I have to admit that I am addicted to travel planning. Instead of randomly going into a restaurant/attractions, I kinda forced myself to do tons of research before visiting somewhere.
(Yep…they are in Chinese…)
Day 1: Incheon Airport > Myeongdong (Hotel check-in) > Kwangjang market (Lunch) > Dongdaemun > Jinokhwa Halmae Wonjo Dakhanmari (Dinner)
- If you are taking the subway, purchase a Tmoney card from a convenient store at the airport, then refill your card at a ticket machine.
- How to purchase Tmoney card and use the ticketing machine: https://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/TRP/TP_ENG_6.jsp
- It takes around one hour from Incheon International Airport to Myeongdong, I took the airport line and got off at Seoul station, and hop on line 4 to arrive Myeongdong.
Kwangjang market
If you are a fan of Korean traditional food, this is the place that you need to go. You will be able to find all kinds of food in this market, the price is often shown on the top of the store. Since this is a popular tourist spot, most of the owners can understand basic English. You just need to find a place to sit and point them what you want.
From the left to right: Korean rich cakes (Deuk-bog-gi) and Korean fish cake (Eomuk- It often comes with a bowl of soup)
I will call it “Korean sausage” just to make it sounds better, but if you are up for a challenge, this is actually made with PIG BLOOD. In many countries in Asia, this is a typical dish which many people love. They use coagulated pig blood and make it into a dish. They often slice it into pieces. The texture of feels similar to regular sausages. I wouldn’t say that it tastes wonderful, but I guess it is worth trying.
It looks simple, but this is definitely one of the best Korean traditional food that I really like. “Gimbap” is Korean rice roll similar to sushi in Japan. Usually made with radish, carrots, and sometimes with bulgogi beef, this is a simple yet satisfying rice roll. The sesame oil and seeds basically enhance the flavor of the carrots and lighten the sourness of the radish.
You will also find various stores at the Kwangjang market
Location: 88, Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul (Line 1: Jongno 5-ga Station- Exit 8 / Line 2 & 5: Euljiro 4-ga Station-Exit 4)
Hours: Food (8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.), stores (8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
Dongdaemun
Both Line 1 and Line 4 of the subway routes arrive at Dongdaemun. Compare to Myeongdong, Dongdaemun has several huge shopping malls, the price will be a bit more expensive than Myeongdong, but this will be the place you want to go if you are looking for specific Korean brands or higher quality clothes.
Major shopping malls around Dongdaemun includes Hello APM (one of the most popular mall, which sells cheaper clothing compared to the others), Lotte Fitin (Designer brand), APM place (Wholesale mall), Doota, U:US (Really crowded wholesale market), and more…
(Photo taken outside U:US)
Dongdaemun Design Plaza: If you are interested in cool architecture and want to take some photos during the night, this design plaza features a huge LED rose garden. The night view of this plaza is great as well. There are also some shops located inside the mall.
Dinner- Jinokhwa Halmae Wonko Dakhanmari
It definitely taste a lot better than what it looks like. This is actually the restaurant that my mom loves the most. Don’t be surprised to see that every table orders the same food, this restaurant features CHICKEN CHICKEN and CHICKEN.
Once you sit down, the waitress will start helping you and put a huge bowl with chicken in front of you. What you have to do is ordering additional ingredients such as rice/noodle/rice cake e.t.c. to the soup. Besides the chicken, make sure to taste their soup base. The sweetness of the chicken and the garlic that was added into it makes everything perfect.
TIPS: There is often a long line waiting outside the restaurant, so go early! This restaurant could be hard to find, and there is another restaurant that looks extremely similar to this, the restaurant with a GRANDMA LOGO on top will be the one you are looking for.
Location: 18, Jong-ro 40ga-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Direction from VisitKorea:
Dongdaemun Station (Subway Line 1, 4), Exit 9.
Go straight 160m and turn left at the Industrial Bank of Korea (기업은행).
Go straight 50m and turn onto the first side street to the right. Continue 100m straight until you see the restaurant.
Jongno 5-ga Station (Subway Line 1), Exit 6.
Turn left onto the first side street and walk 300m
Hours: 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
That’s it for Day 1! I wasn’t able to visit too many places on the first day because of the lack of time, but Day 2 is coming!
More about Korea!
Top restaurants to visit in Korea
How to nail the Subway map – Seoul, Korea
Seoul-Five days trip in Korea (Day 1)
Seoul-Five days trip in Korea (Myeongdong Day 2)
Seoul-Five days trip in Korea (Local tour Day 3)
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