My Trip To South Korea With 8 Beautiful Places To See (video & photos)

A trip to South Korea is always been on my travel bucket list. 

When my mom visited us in China we take her on a trip to South Korea for four days. Our trip to South Korea was astonishing and we all had great memories together that we can cherish forever.

By the way, I am not a K-pop fan but I love traveling to Seoul NOT only because it’s just a 1-hour flight from Dalian – where I am currently residing as a trailing #WFA (working from anywhere) wife. 

In this post, we’ll talk about:

8 Things To Do and See in Seoul Korea

Obviously, I love to travel, so I have a LOT of energy to pack and love for a whole lotta beautiful places to visit. 

I am sure you’ve seen one too many remarkable palaces in Europe selfies on your Instagram feed, and kind-of-sort-of know that one boldly millennial backpacker travel blogger moved to South Korea to teach English huh…

South Korea was a popular destination for site seeing, shopping, and food, and here’s a few bucket list of things to do and see in Seoul Korea.

1. The Gyeongbokgung Palace

Gyeongbokgung served as the home of Kings of the Joseon dynasty and the Gyeongbokgung Palace is an important part of Korean history. This is where you can witness the changing of the royal guards that takes place twice a day. The Gyeongbokgung Palace is a must to see attraction in Seoul Korea. 

Gyeongbokgung Palace Tickets & Changing of the Guard Hours.

The Gyeongbokgung Palace was built in the late 1300s and the most popular, beautiful & biggest palace in South Korea.

It is very close to the Subway station (line 3 – Gyeongbokgung station). The Palace is about 3-5 minutes walk from the subway station.

We didn’t spend a lot of time at Gyeongbokgung Palace during this trip since this is our second time coming here.

And since my husband and I take our yearly wedding photo we just decided to carry our wedding clothes and take a shot capturing the magnificent beauty of the Gyeongbokgung Palace with our wedding outfit.

2. Bukchon Hanok Village

There is no doubt that every time I stepped into a new country, I’d love to experience their local traditional lifestyle. The Bukchon Hanok Village is home to hundreds of charming design Korean traditional houses seated in small alleys.

This is where you can get a quick glimpse of hundreds of Hanoks (Korean houses) that was rooted in some 600 years of history. 

3. Lotte World Seoul Korea

If you are looking for some thrilling adventure, you’ll definitely find it at Lotte World.  Lotte world is made up of two sections, the world’s largest indoor section called the “Lotte World Adventure” and the outdoor amusement park called the “Magic Island”.

Lotte World is the Disneyland of South Korea.  From thrilling rides to child-friendly adventures, parades,  shows, and watching Beluga whales swimming in Korea’s largest aquarium, of course, no trip to South Korea without heading to the Lotte World. 

Click here for Lotte World Directions.

4. Myeongdong

One of the places you must visit in South Korea is Myeongdong. Myeongdong is one of the best places to shop, sit down at some of the tastiest restaurants in the world, and have a chance to try a bite of Korean street food. 

This is also the place where you can shop for Korea’s most popular clothing trends and skincare products. 

We are trying the Tteok Galbi Meatballs on the street in Myeongdong. 

Tteok-galbi or grilled short rib patties is a Korean beef dish made with minced beef short ribs

With so many choices to eat and shop I will just narrow it down.

If you are looking for skincare, cosmetics, clothes, and street food, then the best area to visit is the Myeongdong area because Myeongdong is the biggest and trendy shopping area and tourist hotspot too in South Korea.

All the famous Korean cosmetic and skincare brands such as the Nature Republic, Innisfree, and Too Cool For School are here. You will also find clothing, accessories and so much more in this area.

Nearest subway stations: Myeongdong Station, Exits 5, 6, 7, or 8 or Euljiro 1 (ij-ga) Station, Exits 5, or 6.

