As the outlet mall closest to Gimpo Airport and downtown Seoul, with the most and most complete luxury brands, this store is a must-visit for shopping enthusiasts! I put it on the last day because if you have anything you forgot or didn’t have time to buy before returning home, you can come here to buy it before leaving!
(Of course, if it was the same day we were returning to China, we wouldn’t have the chance to go to the Paju Heyri Cultural Park recommended by Yunluo later.) (The above picture is from the official website of Hyundai Department Store) Address: 654 (654, Xingu-ri, Gochon-eup, Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi-do) Business hours: Monday to Thursday 10:30.
0:30; 10:30 from Friday to Sunday and holidays. 21:00 Transportation information: (Subway) Exit 2 of Gaehwa Station on Line 9 - Walk 26m (about 1 minute) to Gaehwa Station Wide Area Transfer Center (Bus) Transfer to Bus No. 16 at Gaehwa Station Transfer Center → Get off at Gimpo Station (about 28 minutes) → Walk about 4 minutes to Hyundai Gimpo Outlets except Gimpo.
Hyundai also has an outlet in Gasan Digital Complex, but the brands in Gimpo are more high-end than those in Gasan! Among the 239 brands settled in, almost all well-known Korean local brands are included, and there are 54 overseas luxury brands settled in together, which is more than 20 more than the outlet in Paju!
To facilitate shopping, Hyundai Premium Outlets Gimpo extended its business hours to 21:00, which is really considerate. I highly recommend it! Another place Yunluo would like to recommend to everyone is the Heyri Cultural Park in Paju. Many domestic friends only know to go to Petite France when they come here for tourism.
(Super little Yunluo doesn't want to complain!), Nami Island, but this Heyri Cultural Park is really more interesting than these places! If you want a day trip around Seoul, Yunluo strongly recommends you to go here! Address: 93-120 (93-120 Heyri Village Street, Tanxian, Paju City, Gyeonggi-do).
Transportation: Take the No. 2200 red bus from Exit 2 of Hapjeong Station on Subway Line 2/6 (1 bus every 15 minutes). This is a cultural and art village that brings together works by many Korean writers, artists, producers, architects, and musicians. There are a variety of unique coffee shops and artist studios.
There are also museums, exhibition halls, concert halls, etc. Most of the buildings here are no more than three stories high, forming a harmonious relationship with the surrounding natural environment. Just appreciating the buildings is like appreciating a piece of art treasure. Many Koreans like to spend a day here with their families on weekends, and many couples also come here because of its reputation.
(Yunluo and An Chuyu got married. The first love couple Lee Taemin and Son Naeun visited here before), and many Korean dramas and variety shows have been filmed here before. The coffee shop Yunluo went to had a very atmospheric atmosphere with books all over the wall. I wonder if friends who like to watch Korean dramas and variety shows can remember where this coffee shop appeared in Seoul.
I've never seen purple sweet potato coffee before! Isn't it super special?! At the entrance of the art district, there is a restaurant where the Korean drama Gentleman's Dignity was filmed. The coffee shop is integrated with the home design studio, and the red bean shaved ice is also very unique. In the evening, Yunluo and An Chuyu would sit here and chat. Remind everyone to remember to bring mosquito repellent.
It is still easy to be bitten by mosquitoes outside at night. After putting down the things and eating some food, we went straight to Gwanghwamun Square. Yunluo and An Chuyu lived near Anguk Station, which was less than 1km away from Gwanghwamun, so they walked directly there, which was very convenient. If you want to go to Gyeongbokgung Palace, it is not recommended to get off directly at Gyeongbokgung Station, but get off directly at Gwanghwamun Station.
It would be nice to walk there. Gwanghwamun is the main gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace, the main palace of the Joseon Dynasty. It is located in the center of Sejong-ro. The square is designed with bronze statues of General Yi Sun-sin, King Sejong, historical waterways, etc. It is said that Gwanghwamun Square was reopened to the public in 2009, turning a car-oriented road into a people-oriented space.
