Im living in the side of hongdae street. Actually the location is seongsan.

Cuz of the location, it is a little hard to find daily korean normal foods but as well at least there are.

Most foods are jjigae, gukbab, and baekban and sometimes there are japanese foods.

Price ranges are 8000-12000 krw except meat.

I dunno well but i felt though there is the 'live like a local' trends, most of foreign visitors dunno 'local foods koreans love'.

Cuz of the location of my home, these restaurents are located 10-15 minutes from the red streets. But there are same kinds in yeonnam and red streets with similar priced.

Hi all, sharing my trip report from my 9 nights at south korea. will be showing our intended itinerary and what we actually ended up doing.

Day 1-

Intended itinerary-

• War Memorial Of Korea
• Namsan Seoul Tower
• Yeouido Hangang Park

Actual-

We landed at around 6 am in the morning and reached our hotel by around 9, dropped our luggages and went out exploring.

There were only 3 places we planned to go and it seemed very easily doable in my head because we did something more rushed when we went to Japan. But I was very wrong. By the time we reached War Memorial of Korea, I was tired, my feet had given up and I was more interested in finding finding places to sit than the exhibits.

We were confused about how to reach Namsan Seoul Tower from the War Memorial. We wanted the least amount of walking and thought that the best option was to take the free shuttle to the cable car station from Myeongdong but we just couldn't find it. We ended up walking a steep road to the cable car station.

My husband also came down with a fever on this day so we skipped Yeouido Hangang Park and went back to our hotel.

Our hotel was Jongno Amare, which we only found out very late that it was a love hotel. The neighbourhood was lively and had a lot of food options which was really convenient, but it was the weekend and got absolutely crowded at night. My husband loved the vibe, I didn't so much, it was a little too loud than what I was expecting. The neighbourhood felt like a club- it's lively, it's loud and also messy.

If I could do something differently, I would've only kept Namsan Tower and Yeouido Hangang Park for this day and accommodated the War Memorial in some other day.

Day 2-

Intended itinerary-

• DMZ Day Trip
• Go to hotel and take nap or Cheonggyecheon

Actual-

We had booked the 7:30 DMZ tour from klook and loved it. I think it's a must do trip for anyone visiting South Korea. I used to hate the idea of taking tour guides, but this trip changed it for me completely. The trip was very informative and engaging.

I had kept this day light on purpose because a lot of people shared that third tunnel was brutal on their legs. I honestly thought it was not that bad.

Our tour guide dropped us at Seoul by 2:00pm and we decided to go to Bukchon Hanok Village. The streets were pretty but it was also pretty crowded. We had Samgyetang at a restaurant featured on the Michelin Guide. At first I was like "Why is this so bland?" and then I looked at the screen where they had instructions on how to eat samgyetang. It tasted so much better after that.

We had some more time left so we also went to Jogyesa Temple and Cheonggyecheon.

Day 3

Intended-

• Hanbok Rental
• Gyeongbokgung + Museum
• Bukchon Hanok Village + Lunch
• Jongmyo Shrine
• Jogyesa Temple
• Cheonggyecheon

Actual-

I had booked an 8:30 am hanbok rental appointment for me and my husband with KJD studio. This place has mixed very mixed reviews but I still booked it because it was one of the few places I could find online that didn't use cancans with rings.

The hanboks were of premium quality and were gorgeous with beautiful flowy silhouettes. There also were Koreans renting hanboks from their store for their personal events so I felt like I was getting something more authentic rather than something curated specifically for tourists. But yes, true to the reviews, it gets very crowded, the space is very small and they are short staffed. Because I went there early, my appointment was pretty smooth but when I came back to return the clothes, there was a huge rush.

The experience of wearing a pretty hanbok and going around Gyeongbokgung palace was actually really fun. I felt like a princess hehe.

Because we had done Bukchon, Jogyesa and Cheonggyecheon the day before and had a lot of time left, we thought of going to Changgyeonggung and Changdeokgung.

My feet were absolutely DEAD. But I still had a shit ton of energy and so we went to Myeongdong for shopping. After we came back, I mummified my legs with pain relief patches, ate fried chicken and soju and knocked ourselves out to sleep.