5. Gangnam

If you are familiar with the Gangnam style dance…when you head on to exit 5 at Gangnam station, there is a tribute to ‘Gangnam Style’ by PSY. You can then get on the stage and record yourself dancing to ‘Gangnam Style’. If you want to take a souvenir dancing to Korea’s most popular song the “Gangnam Style”, this is the place.  

The Gangnam style song was based to get to know Seoul. 

At Gangnam, you can experience the local vibes and do how the locals shop at Coex Mall, a huge underground shopping mall, and explore the Starfield Library, filled with over 50,000 books.

6. Visit the DMZ

If you want to get a step closer to North Korea, then you can visit the DMZ. DMZ stands for Korean Demilitarized Zone. The DMZ is about 50km from Seoul. The DMZ is a 2 kilometer-wide stretch area between North and South Korea. You can take the DMZ peace train to go there. 

Click here to learn more about the DMZ trip.

Note: Attractions and trains subject to closure due to COVID-19, please check ahead before visiting

7. Lotte Department Store

Lotte Department Store is just a few minute’s walk from Myeongdong.  The nearest subway station is Euljiro 1(il)-ga Station. The store opens from 10:30 am to 8 pm, daily.

Lotte Department Store is a famous Korean shopping mall. The store offers everything from duty-free shops, shoes, bags, clothing, accessories, cosmetics, sporting goods, childrenswear, furniture, groceries, and restaurants.

There’s still so much to see in Seoul, but during this short visit with my mom, we just go around the Myeongdong area.

 

8. Myeongdong Catholic Cathedral

The Myeongdong Catholic Cathedral also known as the Cathedral Church of Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception serves as a  tourist attraction and a notable symbol of Roman Catholicism in Korea. The Immaculate Conception is the principal Patroness of Korea.

I was raised in a religious catholic environment by my mom that was also rooted in my grandparents that have contributed towards my happiness, contentment, and great sense of my mission and purpose in life.

What Korea is Famous For

Aside from Kimchi, South Korea is famous for K-dramas, K-Pop, fast internet connection speed, and of course, the Gangnam style dance. 

Korean skincare products are also popular worldwide because they use natural ingredients. Did you know that… at a very young age, Koreans were taught about the importance of skincare and even follow an extensive 10-step skincare routine before they retire to bed at night?

When it comes to caring for your skin, from natural facial cleanser, face black sugar mask, whitening, to skincare beauty regimen routine, Korea has no boundaries for beauty and healthy-looking glowing skin.

Best Place to Stay in South Korea

During our trip to South Korea, we stayed at the Royal Hotel Seoul.   Royal Hotel Seoul is located at Myeongdong, a very popular and trendy area in Seoul with lots of street food, shopping, and good restaurants.

Royal Hotel Seoul is a 4-star hotel and a perfect choice when we visited South Korea with my mom because the location is very convenient to restaurants, shops and just a walking distance from the subway station.

 

This is why we choose to stay at the Royal Seoul Hotel because everything is just there.

The hotel consists of 310 guestrooms including 19 suites. They provide free WiFi and private parking is also available if you intend to rent a car.

Click here to see my review about our stay at the Royal Hotel in Seoul (+video hotel tour).

Final Thoughts

If you are planning a trip to South Korea, it’s nice to see and learn about the history of Korea and of course, don’t leave Korea without trying their delicious local dishes.

It was summer when we visited Seoul.  It was very hot so make sure that you pack the right type of clothes to bring when you travel. Korea has cold and dry winter and hot and wet summer. The rainy season in Korea starts in the middle-end of June and ends in the middle-end of July, so visiting Korea in this season is not wise.

I hope this post is already a good start to explore and enjoy your trip to South Korea!

To recap, here’s what we have covered in this post:

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About Jeng Cua

After borrowing her lifestyle living paycheck to paycheck, this work from anywhere mom wouldn’t let anything stop her from chasing her dreams. Now, Jeng has achieved more than she ever imagined, while crafting her life of freedom and purpose by doing what she LOVE.  Her passion to travel and work at her own pace is contagious inspiring others to follow their travel dreams!