Standing a little further away from Gwanghwamun Square, you can also see Gyeongbokgung Palace behind and Bukaksan Mountain in the distance. It takes about 10 minutes to walk directly from Gwanghwamun to Gyeongbokgung Palace. The scenery along the way is also beautiful. Gyeongbokgung Palace was the first main palace of the Joseon Dynasty and has dozens of palaces and pavilions.
There is a Gyeonghoe Pavilion and the surrounding Hyangwonji that are well preserved and are also the most beautiful pavilions in Korea. Recommended tour route for Gyeongbokgung Palace: Gwanghwamun-Heungnyemun-Geonjeon-Sajeongjeon-Gyeonghoe Pavilion-Kangnyeongjeon-Gyotaejeon-Jigyeongjeon-Hyangwonjeong. After visiting Gyeongbokgung Palace, I planned to go to Insadong in the afternoon, so I went directly to Insadong for lunch.
It's only 10 minutes' walk from Gyeongbokgung Palace. Should I say Seoul is too small or Yunluo's schedule is too close? I didn't have a purpose to eat, so I just walked and looked around. When I walked to the door of "Chihuazi Zhenhao", the orchids at the door set off the yellow wooden doors and windows.
It feels like an ordinary house. Walking into the store, the brick walls, lattice windows, reed murals, and purple chrysanthemums in a corner all make people feel warm. I ordered a plate of fried meat (there was a Chinese waiter in the store when Yunluo went there. So I knew what I was eating. If there wasn't, Yunluo might just order something at random).
After a variety of side dishes filled the entire table, the iron plate fried meat slowly came out, with a delicious taste and color! I don’t know if it’s because Korea generally doesn’t have this kind of special disinfection method before eating. When Yunluo stood up to take a photo, the boss lady (she looked like the boss lady, so let’s call her the boss lady) looked at Yunluo with a puzzled look.
Yun Luo was embarrassed. After a full afternoon, we continued to visit Insadong. There is an Insadong Cultural Street here. You can see it by walking straight along the food street and stone wall road in Insadong. There are a lot of small commodities. It is suitable for people who come to buy some souvenirs. This place is actually quite big. It took nearly 2 hours to walk and play along the way.
After going out, I went straight to Myeongdong. It was also a walk. It would take about 3-4 minutes by taxi, but it took nearly 20 minutes to walk there. However, it was just a short walk and I didn't feel tired. There are many places to shop in Myeongdong. There is a department store shopping street, and next to it is a street of small shops with unique styles. The next street is a brand store shopping street.
Walk one more way and you will find a food street. These four streets are also the order in which Yunluo visited. However, in fact, I just walked around the two streets with department stores and brand stores. There was nothing to buy in one street, and I couldn't afford to buy in the other street. The things in the personalized small commodity street were still very nice. I bought some souvenirs to bring back to my friends.
Although there are many delicious foods here, we did not plan to have dinner here. Because Yunluo had heard of a very famous crab sauce restaurant before coming here, so we had to try it. Address: 11-1, Chungmuro 2-ga, Sunshine Building, Basement 1. After walking for about 10 minutes, you can see the building where Woori Bank is located.
It's on the basement floor of the building, very easy to find. I also want to recommend this coupon, which can be discounted. The crab in soy sauce is very delicious, and the quantity is not small. It's a pity that I can't take it back to China. After eating, I went straight to the Seoul Tower. It took less than 20 minutes to reach the foot of the mountain.
It is not a very high mountain, but there is a cable car to go up. There is also an inclined elevator next to it, but Yunluo chose to climb up the stairs, and it took more than ten minutes to reach the top of the mountain. N Seoul Tower is the first comprehensive on-demand tower built in South Korea. Today, N Seoul Tower is a place for people to relax, entertain and hold various cultural activities.
It is the highest point in Seoul, and you can overlook the whole of Seoul from the top of the tower. There is nothing else to introduce. As a landmark building in Seoul, it must be well known by everyone. It was almost 10 o'clock when I came down from Namsan. I didn't expect that I had played on the mountain for so long. I took a taxi directly home. The first day's itinerary ended.
