Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu
For a fun lunch, buy 10 brass coins (₩5000) at the cafe about halfway along this old-school covered market. You'll be given a plastic tray with which you can then go shopping in the market. Exchange your coins for dishes such as savoury pancakes, gimbap (seaweed covered rice rolls) and tteokbokki (spicy rice-cake stew).
You can buy more coins, if needed, and use them (or cash) to pay for rice and soup (₩1000 each, kimchi is free) back at the cafe.
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Like a phoenix, Seoul’s premier palace has risen several times from the ashes of destruction. Hordes of tourists have replaced the thousands of government…
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The World Heritage–listed Changdeokgung is the most beautiful of Seoul's five main palaces. You must join a one-hour guided tour to look around. English…
3.36 MILES
Amid the celebrity-owned apartments on the leafy southern slope of Namsan is Korea's premier art gallery. Beautifully designed and laid-out, it balances…
21.08 MILES
The World Heritage–listed fortress wall that encloses the original town of Suwon is what brings most travellers to the city. Snaking up and down Paldal…
1.09 MILES
One of Seoul's five grand palaces built during the Joseon dynasty, Deoksugung (meaning Palace of Virtuous Longevity) is the only one you can visit in the…
3.96 MILES
This vast and imposing concrete slab of a museum takes visitors on a fascinating journey through Korea's past from prehistory all the way to the Korean…
8.04 MILES
Granite-peak-studded Bukhansan National Park's sweeping mountaintop vistas, maple leaves, rushing streams and remote temples draw over 5 million hikers…
3.04 MILES
This huge museum documents the history of the Korean War (1950–53) using multimedia exhibits and black-and-white documentary footage, along with artefacts…
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Based in a restored hanok, Ryugaheon specialises in photography exhibitions, but you may also see other types of art here such as canvases of embroidered…
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Since 1999, Artside has taken a leading role in artistic exchange between Korea and China by regularly staging exhibits by contemporary Chinese artists…
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Much more interesting than the tour of Cheongwadae itself is this exhibition hall opposite the exit from the presidential compound. Inside are displays…
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Exhibitions include sculptures and interesting installations. Has a chic top-floor cafe with views over hanok roofs.
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Pioneer of the Tongui-dong gallery scene and specialising in representing contemporary Korean and Japanese artists, such as Naru Yoshitomo and Yayoi…
6. Daelim Contemporary Art Museum
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Daelim specialises in exhibitions on photography, design and fashion. The building, which was originally a family house, was remodelled by French…
7. National Palace Museum of Korea
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In a modern building in the southwest corner of Gyeongbokgung's compound, this museum displays royal artefacts that highlight the wonderful artistic…
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This impressive stone altar in a tranquil park surrounded by low stone walls and ornate wooden gates dates back to 1395 and King Taejo, founder of the…