Trip to Korea

Let’s talk South Korea! Ever since coming back from our trip back in May, I can’t stop telling my husband I want to move there. I say this about almost every single place we travel to but I’m definitely a lot more serious about this one. This was my second time visiting South Korea, I went in 2023 first and then again in 2024. I loved it so much, that I may already be planning when to go again. Many of you messaged me on Instagram that you’ll be traveling to Korea as well and would love to see some recommendations so that’s exactly what we’re going to get into!

We spent 12 days on our trip with 7 days in Seoul and 5 days in Busan. There truly is an unlimited amount of things to do in Seoul. We were there for over a week and didn’t get to everything we wanted to see. I highly recommend dedicating a whole trip to Korea if you do decide to go rather than just visiting one city. Busan is only a 2 to 3-hour train ride away and it’s a city on the beach that is breathtaking. It has more chill vibes and was a nice break after the big city of Seoul. We wanted to go to Jeju Island as well which I’d recommend you look into but hopefully that will be a trip for next time. They say it’s like the Hawaii of Korea and the pictures and videos I’ve seen of it definitely are giving that. But anyways, let’s get into recommendations from restaurants to dine at to sight seeing and shopping.

Things to Do

SEOUL:

• Namsan Tower Hike: Namsan Tower is an iconic landmark in Seoul and you can actually hike up to it in about 45 minutes to 1 hour. It is all uphill with lots of stairs so dress appropriately with the right shoes and clothes and be prepared for a workout. With beautiful viewpoints along the whole route, it’s definitely a must-do. Once you get to the top, there are shops, restaurants, cafes, photo booths, desserts, and all sorts of entertainment. You could spend a lot of time just chilling up there!
• Naksan Park: It sounds like Namsan Park but it’s in a completely different area in Seoul. We went at night time so we could see the twinkly light views. Don’t worry about going at night, it’s open 24 hours and packed with people hiking from families to couples. VERY SAFE! It’s super easy to get to the Observation Deck, about a 15-minute walk uphill, if you get a taxi to drop you off at the highest driveable point.
• Myeongdong Shopping Street: This street is packed with restaurants and shops – it’s fun to just walk around and pop into every single one. From skincare to jewelry to cute trinkets, there’s something for everyone. The flagship store for Olive Young is also here but be prepared for hecticness. I posted a video on IG and TikTok showing croc charms that I purchased in Seoul – this was where I found them!
• Myeongdong Night Market: On the same shopping street above starting at 5 PM every single day, there is a night market with some of the most delicious food. My favorite thing to get every time I find myself there is a custard-filled fish-shaped bread called Taiyaki. SO GOOD! You have to try it out, there are some other sweet flavors too. I also tried some fried chicken and rice cakes there which was amazing. There’s also a famous booth there serving flaming steak that is supposed to be very good but we were too full to try. If you only eat zabiha, we saw a few booths with halal signs here!
• Hongdae Street: In the Hongdae district, there’s a street with tons of shops and restaurants. It is near some universities so there are a lot of young people and it’s a vibe at night time. We had some Korean fried chicken here and then watched some performers/musicians on the street. If you come here, I recommend going a bit earlier before sunset, and checking out Yonsei University close by.
• Cheonggyecheon Stream: Grab a coffee close by and take a stroll along the stream. So so peaceful – it’s nice to get some steps here during the day or at night! If you watch K-dramas, you’ll definitely recognize this place.
• Banpo Hangang Park: This was one of my favorite things we did in Seoul, it was truly magical. I wish we could have gone again and spent more time there. Along the Han River, there is a park with a bridge and they do a beautiful water show at night every 30 minutes. They also had a bunch of food trucks with so many delicious options and tons of entertainment as well. This is a great place to bring a blanket and some food to have a picnic along the Han River. If you come during the day, you can rent bikes to bike through the river.
• Olive Young: Korea is pretty synonymous with skincare and everyone does have such beautiful glass skin there. You definitely have to make one stop at Olive Young and purchase some popular Korean skincare products. Also, make sure to bring your passport with you because they’ll automatically give you a tax refund at most locations. Here’s a picture of everything I got:

• Bukchon Hanok Village: Surrounded by the palaces, this village is home to some of the most beautiful traditional Korean homes called hanoks. It’s nice to walk through and there are tons of cafes, bakeries, and small shops to stroll into. You can pair this with a visit to the palace.
• Gyeongbokgung Palace: Tickets are super cheap to enter, less than $5 for adults. If you do go to a hanbok rental and dress up in Korean traditional wear, you’ll get in for free which a lot of people do. There’s a lot of history here to learn about and it’s also beautiful to walk through with so much greenery and beautiful architecture. There is another famous palace next door called Changgyeonggung Palace that you can check out but I have yet to go.
• Starfield Library: I’m sure you may have seen tons of videos of this library going around on TikTok. It is just as beautiful in real life as it is in the videos. It is open to the public and it inside the Coex Mall in Gangnam. You just walk on right in, you could even work or read a book inside if you wanted.

• Photo Booth Shops: Photo booths are really popular in Korea, you’ll stumble on them everywhere so you don’t really have to stress finding one. It was nice to do it and have it as a memory from our trip!
• Seoul Forest: The most underrated beautiful park in Seoul! We did not have this on our list to go to as not many people talk about it. It’s mostly locals there and it was a bit out of the way to get to but it was so worth it. It’s filled with trees and the most stunning scenery. Take a stroll here, have a picnic here, and you can even walk down to the Han River from the park.

BUSAN:

• Gamcheon Cultural Village: This is one of the most popular things to do when in Busan. The coastal village along a mountain is filled with so many beautiful colorful houses. There are some stunning murals, cute shops, cafes, and some food options. We had the most delicious crispy potato cheese corn dog here made fresh to order. If you see a lady in her shop frying fresh Korean corn dogs, don’t hesitate to get one!

• Sky Capsule Train: Book tickets in advance for this and use your phone to pay with an international credit card. It won’t work on your laptop. This cute train ride along the beach has beautiful views and it takes you one way in 30 minutes.
• Hauendae Beach: Nothing much to say other than a beautiful white sandy beach! You can walk along the coast for a while and there are also tons of cute shops and cafes along the way.
• Hwangnyeongsan Mountain: This had to be our favorite viewpoint in all of Korea! The most stunning 360 view of Busan. It can be a long hike but you can also get a taxi to take you all the way to the top which is what we did and then it was just a short walk to the top. There are benches on the top and nice seating. We went at night time!

Restaurant Reccomendations

• Ssada Gimbap: We went to this spot twice during our stay in Seoul. They have a variety of traditional Korean dishes from gimbap to bibimbap to tteokbokki. Our favorite things we tried were the bulgogi bibimbap and the spicy ramen with tteokbokki.
• Noonaholdak Fried Chicken: delicious fried chicken and french fries!
• Yeonhwa Dupbab – Korean meat and rice bowls with fries

• Baa Lamb: Korean BBQ but it’s only with lamb!
• Born and Bred BBQ: I think this was our favorite dining experience by far on our whole trip. If we could have gone twice, we would have for sure. They specialize in Hanwoo beef. Think the wagyu of Korea but I enjoyed it a lot more. They cook the meat for you like most KBBQ spots and they take it very seriously. There are also some other dishes you can order aside from BBQ. We tried the ramdon and ramyun and both were incredible. They were the best noodles/ramen I’ve ever had!

Bakeries and Dessert

• Artist Bakery: I did not have this place saved but we were walking by and saw people waiting in line. We came back another day when it was less busy and it was incredible. They specialize in Salt Bread which is a popular Korean bread that is almost like brioche but chewier. We tried an assortment of flavors and they were all incredible. We loved the blueberry, cream-filled one, truffle, garlic, and pretzel butter. They also have tons of cream cheese flavors and jams to pick from. The vanilla bean cream cheese was life-changing with the blueberry bread. Go on a weekday though to skip the line!

• London Bagel Museum: This place and Artist Bakery are very similar, I felt like it was the same owners actually. They had the same flavors and the shops looked similar inside too. We got a variety of bagels to try – blueberry, garlic, and pretzel butter. They were all incredible and so unique but don’t expect traditional New York-style bagels. These are a lot more fluffy and chewy and they don’t come toasted. I loved the maple pecan cream cheese and basil truffle cream cheese. Also, go on a weekday to avoid waiting hours for bagels.