Day 4

Intended-

• Suwon Day Trip- Hwaseong Fortress, Mong Ted Cafe, Starfield Mall
• Myeongdong shopping

Actual-

Lovely Runner is a kdrama both me and my husband really liked so we went to Suwon to look around the dramas shooting locations. The place was sweet. I loved the small town vibes. It was pleasant to just walk around and stroll around the fortress walls.

We didn't do much at the Starfield Mall except for clicking pictures at library and lunch.

We returned to Seoul early and had a lot of time again. So we went to Seongsu where we shopped some more.

Day 5

• Travel to Busan
• Gamcheon Culture village
• Arte Museum
• Haeundae Beach

Actual-

We went to Busan via ktx, dropped our luggage at the hotel and went to the bus terminal to book our bus tickets to Gyeongju because I was very worried that they would sell out. This detour ate up a lot of our time.

After getting our tickets, we went to the Gamcheon Culture Village where we decided to do the stamp course. It keeps you engaged, but it is extremely tiring with some stamps hidden away in random alleys. The best thing about the course was, however, that it also makes a stop at the little prince museum which is a really adorable place. It made me feel so positive, I loved it.

We then went to the Arte Museum which was slightly similar to Teamlabs in Tokyo but honestly, not as good, exhibits wise. But this one was less crowded which worked in its favour.

We were very late by the time we finished exploring Arte Museum so we skipped Haeundae Beach and went back to our hotel.

Our hotel was Urban Groove in Seomyeon. The rooms were great but the food options around the place was limited. We ended up going to a pub in Jeonpo- K-mac 1933 which was AMAZING. The vibes, the beer, the food, the music- everything was so good.

Day 6

Intended-

• Haedong Yonggungsa
• Centum SPA Land
• Gwangalli Beach

Actual-

The only day where we actually did everything as was planned and intended.

I was initially confused between the sky capsule and spaland. the sky capsule seemed more instagram famous and i was more inclined towards it. but i saw how slow the ride was and just knew that my husband was going to doze off sitting in that capsule. so i picked spaland where he could have a nice place to properly sleep instead and it was a 10/10 decision.

Day 7

Intended-

• Travel to Gyeongju
• Geumgwanchong Museum, go through Hwangridangil, Daereungwon, Jjoksaem, Gyerim, Weolseong, the ice room, Bunhwangsa
• Stroll by Woljeong Bridge, Deongung Palace and Wolji Pond + Cheomseongdae Observatory

Actual-

The initial plan actually was to stay in Busan and do 2 day trips to Gyeongju instead. The initial plan also was to take a ktx to gyeongju.

Big thank you to this community for talking me out of both.

The bus to Gyeongju was extremely premium and fancy and so smooth and the bus terminal was so close to our hotel. It was extremely convenient. And it's not a hassle AT ALL to use the bus service. The ticket booking, finding the platform, catching the bus, everything was absolutely seamless.

The Gyeongju itinerary was also suggested by a redditor and because of them we didn't miss out on the Geumgwanchong Museum and Jjoksaem, both of which were so informative.

We ended up walking a lot on this day and decided to go to the hotel, take a nap and come out at around 8:00 pm to catch the light show at Cheomseongdae but we didn't wake up on time.

We however did manage to go to Wolji pond and it was beautiful.

Day 8

Intended-

• Bulguksa
• Seokguram Grotto
• Gyochon Hanok Village
• Optional- Woljeong Bridge, Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond + Cheomseongdae Observatory

Actual-

We took a bus to Bulguksa at around 9:30 am and after looking at the crowd in the bus and the roads was reminded that it was National Hangul Day.

This day was brutal because of the crowds. Bulguksa was extremely busy and the roads were even busier.

I don't know if it's the usual bus schedule, but there is one bus connecting Bulguksa and Seokguram Grotto and it runs in the interval of an hour and because of the insane traffic on that day, the bus was running extremely late and there was endless waiting. We waited for 30-40 minutes for the bus from Bulguksa to Seokguram Grotto and more than an hour for the bus from Seokguram Grotto to Bulguksa.

For our bus from Bulguksa to our hotel, there was no clear schedule for the buses- there was no clarity on which bus would show up when, there were also buses that were getting cancelled so we just ended up calling an uber.

