Seoul is a journey vacation spot the place the previous and new coexist. Touring right here brings you up near century-old palaces, conventional cafes, and fantastically preserved pure landscapes. However on the identical time, you get additionally high-tech trendy sights, bustling buying districts, and all of the creature comforts of a cosmopolitan metropolis, which you’ll simply navigate with the environment friendly prepare community.
For many who favor nature spots and historic websites, I beforehand shared some traditional locations and experiences in Seoul for first-timers together with hanbok leases on the Gyeongbokgung Palace, Nami Island, Deoksugung Stonewall Walkway, Haneul Sky Park, Cheonggyecheon Stream, in addition to conventional Korean delicacies it’s a must to attempt. The locations with historic and cultural significance will enchantment to the entire household, together with seniors.
Beneath are a few of the extra trendy sights that households with youthful youngsters and vacationers who obtained hooked on Ok-dramas and Ok-culture through the pandemic can even go to throughout their journey to Seoul.
In case you’re a fan of Ok-dramas, you is likely to be acquainted with the Starfield Library, an enormous library with 13-meter-tall bookshelves situated inside the heart of the elegant Starfield COEX Mall.
In style Ok-dramas filmed on this Insta-famous library embody File of Youth, Lovestruck within the Metropolis, and Kkondae Intern, to call just a few. On this public area, which opened in Could 2017, anybody can simply sit down and skim books free of charge.
The 2-storied library has hundreds of books in numerous genres, together with home and international magazines out there for searching. Alongside conventional books, the library additionally has iPads that anybody can use to learn e-books and tables with electrical plugs for these with laptops, who must compensate for emails.
The advanced additionally homes the COEX Aquarium, film theaters, trendy eating places, and low outlets. Outdoors the constructing, yow will discover an interactive sculpture, which pays homage to the 2012 mega-hit tune Gangnam Type by PSY. When you get on the stage beneath the fingers, the tune immediately performs, so anybody can dance and take video clips.
For the previous 4 many years, Namsan Seoul Tower or N Seoul Tower has served as one probably the most iconic landmarks of South Korea. Mentioned to be the primary multipurpose tower established within the nation, N Seoul Tower incorporates a sightseeing observatory that overlooks the town from the highest of Namsan Mountain.
Identified primarily as a romantic spot for {couples}, one space permits guests to place colourful love locks to seal their romantic guarantees as made standard by reveals like Boys Over Flowers, My Love From One other Star, and Rooftop Prince, to call just a few.
Whereas energetic {couples} can take an extended scenic route up the tower through stairs, it may be fairly tiring for these with younger youngsters. Fortunately, the entire household can simply go up by driving the Namsan Cable Automobile proper as much as the observatory.
On prime of being a prime vacationer landmark within the metropolis, the tower provides a spectacular sight to behold at night time even from afar. Utilizing the most recent in LED expertise, the tower is lit up in an array of colours and patterns. The protected space round N Seoul Tower additionally exemplifies how nature and expertise can exist in concord.
Basic automobile site visitors is reportedly restricted to maintain the encompassing space of Namsan Mountain space clear and inexperienced.
When touring with youngsters, amusement parks will inevitably be a part of the agenda. And once you’re in Seoul, one of the crucial standard theme parks to go to is Everland. Generally known as South Korea’s greatest theme park, Everland receives round 6 million guests yearly and comprises many trendy amusement park rides alongside wildlife sights.
This theme park owned and operated by the Samsung Group of firms is made up of 5 distinct themed zones, specifically International Honest, Zootopia, European Journey, Magic Land, and American Journey.
Whereas ready to get a journey may simply take up the entire day, a few of the greatest sights right here embody the T Specific, one of many world’s quickest picket rollercoasters, and Panda World, which is house to a pair of large pandas gifted to South Korea by Chinese language President Xi Jinping as an indication of friendship. Panda World additionally comprises interactive installations the place friends can be taught extra
concerning the bear species.
To maximise your time, attempt to e book an specific ticket forward of your go to with the intention to skip lining up for a few of the rides and make use of the theme park’s app to get up to date data on queues and sights. In case you’re in a giant group, I’d additionally counsel that seniors give you a separate itinerary whereas households with youngsters go to the amusement park, to maximise everybody’s enjoyment.
In case you’re a fan of the e book The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry or desire a style of Europe whereas in South Korea, one web site you’ll be able to go to is Petite France. This French-style cultural village set within the Korean countryside of Gyeonggi Province was constructed in July 2008.
Designed with the theme idea, “Flowers, stars, and the Little Prince,” the village provides expertise applications, coaching amenities, and lodging with a French aptitude. It’s a colourful, family-friendly attraction amid the inexperienced and blue mountainside.