Seeing that Yunluo got up late, the beautiful sister also heated up some breakfast for Yunluo. With the milk bought at the convenience store, I hurriedly packed up and prepared to go out. Today I planned to walk into the long history of Seoul and experience the daily life of the residents. Start from Cheonggyecheon! It takes a long time to walk from the B&B to Cheonggyecheon, about 20 minutes, and it should be less than half an hour.
Who could have imagined that a covered sewer that never sees the sun could become a clean river? The water might not be very hot in the morning, so not many people go in to play in the water. But it is said that there are a lot of people here in the afternoon, to escape the heat and cool down. After walking through Cheonggyecheon, walk for about 10 minutes to reach the second stop of Yunluo.
Deoksugung Palace. Deoksugung Palace has been used as a annex palace. There are many Western-style buildings in the palace, including modern palaces, Western-style gardens, and a palace with fountains. It is very eye-catching. The stone wall road outside Deoksugung Palace is known as one of the most beautiful paths in Seoul. Deoksugung Palace is very close to the Seoul Museum of Art. It is just on the stone wall road outside Deoksugung Palace.
It takes about five or six minutes to walk to the museum. The exterior of the Seoul Museum of Art looks a bit retro, but the works displayed inside are mainly modern. There are 6 exhibition halls in the museum and an art experience space on the basement floor. After visiting it, I felt that people's lives can be perfectly combined with art to form a new lifestyle.
You will understand it after you go there. I was a little hungry when I came out. So I decided to go to Namdaemun for lunch! It is about 15 minutes walk from the Municipal Museum of Art, which is quite close. Namdaemun is also very crowded. Although it is not as large as Dongdaemun Market, it has a better geographical location.
It is close to the life of Seoul citizens, and retail vendors, housewives and tourists come here to buy things, so it is very lively. You can bargain here, so if you want to shop, don't miss it. There is no need to find a store to eat in here, just find a random store outside the door and order a Korean sushi and fried fish ball soup.
I was full. It looked a bit simple, but it was very delicious! After eating, I continued to visit Namdaemun Market. There are a wide variety of food, accessories, and leather products here, but the most common ones are clothing. About 70% of them are selling clothes, or wholesale. The next stop after Namdaemun Market is the National Museum of Korea.
This is quite far away. You need to take subway line 4 and get off at Ichon Station. Before going there, Yunluo knew that the National Museum of Korea is known as the treasure house of Korean cultural heritage and is the sixth largest museum in the world. The museum as a whole is like a large garden. There is a large lotus pond in front of the main building, surrounded by ornamental plants.
There are also cafes and restaurants in the museum, but Yunluo had already eaten, so it didn't attract Yunluo. It may also be that Yunluo went there late, so there weren't many people. But it's good, my ears are much quieter. The places I went to in the past two days were all bustling. It was a little dark when I came out of the National Museum of Korea.
So if you want to go to Itaewon directly at night, you need to take Line 4 to Samgakji and then transfer to Line 6 to Itaewon Station. Itaewon is definitely a must-visit place in Seoul. For those who like bars and snacks, this is a great place to experience Seoul's nightlife. Restaurants and bars are concentrated in various alleys. The roadside at the subway station exit is also full of people.
There are people from all over the world here, drinking wine and chatting. Yunluo also had a casual dinner here. It was almost 11 o'clock when I got home at night. After all, I was alone, so I had to pay attention to safety, so I went back to bed early!
The third day should be the most tiring day of the trip, so I don't plan to walk for too long, just stroll around slowly. I went to Samcheongdong Cultural Street in the morning. It is located between Gyeongbokgung Palace and Cheong Wa Dae, and there are many galleries here. Of course, Yunluo is a person who lacks artistic talent, so he can only look around with his not-so-bright eyes!
There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!
There are many cafes, bars, craft shops, etc. converted from Korean houses on the street, as well as some designer shops. The exquisite and unique shops are next to each other, which is a perfect combination of modern fashion and traditional elements. Lunch must also be solved in such a place, in fact, it should be called brunch. It is very delicious and highly recommended to everyone! After eating, I went directly to Bukchon in the afternoon. It took about 20 minutes to walk, not to say how far the road is.