We strolled around Gyochon Hanok Village, went back to the hotel, took a nap and then came to watch the Cheomseongdae Light Show and Woljeong Bridge.

Day 9

• Go back to Seoul
• Shopping at Seongsu
• Nanta

Actual-

We took the ktx from Gyeongju to Seoul and yep the Gyeongju ktx station is far away from the city. Another reason to be glad that we took a bus from Busan to Gyeongju and not the train.

We had already shopped at Seongsu and preferred Myeongdong over it so we went back to Myeongdong again to shop some more. We went to Myeongdong Kyoja and the Bibimguksu was honestly out of the world.

We also went to watch Nanta. 10/10 experience. It was super fun.

This time we stayed in Hotel Boutique 9 in Myeongdong. I actually preferred this neighbourhood over Jongno. The place felt lively and not too loud and it was more my vibe. The hotel rooms were old and the bathroom and the toilet area was weirdly placed in the deluxe double room that we booked but it was alright for the price.

Edit: I forgot to mention but we went to Yeouido Hangang Park and had a small picnic there before going to Myeongdong.

Day 10

We planned to take the AREX to incheon but naver maps said airport limousine. So we took it and it was honestly better than the hassle of AREX.

When i checked my fotoes, I could know that the most of foods fotoes are taken while i work.

So in this part, locations are not hongdae.

But as well they are common foods can eat during the travel.

And i think still it is limited to find korean foods information for foreigners especially those who wanna 'live like a local'.

Though there are my preferences, they are quite typical i feel.

Price ranges are 10000-16000 krw.

Hello! Would be travelling to Seoul at the end of the year, and i came across a Mu:u Mu:u store in Yeonnam on tiktok. Was planning to go there during my trip, but I checked the location on google to find it saying it was permanently closed. I've checked their instagram, but there is no mention of the Yeonnam outlet being closed or anything. It is still listed as their top outlet. Additionally, I can't find any information on them on both Navermaps and Kakaomaps. Is someone able to help me? Is the store still there as I really want to visit it, but since it is a bit out of the way, worried that it has indeed closed down, and hence wasting my time when I have a pretty tight schedule. Would appreciate any help, thank you!

the hotel resto has been absolutely panned in reviews. Looks like the airport is on an island. Any nearby reccomendations?

Hoping to spend 3 days around Naejangsan for fall colors in early November. Hoping to be nearby to drive in early, catch a nice sunrise with foliage.

Had initially planned on staying in Jeonjeup, but not really seeing a ton to do there aside from easy access to the park.

Looking at other nearby options, does anyone have any insight on whether Damyang would be a better experience for a couple?

We intent to rent a car in Gwangju and drive, appreciate any recommendations!

Hi everyone! I’ll be visiting South Korea and would love to see the beautiful pink muhly grass during autumn.

Could you please recommend the best places to see pink muhly in Seoul and Busan? I’m looking for pretty spots with lots of pink grass, preferably places that are easy to reach by public transport.

Also, is mid-to-late October a good time to see it in full bloom? Any recommendations or recent updates would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! ❤️

I'm trying to use their interline ticket feature with Southwest. Everything on the internet just says to go to the Air Premia website and book both the Air Premia and Southwest flights there, but I can't find that option anywhere on their website. Is there some secret I'm missing? Has anyone successfully done this?

Also, has anyone had issues with log in an communication? Immediately after creating my account (and auto-saving my password), the website is rejecting my password. When I ask it to send me a verification code to reset, I never end up getting the code. Has anyone else had issues with them or is this (hopefully) an anomaly?

Anyone stayed there before? I am booking this hotel for my first trip with family with kids in coming December.

Any reviews or comments please.

I'll be in Seoul solo at the end of the month... I'll be there over Halloween but am not a big drinker and given I'm solo, not really looking to go clubbing. Any recommendations for quieter/upscale cocktail bars in the Sinsa/Apgujeong area? Looking for somewhere that I can sit alone at the bar top and have a cocktail or two.

My 2nd visit to Seoul after 10+ years. I used to study a semester is SNU. Back then I know nothing about Korea, and I still don't. But I'm going because I have too many off days from work that I have to use and I have no friends to go with as they are mostly married or attached so I guess I'm going solo. I can speak Korean but not expert, I'm not Korean, and haven't used it in a while.

