Dongdaemun-gu Shopping District, Seoul

Dongdaemun district is known as the largest shopping district in Seoul with a total of 26 shopping malls holding over 80,000 stalls.

We visited the Dongdaemun area on two separate occasions.

The first time we went was on Monday late afternoon. We took the train from Myeongdong and reached there at around 7pm.  Our main purpose was to go for an evening stroll along the Cheonggyechoen River.

While walking to the Cheonggyechoen, we were amazed by the beautiful architecture of Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), the well-organized row of shopping malls along the main road, and even the 3D display screen looks for different here. We fell in love with this area.

Back to our walk that evening, the weather was great, with a beautiful orange sunset, we took plenty of photos at DDP, Cheonggyechoen, and Heongginjimun gate.

We had our dinner at 9+pm at Dotta mall, and most of the shops were ready for closing at that time, we knew that we had to come back here for more shopping.

So the next day, we went there again at 3pm, this time mainly for shopping.  Much of my Korean shopping was done here, and I was overjoyed to have discovered a haven for exceptional, locally crafted leather goods.  I bought two handbags, a purse, a card holder, and a pair of leather shoes, all were Korean Handmade. Besides leather goods, we also bought some clothing items.

We're truly grateful we made our way to Dongdaemun-gu; otherwise, our trip to Korea might have been a bit of a letdown with not much shopping done.

Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP)

Cheonggyechoen

Heongginjimun gate

I wish it was autumn.

My new handmade leather shoes bought from Hyundai Department tore, Dongdaemun.

Our vlog..

Bukchon Hanok Village, Seoul

We visited Bukchon Hanok Village on a Wednesday morning.

As we did not plan to explore any palaces or temples during our stay in Seoul; Bukchon Hanok Village seems to be the best alternative for us to leisurely experience the traditional Korean architectural style.

We took an Uber from Myeongdong at 9:40am and reach the village at around 10:10am.  Upon our arrival, the place was relatively quiet with not many people around.  After look look, see see, and capturing photos, I went shopping at the souvenir shops nearby while hubby and kids had their cold drinks at a convenience shop nearby.

There are a few souvenir shops by the roadside, and there's also option to rent traditional Korean attire available there.  I bought several souvenirs here, earrings, fridge magnets, mail openers, most of which have a 'Made in Korea' label.

After spending about 2 hours enjoying the village's charm and the weather getting hotter, we took another Uber ride to return to our hotel in Myeongdong.

 Entering the village area.

Beautiful architecture.

Our vlog..

Myeongdong Cathedral, Seoul

From Noryangjin Fish Market, we took the train back to Myeongdong.

The weather was exceptionally delightful, with bright sunshine. We decided to take a leisurely walk to Myeongdong Cathedral. It was quite a journey, going uphill most of the way from the train station.

Once we reached the top, the view was absolutely stunning. We took a moment to appreciate the breathtaking sight before proceeding to the cathedral. We spent some peaceful time for prayer in the cathedral.

After more photo-taking, we strolled back to our hotel, finding our way through the bustling street market.  Along the way, we tried 3 types of ice creams, oreo churros, shaved ice, and a super-high ice cream cone.

After enduring two days of rain, seeing Myeongdong packed with people on a sunny day was a refreshing sight.

View from the top.

In the Cathedral.

Our vlog..

Noryangjin Fish Market, Seoul

I think we got scammed here.

We paid 50,000 won for a king crab, 3 scallops, and a few sea shells for free.  The cooking charges including plain water for drinking, few salad leaves and kimchi, cost us 45,000 won. The steep price for the cooking alone made us question the fairness of the pricing here.

We also purchased a big plate full of ready-fried tempura prawns + baby crabs + squids, at 20,000 won.

We arrived at the market early, a little past 10 am on a Monday morning.  We had seafood for our brunch that day.  Luckily the weather was fine.  We took the train and we have to walk for about 500 meters to the market from the train station.

At the market, all the fresh seafood was sold on the ground level, while the second floor was meant for cooking and serving the seafood. We requested for steamed king crab and baked sea shells. The scallops and sea shells were delicious, so fresh with a hint of sea salt flavor. The king crab was impressive, but I think I prefer snow crab better.  I miss the Sankaku fish market, Otaru, Hokkaido.

Despite these the high cooking price, it was a great place to experience the local lifestyle.  Most of the staff here can speak Chinese, so not much of a language problem for me.  This is where you can really see how the locals enjoy their meal.  There's one table not far from us, 2 middle-aged men were drinking soju and eating fish sashimi, I think 1 of the man is drunk, his face was red and he talked and act like a Korean gangster in Kdrama.  That is an experience worth paying for :) 

Hongdae Street, Seoul

After our visit to Starfield Library, we took the train back to our hotel in Myeongdong to take a rest before exploring another district. Initially, we considered taking an Uber back to Myeongdong, but we could not one, likely due to the rain and heavy traffic. After waiting for nearly half an hour, we canceled our Uber and search for the nearest train station.

