What to do in Seoul, Korea for 5 days...

[iamsam0913]

I'm going to Seoul for 5 days, any suggestions on what do to? nightspots, culture, cheap but good eats?

[lilkrnjasheekx]

only thing you need to know is stay away from itaewon.

[tintin]

just for the sheer freakishness and cold war hysteria of it all, a trip to the DMZ is really a must. you have to go there on a group tour, but tension and feeling of being in a spy movie are well worth it. i used a korea national tourist organisation tour, which seemed well organised and well-provided for. a guidebook can give you contact #s for tour operators.

Edited by tintin on Nov 1, 2005 at 06:23 PM

[TOUGHCITY]

eat dog

[ichiroflex]

lamsam..

Check out Apku-jong (probably not spelt that way).. best shops and bars by far in the whole of Seoul.

Shopping is kinda expensive as it is the affluent area and has a shopping area called 'rodeo drive' need i say more but apku-jong has got it going on...gotta be 1000 bars in the area and as i've come to realise after many visits to Korea that i think the entire nation are alcoholics or atleast trying to. Not sure what you already know about Korea but their drink of choice is called 'soju' which is a korean equivalent to sake...goes down very easily so i'm sure you'll experience it first hand...anyway if you got any specific q's just holla at me and i'll do my best to fill you in...

one life

[Analyst]

check out some korean ho's......

[carrie1]

Find everything you ever wanted to do in Korea on this website

http://www.seoulstyle.com

yes, there are even a few hoes on the site.

Sorry if this is a bit late.

Carrie

[lilkrnjasheekx]

Quote:

lamsam..

Check out Apku-jong (probably not spelt that way).. best shops and bars by far in the whole of Seoul.

Shopping is kinda expensive as it is the affluent area and has a shopping area called 'rodeo drive' need i say more but apku-jong has got it going on...gotta be 1000 bars in the area and as i've come to realise after many visits to Korea that i think the entire nation are alcoholics or atleast trying to. Not sure what you already know about Korea but their drink of choice is called 'soju' which is a korean equivalent to sake...goes down very easily so i'm sure you'll experience it first hand...anyway if you got any specific q's just holla at me and i'll do my best to fill you in...

--- Original message by ichiroflex on Nov 1, 2005 04:21 AM

theres a rodeo drive in gundae too. but i think the apku-jong one is better.

if youre looking for high end designers check out galleria.

oh and you should eat some dog(bo shin tang) gives you lots of energy and delicious too.

Edited by lilkrnjasheekx on Nov 19, 2005 at 08:16 PM

[superpants]

so i know this thread's been gone for months, but now i am in the same shoes - going to korea for a week - anything else since last november that i should know about? where should i got shopping, most importantly??

As the credits for Syriana roll:

Woman: I think that movie outsmarted me.

Man: Yeah, I think the movie won.

--AMC theater, Lincoln Square

[international]

goto Migiliore (sp?) for cheap knockoffs

goto Hongdae for clubs

stay out of Itaewon, that place is shady as fuck

[rex]

chungdam-dong, right down the street from the galleria at apku-jong, has a lot of the designer boutiques like LV, Gucci, Armani, Jil Sander etc etc. you can find all these brands at the galleria, but it might be worth the walk if you prefer actual separate stores/buildings instead of little sections in dept stores.

[dismalfuture]

Shopping at any of the department stores (i.e. the Galleria mentioned above) or designer boutiques in Korea is a waste of time. Everything imported is taxed between 30-50%, the selection is strange (esp. color-wise) and suited to Korean tastes even if a big name brand, and on the rare occasion one would find something they like, there is nothing in your size. Everything brand name tends to veer heavily towards accessories and bling items, Korea hasn't gotten very far with this kinda stuff. Seoul is not on the fashion map, though residents may be dismayed at hearing that.

For reference, APC New Standards in raw cost 200,000W in Korea at the Galleria, which is about US$210+ at the current exchange rate. Everything else imported is priced accordingly. No one except those who've been to Korea could've probably guessed, but for the kinds of things people of this board are interested in, Tokyo could be half as cheap!

You can get your share of cheap knockoffs and crap for prices that aren't hard to get over though, but then again in the scheme of things they're still just knockoff crap.

The one saving grace of shopping in Korea is the duty free stores. I could probably even contend they are some of the best in the world, in terms of brands/price. I've haunted a few Korean duty free stores in my time and picked up some really nicely priced items at seasonal sales. Over the years I got a few of the Italian-made Paul Smith suits for $300-400 a piece, 3 pairs of Bruno Maglis for about $100, Gucci shoes on the cheap, a couple Armani suits for $500, etc. Get grooming and cosmetic items cheaply. Nothing underground or street-y in these duty free shops as they're intended for middle-aged Japanese tourists, but if you're interested in buying nice stuff for reasonable prices they're worth looking into.