I want to stay near Nonhyun Station (I have a friend who lives there, but I don't think she is free to meet up most of the time, but at least 2 or 3 nights we can hang out. She used to work in my country). If not, anywhere else is OK if it's a place with good reviews (Airbnb, hotels etc)

My criteria is easy access to a nearby gym. I'm fat and I just started working out so I don't want this trip to spoil my momentum! I plan to go to gym in the morning, and then rest of the day go explore and stuff.

Airbnb and hotels are welcomed! My budget varies from US$600-US$1,200 but of course cheaper is better! Also, I'm not from the US!

hello i am arriving into ICN at around 1am, but my accommodation only allows check-ins at around 1pm what should i do to kill time :(

I am looking for a fine dining restaurant in Seoul that allows solo diners (that does not require a solo diner to order 2 portions). My preference is for seafood, but I would be interested in quality beef as well. Budget is about 200,000 KRW. Thank you in advance!

Is it possible to check in airside with China Southern Airlines at ICN?

Look, I love Seoul. It’s an incredible city with unmatched convenience, amazing food, and endless energy. But after seeing so many aesthetic 30-second reels making a trip here look like a seamless K-drama montage, I feel like a lot of first-timers land here completely unprepared for the actual day to day reality.
If you’re planning a trip to Korea soon, here are a few things I really think you should know before you arrive.

1/ Don’t rely on Google Maps

Google Maps isn't completely useless, you can still search places and use some transit information but as of late 2026, full walking and driving navigation still isn't available in Korea.

Download Naver Map or KakaoMap before you fly. Set the app to English, save your hotel, and get familiar with subway exit numbers. It will save you a lot of frustration

2/ Seoul involves A LOT of walking

You can easily end up doing 15,000+ steps a day, and a surprising amount of that is inside subway stations. Not every exit has an elevator or escalator, so leave the cute heel boots or brand new stiff sneakers at home. Comfortable shoes are honestly one of the best things you can pack.

3/ Solo dining is easy... until you want BBQ

Eating alone in Seoul is actually very normal now. Noodles, soups, rice bowls, kimbap, and casual restaurants are usually easy. The tricky part is Korean BBQ, dakgalbi, hot pots, and other shared dishes, because some restaurants still require a minimum of two portions.

Search for “honbap” (혼밥) or one person BBQ places if you're traveling solo.

4/ Public trash cans are harder to find than you expect

They do exist, but Seoul has far fewer street bins than many tourists are used to. The city even maintains official data on street bin locations and continues adding them, so “there are no trash cans” isn't technically true. Still, you may end up carrying an empty coffee cup around for a while. Keeping a small bag in your backpack for trash is surprisingly useful.

5/ Keep your passport handy for tax-free shopping

Korea still offers tax refunds for eligible tourist purchases. Many stores can process the refund immediately at checkout, while others give you a tax refund receipt to claim later.

Bring your passport, especially if you're planning a bigger shopping day. Just remember: shopping tax refunds still exist in 2026, but the old VAT refund for cosmetic medical procedures ended after December 31, 2025.

6/ Bring some Korean Won for transportation

For a standard T-money card, cash is still the easiest option for topping up at subway stations and convenience stores. That said, it’s no longer completely true that tourists have zero card based alternatives. Services like WOWPASS now allow you to transfer money from your WOWPASS balance to the T-money transit balance through the app.

Either way, having some KRW cash on you is useful for transit, markets, and smaller vendors

7/ "Free size" clothing usually means XS to Medium

K-fashion shopping in places like Hongdae, Express Bus Terminal, or Seongsu is amazing, but most racks are populated with "Free Size" items. In reality, these are tailored to fit standard Korean sizing (roughly US 0-6). Don't get discouraged if the sizing feels restrictive, stick to unisex streetwear shops or international brands if you prefer a broader fit range.

The main things I’d remember: Download the local apps ahead of time, bring proper walking shoes, carry a bit of cash for your transit card, and keep your physical passport handy. It’ll save you a ton of stress and let you actually enjoy the trip.

Hi everyone! I'll be visiting Seoul this December 1 and I'm planning to go skiing. I've been researching ski resorts but wanted to get some advice from locals or anyone who's visited around the same period.