To our surprise, the train station was conveniently located just a short distance away from the Uber stand. We only needed to turn to the other side of the building, and there it was. That was our first experience riding the train in Seoul, and it was so easy to navigate with seamless connections.

At 5 pm, we took on another train journey from Myeongdong to Hongdae Street. The ride was quite long, and we had to make a transfer at one of the stations.

Hongdae Street offered a fantastic outdoor shopping experience. Unfortunately, the rain restrict our movement, we could only browse the shops briefly. Nevertheless, I managed to purchase one top and 3 skirts in Hongdae district.

Waiting for train at Myeongdong station.

Walking in the rain at Hongdae Street while eating a hot baked potato.

Our vlog, walking in the rain at Hongdae Street, Seoul.

Starfield Library, COEX Mall, Seoul

Next, we hailed an Uber from Gwangjang Market and headed to the Starfield Library, nestled within COEX Mall in Gangnam-gu. This impressive two-story library with 13-meter bookshelves and at least 3 cafes on the 2nd floor. is a sight to behold. 

We reached there around 12:15pm, and we found the place bustling with activity. Many visitors, like us, were eager to snap photos, but I was surprised to see numerous individuals engrossed in reading and studying. I was so surprised, I thought this library is mainly for a photo op but the Korean ready did reads, studied and utilised this library to the max. It changes my perception of libraries as strictly quiet places. At Starfield Library, people were free to indulge in their preferences—whether taking photos, sipping coffee, having cakes, or engaging in actual reading. I would have loved to study here with friends or partners if I were still a student. 

I am fascinated by this library. We ended up spending approximately three hours at the library. Queuing up for the coffee takes time too. The cafes were thriving, especially on rainy like that day. Who could resist a cup of coffee while reading or, in our case, people-watching? Emmett found 1 book that he is interested in - The Art of War - but it was in the Korean language.  Most of the books are in Korean. 

Starfield Library is a must when you visit Seoul, not when you have to rush thou.

Our snack, while people watching.

Our vlog journey to Starfield Library, our Uber ride from Gwangjang until our train rides back to Myeongdong.

Seoul, Korea | Itinerary & Budget

Our Actual Itinerary 

Day 1 

Kch -> KK

What a day. Almost couldn’t make it to Korea.

Minor error on Eugene’s K-eta.

Nasib baik sempat re-apply and got the approval in 1 hour. Thank you to the helpful staff at Jeju-air.

Nerve-wracking moment between the 1st email to the 2nd email. I lost count of how many times I refreshed my email in that period.

Day 2

KK -> Seoul

Incheon Airport

Myeong-dong Kyoja

Savoy Hotel

Myeong-dong shopping street

Shinsegae Department Store

Lotte Young Plaza, Myeong-dong

BBQ chicken & beer

Day 3

Gwangjang market

Starfield Libary, COEX mall, Gangnam

Hongdae

Korean BBQ, Myeongdong

Day 4

Noryangjin fish market

Myeongdong Cathedral

Myeongdong Street

Lotte Town

Dongdaemun Design Plaza DDP

Cheonggyecheon stream

Heunginjimun gate

Day 5

Bukchon Hanok Village

Kkongsimyeongwan Restaurant 꽁시면관 본점

Shopping at Dongdaemun

Korean BBQ buffet

Myeongdong night market

Day 6

Our last day in Seoul, so we repeat:

Myeongdong Kyoja

BBQ chicken n beer

Incheon Airport

Our vlog travelling from Myeongdong to Incheon Airport by train.

Day 7

Stopover in KK for another round of food hunt.

fish noodles for breakfast

seafood for dinner

Our planned itinerary, but we had to make some changes due to rain on the 1st day and 2nd day of our arrival. 

Day 1 Saturday

1. Myeongdong Kyoja

2. Myeongdong Cathedral

3. Shopping at Myeongdong
4. Namdaemun

 

Day 2 Sunday

1. Gwangjang market - soy crab, mung bean 

2. Namdaemun/Hongdae

3. Bukchon hanok village

4. Cheonggyecheon Stream - evening walk

 

Day 3 Monday

1.Noryangjin fish market - crab, urchin, scallop

2.Library COEX

3. Goto Mall

 

Day 4 Tuesday 

1. Deoksugung - I seoul u 

2. Seoul Tower - pm

 

Day 5 Wednesday

1. Sungnyemun - am

2. Namdaemun

3. To the airport

 

KIV

Yonsei university

Hongdae

Bbq buffet dinner

Dongdaemun market

 

Budget for 4pax

Hotels for 5 nights: RM5,000 +

Flights KCH -> KK-> Incheon -> KK - >KCH: RM8000 +

Ground transfers and food for 4 pax: RM7000 + all meals were dine-out.