• Truffle Bakery: You may have seen this bakery go viral on TikTok for their 100-layer tissue bread. We went late so they were sold out of it but we tried their truffle salt bread and it was amazing!
• Dongan-su Donuts: I didn’t get to go get here but I had it saved and tried to fit it in every single day. Not only did the donuts look insane but it has a beautiful view to enjoy while you eat a sweet treat. It’s by Naksan Park so you can go before or after.
• Knotted Donuts: This famous donut spot was so good, I went three days in a row. Specifically for their strawberry shortcake donut! You need to try it.

• Les amis honnetes: I found this gem in the mall attached to our hotel in Seoul. In the Lotte Mall, there is a food hall with so many restaurants and bakeries. This spot specializes in Taiyaki which is those fish-shaped pastries stuffed with different creams and flavors. I got the vanilla bean custard one every single day we stayed at that hotel!

• Pasteur Milk Bar: This was another spot I stumbled upon that was in the food hall of a big mall in Busan. The soft serve was so creamy and light. I had it twice and will forever be dreaming about it. You don’t have to go to this exact spot for the soft serve. There are so many similar spots all over Korea. They just do soft serve way better than the one in the States because of the milk quality.

• Flour Artisan Bakery Cafe: In Gangnam, this bakery has delicious French pastries from croissants to kouign ammans and just all sorts of bread and tea cakes. It’s a very large space with plenty of space to sit and chill.

Coffee and Cafes

• Oats Coffee: This was my favorite coffee shop I may have ever been to! It was so good, we were trying to figure out how to go again before our flight. They have two locations. We went to the one in Yongsan-Gu and it’s tucked away in a quiet little street. There were no tourists at all and it was just very lowkey. Whatever you do, just get the EISPANNER! It comes with a spoon to eat the sweet cream foam on top. The espresso is so strong and rich and it was just an incredible drink. The outdoor seating is a vibe as well.

• Mega Coffee: As we walked around Seoul, I kept seeing Koreans walking around with large cups of coffee from this place on their way to work. So naturally we had to go! Iced Americans are a huge thing there so we got some and it was so good, we went almost every day! It’s not a place that’s cute or that you dine in. It’s a to-go spot and it’s super affordable!

HOTELS/Where to Stay

Seoul is a very big city so it can be tough to figure out which neighborhood/district to stay in! Of course, always do your own research to figure out what will be best for your vibe. Personally, if it’s your first time visiting Korea, I think it’s best to stay in Myeongdong. A lot of the tourist attractions are in this area from the palaces to the Hanok Village and night market. All of Seoul is very walkable. We walked to all our destinations within Myeongdong and if it was further away, we just took a taxi. Seoul has an incredible train system as well but we just opted for walking and taxis.

We stayed in Seoul for a few days so we split our time between a hotel and a traditional hanok. I couldn’t recommend our hotel more. It’s called Lotte Hotel Seoul in the Executive Tower. Everything was 10/10 about the stay and it’s also attached to a mall so if you want to shop or have lots of food options close by.

In Busan, we stayed in the Signiel Hotel which is also by Lotte and it was the most perfect stay. It was right on the beach so the views were beautiful and there was so much to do walking distance.

RANDOM TIPS

• Google Maps does not work there as navigation and Apple Maps kind of works. You will have to use their own app called Kakao Map to get around. You can still find spots on Google Maps – just no directions.
• Uber does work in Korea but they have their own app for calling taxis and we used it everywhere just fine. It’s called Kakao T.
• You only need cash if you plan to go to night markets but they accept credit cards in majority of places.
• Carry your passport with you for tax refunds if you plan to do a lot of shopping.
• They do not tip in Korea! It’s also considered offensive for most people.
• When dining in at restaurants, they typically will either bring you the bill right away or you have to ask for it. But you don’t pay it until you are ready to leave and you get up and pay at the register. You do not pay at the table.
• If you go to a coffee shop or bakery and order to-go, you cannot sit and dine in. They will kick you out if they see you with to-go cups sitting inside. So order accordingly.