Seoul – South Korea

What an awesome city! I love the eclectic mix of traditional and new. The food is amazing, the people I met were just so friendly and welcoming. I was attending a travel show so my days were filled with talking tourism and showcasing the Gold Coast plus attending tourism industry meetings and presentations. With limited down time I squeezed in as much as I possibly could.

One of the tourism opportunities for Australian tour operators to attend was a famil arranged by HanaTours which consisted of a leisurely drive from Kintex Korean International Exhibition Centre (about an hour drive north of Seoul) visiting The Namsan Seoul Tower and the Gwangjang Market for dinner. This was such a great evening, special thanks to the HanaTours team for taking such good care of us all.

The Namsan Seoul Tower at around 236 m was built in 1969, with hill elevation the base of the tower sits 479 m above sea level. We visited late afternoon but enjoyed the sunshine as we explored walking from the bus drop off zone up to the tower entrance. I think maybe a 200 – 300 m walk, the path is quite wide but a little steep. Namsan Park was just so lush and green when we visited. There is a café, local artist stalls and souvenirs located on the ground floor. Take the lift and enjoy walking around the top of the tower. You must visit the “loo with a view” as well! Souvenirs and a licensed café can be found at the tower platform and was a great way to see and enjoy the colours of sky change whilst having a beverage.

Gwangjang Market was such an experience! There are so many markets located in Seoul and to be honest Gwangjang was the only market I visited but I look forward to coming back to enjoy more that’s for sure. The great selling point for Gwangjang is that it offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy Korean street food. One of the oldest traditional markets in Seoul, it is believed the markets opened in 1905. If you are looking for an authentic Korean food experience reasonably priced, then this is the place.

You can of course visit during the day as well but for us it was about dinner. Do not be put off by the stall vendors who loudly beckon you come sit at their stall and eat. Take your time to walk around, enjoying the sights, smells and sounds of this market. A lot of locals also frequent this market for a meal so this is always a sign of good quality food. Our guides told us to look for produce that looked the freshest and locals were eating at. We settled at a corner stall and I enjoyed Bindaetteok, a pancake fried in oil made from mung beans and my other favourites were the Vegetarian Jeon, again lightly fried in oil, seasoned, coated in flour and egg not as light as a tempura batter but again very tasty. Korean Dumplings, Mandu these vary from steamed, boiled, pan fried or deep fried depending on region and can be veg or non veg. Sooo much Kimchi and of course a beer and a soju or two to wash it all down. Some of the stall holder shops were also open selling sweets, nuts, candy, fresh fruit so it was lovely after our meal to walk around again, purchase some treats before heading back to our hotel.

Another great option is Gyeongbokgung Palace, construction started in 1395 and it is the largest of the five Grand Palaces in Seoul. Translated the name means “Greatly Blessed by Heaven”. There are tours in English available and on my next visit I am looking forward to enjoying the Palace grounds in the evening for something a little bit different. The changing of the Guard is quite elaborate and very interesting to watch as well. This takes place at the main entrance north of Gwanghwamun Square.
Adjacent to Gyeongbokgung Palace, lies Samcheongdong. One of my favourite shopping districts, cafes, artisans, galleries aplenty. If you are looking for unique Korean made gifts, clothing, jewellery, quirky stores and even some traditional hanok homes you’ll find them in Samcheongdong. I visited during the week so it was not busy compared to the rest of Seoul as it offers that small town charm and ambiance, yet it’s surrounded by a huge city. Just delightful!

For great local tourism information

http://english.visitseoul.net/index

https://www.theseoulguide.com/

https://www.hanatouroce.com.au/

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