Seoul

[Anonymous]

Been to Asian countries, never to Korea.
Booked a 10 day trip in the spring with my teen.

Any words of wisdom from people who have been? TIA!

[Anonymous]

Bring your appetite. Lots of great food in Seoul. Also, maybe bring your hiking shoes. There is great hiking right next to the city. Might be nice to get a break from the hustle and bustle.

What part of Seoul are you staying in? I stayed near Itaewon (sp?) and Namsan/Seoul Station. Both were fine, but Namsan was more central to a lot of sites.

[Anonymous]

I lived in Korea for a year. Loved it. And yes to the food. I may be taking my kids over the summer and we're very excited, as it's been a while since I've been back.

Seoul is a very walkable big city with wonderful public trans but it is helpful to pick a central location to visit sites, as the city is HUGE.

There are a ton of great food markets in Seoul. Some have become quite instagrammy lately (Naemdamun) and I've heard that quality has declined.
There are local food markets in just about every neighborhood so just hit up what's closest to you - Namsang, Mangwon, Youngcheon, to name a few.

Visit all the sites. As cheesy as it is, do one of the DMV tours. Jeju and Busan if you have time. 10 days is a lot for Seoul.

[Anonymous]

We have done Tokyo and Seoul for a trip.

Do you have a son or daughter?

My teen son and elementary daughter loved Seoul. They also loved Tokyo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have done Tokyo and Seoul for a trip.

Do you have a son or daughter?

My teen son and elementary daughter loved Seoul. They also loved Tokyo.

OP here. Son. We have been to Tokyo before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I lived in Korea for a year. Loved it. And yes to the food. I may be taking my kids over the summer and we're very excited, as it's been a while since I've been back.

Seoul is a very walkable big city with wonderful public trans but it is helpful to pick a central location to visit sites, as the city is HUGE.

There are a ton of great food markets in Seoul. Some have become quite instagrammy lately (Naemdamun) and I've heard that quality has declined.
There are local food markets in just about every neighborhood so just hit up what's closest to you - Namsang, Mangwon, Youngcheon, to name a few.

Visit all the sites. As cheesy as it is, do one of the DMV tours. Jeju and Busan if you have time. 10 days is a lot for Seoul.

DMZ tours I think she meant.

[Anonymous]

Dmz tour
Street food
Seoul tower
Climb a few mountains
Visit a few palaces and dress up in traditional Korean clothes (it's cheesy and I did not do it but it looked fun)

[Anonymous]

Walk along the Cheonggyecheon Stream near Myeongdong. N Seoul Tower has a free observation deck which was pretty nice. The night food stalls in Myeongdong are entertaining and delicious. In the daytime, K-beauty, Daiso, Uniqlo.

There is a beautiful and peaceful National Museum of Korea in Yongsan.

If you like history, Gyeongju —“the Kyoto of Korea”—and the Seokguram Grotto (Buddha statue) are beautiful. I think you could go as a 1-day tour from Seoul, or spend one night.

Seoraksan National Park on the northeastern coast is a great place to hike, and you can also visit a lesser-known DMZ museum there and see North Korea from a tower. Korea is a fun place to visit, even if you just stay in Seoul.

Have a great trip!

[Anonymous]

Buy one of those huge “mink” blankets from a street stand

[Anonymous]

Bring face masks, like the kind everyone wore during COVID pandemic. Depending on the wind direction, the air quality in Korea can be terrible. I’ve only been there once, but for half my stay, the air was really bad. I was told it was from all the factories in China.

[Anonymous]

Lotte Tower was pretty amazing in that over consumer way.

Bukchon Village

Tea house.

Insadong shops

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bring face masks, like the kind everyone wore during COVID pandemic. Depending on the wind direction, the air quality in Korea can be terrible. I’ve only been there once, but for half my stay, the air was really bad. I was told it was from all the factories in China.

We were there in August and it seemed fine, and I have asthma

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bring face masks, like the kind everyone wore during COVID pandemic. Depending on the wind direction, the air quality in Korea can be terrible. I’ve only been there once, but for half my stay, the air was really bad. I was told it was from all the factories in China.

We were there in August and it seemed fine, and I have asthma

I guess you got lucky. When I was in Seoul for half my stay, masks were essential when outside. Sky had an unhealthy yellow tinge and if you didn’t wear a mask, you could feel the really fine particles get in your throat. The other days were fine- clear skies and no mask necessary.

[Anonymous]

Lotte ice rink

If you like KPop https://www.saravselj.com/single-post/10-kpop-things-to-do-in-seoul

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you all for the great ideas!