Inside this village in Gapyeong, yow will discover memento outlets, cafes, eating places, and particular galleries all styled after conventional French homes. There’s a memorial corridor devoted to Saint-Exupery, the writer of the French novel, Le Petit Prince (1943), an Vintage store, a Doll Home, and Orgel Home the place you’ll be able to take heed to a 200-year-old music field. There’s additionally a gallery of various puppets and puppet present performances.
Except for the hyperlink to the French novel and IG-worthy backdrops, Petite France is standard with Ok-drama followers because it’s served because the filming location for some traditional Korean dramas together with Beethoven Virus (2008), Secret Backyard (2011), and My Love from the Stars (2014).
In case you’re on the lookout for a spot to immerse your self on this planet of contemporary Korean popular culture and Ok-dramas, make sure you go by HiKR Floor. HiKR, which mixes “Hello” and “Korea” with the idea of a playground (”Floor”) is a comparatively new interactive museum-like exhibition corridor in Seoul.
This promotional corridor takes a brand new method to sharing numerous Korean content material, together with the areas of Hallyu, arts, and extra by integrating Prolonged Actuality (XR) and good expertise aimed on the youthful technology.
On the primary ground is an extra-large media wall showcasing the Panorama of the New Metropolis, together with prime vacationer sights, locations featured in Ok-pop, Ok-drama, and extra. On the second ground, Hallyu followers can stay out their Ok-Pop desires through the use of XR expertise to make their very own music movies by choosing from over 100 totally different backgrounds, and music, all shareable on social media.
The third ground includes a Korean Artwork Museum the place consultant Korean content material is reinterpreted by Korea’s trendy artists. An entire part additionally supplies detailed data on filming places from Hallyu media content material and newer Ok-dramas like Hometown Cha-Cha and Netflix originals just like the historic zombie sequence Kingdom and All of Us Are Useless.
The fourth ground provides a multi-experience zone the place guests can expertise numerous themed sights utilizing all 5 senses, whereas a lounge on the fifth ground provides guests an opportunity to do a journey mission.
Situated within the neighborhood of Sangam-dong, Digital Media Metropolis, or DMC was constructed to accommodate Korea’s media, leisure, and IT industries to grow to be the brand new epicenter for Hallyu content material and manufacturing.
It’s right here the place yow will discover the principle studios and places of work of KBS, MBC, and SBS, three of Korea’s main broadcasting firms. The primary MBC constructing homes Korea’s first Hallyu Broadcasting Theme Park the place guests can stay out their Ok-drama fantasies, expertise digital actuality content material, be taught dance strikes from holographic Ok-pop stars, and extra in guided excursions.
In entrance of MBC’s new constructing is a well-liked artwork set up referred to as “Sq. M-Communication” which options two standing males in a crimson body nearly touching fingers. The sculpture was famously featured in Marvel Studios Avengers: The Age of Ultron film filmed in 2015.
The close by Star Park comprises hand imprints of Korean celebrities, together with Kim Woo Bin (Black Knight), Park Shin Hye (#Alive), Ha Ji Received, Hyung Sik Park (Secret Backyard), Nam Joo Hyuk (Begin Up), in addition to worldwide celebrities.
The realm can be recognized for having a number of nice eating places, so the entire household can get pleasure from meal earlier than or after their digital media tour.
The bustling Myeongdong district is considered one of Seoul’s primary buying districts, and it’s the place yow will discover all the pieces from mid-to-high priced retail shops and worldwide model retailers.
The colourful neighborhood is a good place to remain and eat. In case you’re not into buying, you may as well simply get pleasure from eating, visiting cat cafes, searching down craft beer spots on this space, and attempting totally different avenue meals.
Among the greatest avenue eats in Myeongdong embody:
- Tteokbokki: Spicy stir-fried rice desserts in a candy and spicy gochujang (crimson chili pepper paste) sauce.
- Gimbap: Korean-style seaweed rice rolls stuffed with numerous elements like greens, meat, and pickles.
- Mandu: Korean dumplings stuffed with a combination of meat and greens, normally steamed or fried.
- Bungeoppang: Fish-shaped pastries stuffed with candy crimson bean paste, a well-liked Korean avenue dessert.
- Twister Potatoes: Spiraled potatoes on a stick.
- Octopus Skewers
- Grilled shrimp
- Roasted Lobster topped with cheese
- Grilled scallops with cheese
Myeongdon can be an ideal place to drink. We tried out just a few craft beer bars within the space.
Seoul is a good journey vacation spot to expertise an unbelievable mixture of the previous and current. Whilst you get a style of the standard tradition with the temples and palaces all through the town and fantastically embellished gardens, you may as well get pleasure from trendy museums, hi-tech sights, and immerse your self within the newest tendencies in Ok-entertainment, music, and tradition, and revel in trendy meals.
NOTE: A model of this text was first revealed in Enrich Journal.