It's not easy to walk. It feels like it's always uphill, so I walked very slowly. But I definitely don't recommend taking the subway or taxi, because you still have to walk a long way after getting out of the subway station, so it's better to walk directly. Changdeokgung Palace is just a 10-minute walk from Bukchon. Changdeokgung Palace was a detached palace of the Joseon Dynasty and was later destroyed.
After reconstruction, it became the main palace of the Joseon Dynasty. It is the most well-preserved building complex in the Joseon ancient palace, preserving the architectural style and majesty of the dynasty! I spent the whole afternoon wandering in this Korean classical architecture, and decided to go to Daehak-ro in the evening. From the Ewha-dong intersection in Jongno-gu, Seoul to the Hyehwa-dong intersection is called Daehak-ri.
I took a taxi directly from Deoksugung to Yunluo because the distance is not far and it would be a bit troublesome to take the subway. There are many billiard halls, bars, KTVs and other entertainment facilities on Daedeok-ro. There are more young people here. Whether they are squandering their youth or enjoying life, it is a world of sharing. I went directly to the bar at night.
Yunluo had never been to a bar with such a lively atmosphere before. People usually just sat there quietly drinking and chatting, so he came in to see for himself.
Yeouido is quite far from the B&B. You need to take Line 3 to Jongno 3-ga Station, transfer to Line 1, and get off at Yeouido Station. Yeouido has the National Assembly, various securities company headquarters, and a radio station. It is known as the center of Korean politics, finance, and media. Yeouido Park, located in the center of Yeouido, has a dedicated route for bicycles and roller skates.
There are many walking paths, surrounded by cherry blossom trees, but they are gone when the clouds fall. However, looking at this spectacular forest, the cherry blossoms should be particularly pleasing to the eye when they are in full bloom! So you must come here to see the cherry blossoms if you have time! Although there is not much fun, I am still attracted by the scenery here.
So people living nearby are so lucky. They can come here for a walk and chat after dinner every day. The next stop is the 63 Building. The golden building is only 10 minutes away. The 63 Building, as the name suggests, has 63 floors, 60 above ground and 3 underground. It is the symbol of Seoul, and the exterior of the entire building uses double-layer reflective glass.
It shone brightly in the sun like a golden pagoda. There is a restaurant on the top floor, but it was expensive, so I didn't go. Yunluo went to three places in the 63 Building, one was an art gallery, one was a wax museum (Madame Tussauds, which was harmless, was fun), and the other was an aquarium in the basement. Many of the people here don't look alike.
So it's not that fun. There are quite a lot of fish species, but there are many places like this in China, so it's nothing special. After coming down from the 63 Building, I was so hungry that I just found a rice cake shop on the side of the road to eat something. But it was still delicious. After eating, I took the subway to Shangyan DMC.
I had to change trains at one station, so I forgot how to get there. I just knew it was so far away! However, I had heard about Digital Media City when I was in China, so I had to go and see it. DMC is a cutting-edge digital media entertainment cluster planned to be completed by Seoul in 2015, and it is also a representative work of high technology.
It takes about 10 minutes to walk to the Seoul World Cup Stadium. I walked around for a while before I found the entrance. The ticket was less than 10 yuan, so happy! There was no tour guide, no tour brochure, and no one was training or exercising inside. There were only a few staff members cleaning. Such a big place was left unused, which was really a waste.
I recall the time when Yunluo and An first met at the school stadium. They wanted to run in big circles. After playing enough, they took the airport subway directly back to Hongdae. Hongdae's art department has always been very famous. Young people in Seoul will choose Hongdae for dating, so Hongdae is so youthful. However, few people choose to come here because of Hongik University.
It's because of the proximity of Hongdae, where there is Picasso Street that combines youth and art, Hongdae Free Market, a small commodity street full of personality, street performers full of talent, and cafes and bars of various styles gathered here. In the evening, I went to eat a very delicious food, Shimson Soup. It is located behind the "Trickeye Museum". (To be continued...)