[carrie1]

Hey for anyone interested, I just compiled the biggest ever Seoul bar listing ever created in English. You can find electronica clubs, hip hop clubs, salsa, live music and jazz bars, wine bars, pubs, underground bars. You name it! It's all here. If you're headed to Seoul and want to find a groovy watering hole, look at this link:

http://www.seoulstyle.com/bars-clubs/nightlife-bars-clubs-seoul.htm

Happy clubbing and have a drink for me!

Carrie

[dizzhizz]

Everything here is a bit expensive but asides from clothes, the nightlife should be fun given that your a straight heterosexual male and like acohol consumption into the wee hours of the morning!

Asides from luxury brands, my good friend opened up a more urban shop and sells stuff like PRPS jeans, Alife shoes, Modern Amusment, Evolution, Creative Recreation, etc.

He's currently located in Cheong-Dam-Dong in the Nature Poem building, B1. Take a taxi to the Cheong-Dam-Sa-Go-Ri and you should be able to locate it.

Cheers!

[superdupersang]

if you dont have a korean or american passport i do believe it is possible to go to North korea

ok, so theres the permenent cloud of impending nuclear doom from george bush,

but thats half the fun.

ps apply for a visa WAAAAAYYYYYY in advance

[superpants]

thanks for all the tips everyone! haven't posted in a while but the trip went fine - actually most of the time was spent with family so i didn't get to shop around that much. i went to the Dongdaemoon market and looked around a bit and also went to Insadong, which was cool - got a pair of handmade lambskin shoes at one of those traditional korean boutiques (design is korean but also modern). i forget what that place is called but there's like a four story building that has all these traditional clothing and art/craft stores? they had a really cute clothing/bag shop but it was really expensive - well made, and handmade too but i didn't get them. kind of regretting it now hehe.

[superdupersang]

bump bump bump

[xcoldricex]

my recommendation is to eat a shitload of food and drink a lot of soju. apkujeong is great not really for shopping- but for looking at all the hot and snotty high class girls.

if you're into hiphop check out a bboy battle while you're around if there is one (they literally have a bboy battle like every week if you know where to find them) - korean bboys are craaaaaaaaaaaazzy.

dongdaemun for knock-offs. expensive for knock-offs though.

if you happen to be there at the first friday or the third (?) friday of the month you can go to hongdae for either club day (you pay like 15000 won and can get into like 10 different clubs - shit will be crowded as fuck, but you'll get a taste of a bunch of clubs without having to pay cover for all of them) or for sound day (same concept as club day except its music houses - so a bunch of bands are playing at different places and you can hop around to different clubs).

[Lady Savage]

I lived in Seoul for 2 years...

So me things that I think you should check out:

Noriyangen (Fish Market), It's on the blue line. This place is AMAZING!! Hopefully you like seafood you have to bring your camera here. It's an adventure. Stuff you'll, some stuff you won't. Everything is really fresh and you pick out what you want (definately bargan here) and you bring it to these little onsite "restaurants" and the ladies there will cook it all for you for a small fee plus the cost of rice and drinks. The King Crab is awesome and the prawns are another one of my favorites... If you are feeling adventurous you can eat live baby octopus here

Dongdamun (Shopping), this shopping district is almost open 24 hours!! Floors apon floors of compact retail spaces. The prices are really good, sizes tend to run much smaller than American sizes though.

Kalbi House (Korean BBQ) These restaurants are all over Korea. A definate must do is eat Kalbi, Korean beef that you cook yourself on a grill at your table. Along with your meat you will get about 15 side dishes. SOOOO delicious!

Apujong (trendy neighborhood) This is a cool place to hang out, good shopping more on the expensive side though. There is a place where you can drink the BEST fruit soju EVER!!!!! Apple soju is the best in my opinion, the soju is apple flavored and you actually drink it right out of an apple. You have to order Anju at this place though (something to eat while you drink) They have this spicy chicken cucumber salad which is really good. I am trying to remember the name but I can't think of it right now. Anyways walk down Rodeo St and you will see it, there are a ton of plastic apples in the window and you walk downstairs...

Insadong (Art Center) This is the artsy neighborhood. Lots of tea house and little galleries here. It's a cool place, a good place to buy little gifts for your family.

JimJillBang/Sauna (public bath house) Not sure how you feel about being naked in front of others but after a night of drinking hanging out at the public bath houses is soo relaxing. The saunas have a number of different hot tubs at various temperatures and different medicinal qualities. The JimJillBangs you get a little karate type outfit to wear and you sit in these hotrooms with igloo type entrances. It's an interesting experience.

As for night life the 3 friday of each month is club night you can get into a ton of clubs for about 10 bucks. This is in an area called Hongdea. I believe that it is Hongik University.

There is a bunch to do

I'll come up with a couple more things that you should do, but right now I have to get back to work.