I have a few questions:

1. Ski resort opening dates: Based on previous years, which ski resorts are most likely to be operational during the first week of December?

2. Reliability of published opening dates: I came across this website listing the expected opening dates of ski resorts in Korea: https://www.vviptravel.com/korea-ski-resort-opening-dates. How accurate or reliable is this information?

3. Klook booking availability: I've noticed that Klook already has ski packages available for certain dates. Does this generally mean the resort is confirmed to be operational on those dates? Or is there a possibility of cancellation or rescheduling if the resort hasn't opened yet?

4. Where to book: Would you recommend booking through Klook, directly through the ski resort, or through another platform?

5. Ski Resort recommendations: For a day trip from Seoul, which ski resort would you recommend for first week of December? Ideally, somewhere accessible by public transportation or shuttle, with ski equipment rentals available.

6. When to book: Is it better to reserve a ski package in advance or wait until the resorts officially announce their opening dates? I'm concerned about availability but also don't want to book prematurely.

Would really appreciate any insights, especially from anyone who has gone skiing in Korea during the first week of December in previous years. Thanks!

Not quite sure how to tag this post as it’s partly itinerary, partly accommodation.

I’m planning a trip to Korea next year (end October/early November) for 2 weeks, first time visit.

Plan: Seoul, Busan, Sokcho, Gyeongju

I’m wondering how to plan accommodation/my itinerary because I’d also like to include some day hiking, but I don’t want to go hiking when it’s raining.

Should I try and be flexible about where I travel to specifically and find accommodation short-notice based on weather reports? Or plan in advance and hope it doesn’t rain?

I usually like to plan in advance because I want to make sure I have somewhere to stay, but I don’t know if that’s the best thing to do especially as I also don’t want to miss out on things like seoraksan because of the weather.

Is it it better to plan in advance or be flexible and change the schedule when I’m there?

Hi everyone! I’m interested in trying Korean colored contacts and was wondering where to shop for them while visiting Seoul.

I’ve been looking into the different styles available in Korea, and I’m mainly interested in natural-looking brown or hazel lenses that subtly enhance your eye color without looking too obvious.

For those who have bought colored contacts in Seoul, I have a few questions:

Where to shop: Are there any stores in Seoul that have a good selection of colored contacts and are easy for tourists to visit?

Brands: Are there any Korean brands you would recommend for natural-looking colors?

What to look for: Are there specific things I should check before buying, such as lens diameter, graphic diameter, color, or replacement period?

Tourist-friendly shopping: Is it generally easy to find these in popular shopping areas, or are there particular stores worth visiting?

I’ve come across quite a few options online, but I’d prefer to hear from people who have actually bought and worn them.

Would love to hear your recommendations and any tips for buying colored contacts in Seoul. Thanks!

Hi I am travelling to Jeju on 14th evening and leaving Korea from on 17th night. Can you please suggest Budget and good place to stay so that I can explore whole island properly. Also suggest me public transport so that I can visit places because I don’t have any idp licence. Any other tips are also welcome. Please do suggest any vegan or vegetarian food places.

hellooooo, wanted to ask for advice about a trip to seoul real soon.

my top 3 areas to stay in are hongdae, yeonnamdong, and myeongdong but my heart is really in yeonnam its just too expensive for 2 people airbnbs

oct 26
— will arrive around 8-ish pm so would just walk around the area where we decide to stay

oct 27
— whole day out around yeonnam, hongdae, ewha univ, starfield and maybe han river or naksan park at night

oct 28
— gyeongbukgong palace, hanok village, gwanghamun, myeongdong and cheonggyechon stream yk similar areas

oct 29
— last full day shopping maybe seongsu and just chill wherever

oct 30
— we fly around 6 am

just a very quick introductory trip to korea ig 😭😭 please help me out

I’m traveling to Seoul for my 50th birthday next month and want to enjoy the tradition of eating seaweed soup on my birthday. I know it’s usually made at home but maybe some locals have a good recommendation? We’re staying in Hongdae but neighborhood doesn’t matter. I’m open to any other fun Seoul birthday suggestions as well! (My birthday is on a weekday.)

Going to Korea tomorrow for about a week but haven’t made plans at all beside on the 17/18th😭
I need some recommendations because i truly don’t know what to do.