Bukchon Hanok Village is one of Seoul’s most picturesque regions. It has a large number of traditional Korean houses against a lovely landscaped background. There are many beautiful historical spots in Bukchon Hanok Village. The eaves connect the houses beautifully and most of the walls between the houses are shared. The roofs of the houses seem to blend together as a whole to form a beautiful sea of black tile. The luxurious tile-roofs (giwas) of the houses have been preserved since the Joseon Dynasty. The numerous branch-like alleys that exist in Bukchon Hanok Village are one of the old features of the area which add to its traditional ambience.

Visitors to the place can sense the warmth of the place which is created by the close linkage of the houses by eaves, the nearness of the houses from one another and the existence of shared alleys. At Bukchon Hanok Village, visitors have the opportunity to experience the atmosphere of a Korean traditional village. There are hanok-styled restaurants, galleries and a cultural centre. Visitors can learn the history of the area through its historical spots, folklore materials and cultural heritage.

Changdeokgung Palace is one of the palaces built by the Josean Dynasty. It was completed in 1412. “Changdeokgung” means “Palace of Prospering Virtue”. This palace was the residence of 14 kings of the Josean Dynasty. It was largely destroyed during the Japanese occupation of Korea in 1592 and was rebuilt in 1612. Subsequently, massive-scale restoration works was carried out from 1990 to 1999.

Being known by many as a beautiful historic site, tourists from all around the world come to visit Changdeokgung Palace. In addition to the buildings, the palace has a lovely rear garden. The main palace gate, Donhwamun Gate, is the largest of all palace gates. It is a two-storey pavilion wooden structure. Injeongjeon Hall is the throne hall of Changdeokgung Palace. It was used for conducting important state affairs. This particular hall had been rebuilt two times. The king used Seonjeongjeon Hall to hold meetings with officials. Daejojeon Hall served as the queen’s official residence. The royal libraries were housed in Juhamnu Pavilion.

The rear garden is known as the “Secret Garden”. This beautiful garden was used as a place for relaxation by the royal family members. In the garden, there are pavilions, stone bridges, pond, trees and flowers. The garden was previously a highly restricted place. Even high ranking officials could not enter without the king’s permission. The best time to visit the garden is during the fall when the autumn foliage is at its peak and the leaves start to fall. The sight looks stunning. It would be great to enjoy a relaxing stroll in the garden at that time!

The name ‘Gyeongbok’ means ‘shining palace’. With Mount Bugaksan to its rear and Mount Namsan in the foreground, Gyeongbokgung Palace has impressive sight. The beautiful surroundings add to the grandeur of the place. There are about 330 buildings built on this piece of land that spans over 40 hectares. The palace has pavilions, offices, storerooms, gates and bridges. Visitors to the palace can gain a better understanding of the culture and heritage of Korea.

There are two grand building structures here. One of them is Geunjeongjeon, the main palace building where the foreign envoys were usually received and affairs of state were conducted. It is a two-storey building with a high stone platform, a spacious flat-stone courtyard and surrounding open-sided corridors. The other grand building structure is Gyeonghoeru, a magnificent raised pavilion which overlooks a pond and two small islands. This pavilion rests on forty eight stone pillars. Banquets and feasts used to be held in this building.

Gwanghwamun is the main gate of the palace. The structure has a high stone foundation, doubled-roofed pavilion and three arched openings. This gate was restored in 1968. The gates of Gyeongbokgung Palace are replicas of fortress gates, which have high stone foundations and arched entrances in the centre. Gwanghwamun has three arched openings and hence, is considered as the main gate of the palace. Both the National Palace Museum of Korea and the National Folk Museum are located in Gyeongbokgung Palace.

There are many brand name shops and department stores at Myeongdong. The main street is lined with larger stores and quality brand name shops, while the lesser-known brand name shops are located in the side alleys. The department stores located here include Miglior, Lotte Department Store, Avatar and High Harriet.

At Myeongdong, many shops sell clothes, shoes, boots, handbags, sports wear, accessories and cosmetics. There is a wide range of fashion goods and accessories with the latest designs. Clothes available here include sports attire, casual wear, formal apparel and office wear. There are plenty of styles and designs.

Besides shopping, there are plenty of places hungry shoppers can go for a bite. There are many cafes, restaurants, coffee shops and food stalls. Both traditional and western restaurants can be found here. There are fast food restaurants, Korean, Western and Japanese restaurants. Many restaurants specialise in pork cutlet and kalguksu (noodles).

The Myeongdong Cathedral located at Myeongdong is the oldest Catholic cathedral in Korea. This cathedral is a tourist attraction. It is built in Gothic style. It is indeed a beautiful brick-laid Gothic building.