[xcoldricex]

Apujong (trendy neighborhood) This is a cool place to hang out, good shopping more on the expensive side though. There is a place where you can drink the BEST fruit soju EVER!!!!! Apple soju is the best in my opinion, the soju is apple flavored and you actually drink it right out of an apple. You have to order Anju at this place though (something to eat while you drink) They have this spicy chicken cucumber salad which is really good. I am trying to remember the name but I can't think of it right now. Anyways walk down Rodeo St and you will see it, there are a ton of plastic apples in the window and you walk downstairs...

that's what i'm talking about:

pineapple soju cocktail made in a hollowed out pineapple and you take shots out of a shot glass made out of an apple.

Insadong (Art Center) This is the artsy neighborhood. Lots of tea house and little galleries here. It's a cool place, a good place to buy little gifts for your family.

cosign.

JimJillBang/Sauna (public bath house) Not sure how you feel about being naked in front of others but after a night of drinking hanging out at the public bath houses is soo relaxing. The saunas have a number of different hot tubs at various temperatures and different medicinal qualities. The JimJillBangs you get a little karate type outfit to wear and you sit in these hotrooms with igloo type entrances. It's an interesting experience.

this is also a good alternative to a hotel if you're on a budget- these bathouses are usually complexes with places to eat, internet, movie rooms, sleeping areas (not extravagant- basically a big room with a mat and you ge these blocks to rest your head on- its fine though). there's lockers to put all your stuff in to lock up too. i've heard of many kids just staying there for several days whenever they decide to "run away" from home. you pay a one time fee- and you don't have to pay again unless you leave and enter again so it lends itself to that. otherwise if you're doing the backpackerish/budget thing- you get a nice shower/bath/sauna and a place to sleep for cheap! and its an experience to be had regardless...

oh you can have full body exfoilations there too, they're pretty brutal - the person wears rough gloves and basically skins you... feel like a baby afterwards though!

[xcoldricex]

oh and there's a whole bunch of "-bang's" (room) like PC-bang, norae-bang (karaoke, DVD-bang, Game-bang, aforementioned jimjil-bang, etc. Basically places where you can do all sorts of different things like internet, watch movies, play games, sing karaoke, etc. so if you're bored you should check these out, as they're a big part of the youth culture.

[Ryan]

ah man i miss apujong, i was in seoul for like 3 days in 05. had a blast, want to go back if only to eat more

[xcoldricex]

yeah. i just wanna go back for the food. mmmmm.

[kauflust]

I've always liked the idea of banchan (side dishes). Good bibimbap with raw egg is also dreamy.

[dizzhizz]

I'm willing to trade anyone some banchan for a REAL burrito...it's been just too long.

[white_giraffe]

as mentioned, hongdae for nightlife. clubs everywhere. my cousin who lives in korea was taking me around and asked whether i wanted to go to a bar or one where they set you up with guys/girls. thought it sounded strange. try it out and let me know how those are!

one of my favorites is the food carts on the street. i don't know if they are sanitary or what not but they are sooooo good! and kinda fun with a bunch of random ppl huddled around a cart.

if you like knock offs there are plenty. i'd avoid buying anything they are selling on the sidewalks, real crap. the good knock offs are in the back alleys. its a bit shady. they discreetly ask you if you are interested in a product and take you through residential homes and bring out the goods. its funny and kinda entertaining having ppl being look outs and in some strange room. they approach you based on your appearance, so not your typical american tourist.

been to korea many a time, but all names escape my memory. oh, i am korean.

[Tarmac]

food carts are very safe in korea. I have a mad weak stomach and never got sick. Koreans know how to do their streetfood - anything that is in position to go bad will be vegetarian. You can eat rich or you can eat hood, I mostly kept it hood. Exchange rate is very bad right now though for honkeys

[dizzhizz]

You can go in with your $200, end up at all the wrong places, think you're gonna spend the night with an Eastern European model, and somehow end up at 7am penniless with an STD and be shivering on the streetcorner eating undercooked meat on a stick, alone. Conversely, if you know where to go (and more importantly where to not go) you can have a decent time.

Classic. Gotta love Korea.

[xcoldricex]

haha i think that can happen anywhere in asia.

[savage]

that's what i'm talking about:

pineapple soju cocktail made in a hollowed out pineapple and you take shots out of a shot glass made out of an apple.

That restaurant is right on Rodeo drive in Apkujong. IT's called something like the 'Fruit House' or may be "Apple Bar'?? Something like that... Anyway IF you take the subway there (orange line i believe) make a right onto Rodeo Drive, go to the end, take a Left (still on Rodeo Drive). It will be on you left hand side, like 2 blocks down. There are apples in the window, and it's a downstairs restaurant. I think if you hit the laser tag place you went too far. - they have some english on the menu's - all you need to know is 'Apple Soju' !!!!! THE BOMB!!!! I would take all my guests there.

XCOLDRICEX - nice pics too!!!