1,000.
I am definitely planning to go back to Seoul so happy to hear your tips and mus do if you have been there already! Feel free to contact us on contact@hongkongmadame.com
All photos have been ticked by our Managing Editor Aude, unless other indications
- the Pul-bbang: Korean pancake dumplings filled with red bean paste `
Hong Kong Madame tips: the best place to grab stuff yourself with street food is Namdaemun Market.
As for a casual restaurant, I do not have any specific address to recommend. Just enter anywhere that looks appealing to you (preferably somewhere where there are more Korean people than tourists … just saying) and order a Bibimbap or a Bulgogi. It has been my strategy for three days and turned out very yummily well.
SAEBYUKJIB
Wanna treat yourself to a proper Korean bbq? I definitely recommend Saebyukjib rated as one of the best Korean bbq in town (by local guides, the Michelin guide, CNN travel, SCMP styles and many others). Of courses it’s a little by more expensive than a casual restaurant but the experience is just so worth it.
By the way, do you know the proper way to eat your meat at a Korean bbq? Grilled you meat, put it on a salad leaf, add grilled kimchi and some grilled onions or garlic and roll the leaf like a wrap. How do I know? Jessie my Korean guide from the Seoul Food Tour with Flight Centre taught me that (would have never think of grilling the kimchi if she hasn’t tell me).
MINGLES
If you have read some of my previous travel guides, especially the one on Cape Town, you know I got that little foodie guilty pleasure: booking myself a World Best Restaurant when traveling abroad (if one of those is located in the city I am traveling to).
Mingles is number 15 on the list. I had to give it a go right? They serve seasonal Modern Korean Cuisine which I would define as a fusion between Western (especially French) cuisine and Korean one. Definitely worth checking if you are a foodie or if you wanna treat yourself and the one you love to a romantic and yummy dinner.
Dinner tasting menu is KRW 150,000 so aa little more than HKD 1,000.
I am definitely planning to go back to Seoul so happy to hear your tips and mus do if you have been there already! Feel free to contact us on contact@hongkongmadame.com
All photos have been ticked by our Managing Editor Aude, unless other indications