Myeongdong is a great place for shopping. It is a wonderful experience to shop in Myeongdong. There is a great variety of fashionable items here. As it is a one of the trendiest shopping area in Seoul, the place is often crowded with young people. It is a popular place for them to hang out.

It is a great experience to take a stroll along the Cheonggyecheon Stream. Amidst the bustle of city life, it provides a great retreat to lovely natural environment. Walking along the stream, visitors can enjoy many lovely and interesting sights. Beautiful bridges, ceramic tiled walls, sculptures and waterfalls can really make visitors here feel enchanted. There are more than twenty bridges along the path of the stream. One of the most wonderful sights is a grand fountain located on Cheonggye Plaza. Both sides of the stream are decorated by ceramic tile wall. Visitors can see the world’s largest ceramic painting and the world’s largest ceramic tile wall. Other interesting sights include a colourful cloth wall made of fabrics, a cultural wall painting, a wishing well and a tunnel fountain. At night, the beautifully illuminated fountains are really stunning.

Some places of tourist attraction such as Deoksugung Palace, Seoul Plaza, Insadong, Changdeokgung Palace and Changgyeonggung Palace allm lie adjacent to the Cheonggyecheon Stream. Hence, visitors can visit these places after their walk along the stream.

Cheonggyecheon Stream has become a popular place to city dwellers as well as tourists. Some people come here for a leisurely stroll while others are here for jogging and exercising. It is truly a good city retreat!

Dongdaemun Market is the largest wholesale and retail shopping area in South Korea. The market has about 26 shopping malls, 30,000 specialty shops and 50,000 manufacturers. Buyers flock here to get the best deals. In this place, there is a wide variety of goods such as clothes, shoes, sports goods, electronics goods, stationeries, electrical products and toys. There are also many food stalls, eateries and pet shops. Some shopping malls sell their goods to general shoppers while some sell their goods in bulk to wholesalers and retailers. Traditionally, the wholesalers operated from 1.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. and retailers were opened from 1.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. The area is currently opened from 10.30 a.m. to 5.00 a.m. Most stores close on Mondays and holidays.

At Dongdaemun Market, there are modern large shopping malls as well as traditional ones, making it one of the best shopping areas in the country. The modern shopping malls are more popular among youths and teenagers. In these malls, items available include the latest fashion in clothing, shoes, handbags, CDs and fashion accessories. Dongdaemun Market is often crowded with shoppers from near and far places. Due to the great number of shops, availability of a tremendous variety of items and good prices, many people throng this place for their shopping spree. Even at night, the place is bustling with activity. It is a popular spot for tourists who want to do shopping in Seoul. Many tourists would come here to find the things they want. Besides, they can get good bargains here.

There are many shops located within the buildings as well as along the streets. Many street stalls can be found in the alleys and walkways in between the buildings. The stores in this area also function as wholesalers. Most shore owners make the products themselves. The market is often crowded with retailers from all over the country. Many retailers buy their items at wholesale prices at this market, and resell these items in their own stores. Wholesalers operate from midnight to 6.00 a.m. and retailers open from 7.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Most retailers close their shops on the first and third Sundays of each month.

In Namdaemun Market, there is a wide range of goods available which includes clothings, shoes, fabrics, hats, tableware, kitchen ware, sports wear, fishing equipment, stationery, toys, watches, flowers, vegetables and ginseng products. Children’s wear is a popular item here. Being the largest childen’s wear market in Korea, it offers a wide selection of children’s wear. Latest designs in ladies fashion wear as well as newly designed Hanboks (traditional Korean costume) can be obtained here. A good selection of sporting goods such as backpacks, mountain boots, ski equipment and fishing equipment are also available here.

One of the reasons many visitors come to Namdaemun Market is because the location of this place is near downtown. Another reason tourists like to come to this place is because there is a wide range of goods available here and they can get whatever they want to buy. Furthermore, when foreigners come here, they can enjoy the traditional atmosphere of this place.

Insadong has a mix of historical and modern atmosphere. It is known to represent the cultural history of the nation. There are quite a number of historical buildings located here, however, most of these buildings are now used as restaurants and shops.

In Insadong, visitors can shop for antiques, art pieces, hanbok Korean traditional clothes, ceramics, handicrafts and souvenirs. Insadong has about 40% of the nation’s antique shops and art galleries, and about 90% of the traditional stationery shops. There are daily calligraphy demonstrations and pansori performances. The antique shops sell quality antiques such as old paintings, ceramics woodenware, metalware and old furniture. Tourists like to come here for purchases of antiques and fine art pieces. At this place, they can also experience traditional Korean culture.

There are many art galleries in Insadong. These art galleries display traditional Korean fine art from paintings to sculptures, as well as modern art pieces. Regular exhibitions are held in these galleries. Two popular galleries located here are Insa Art Centre and Gyeongin Art Gallery. On Sundays, from 10:00 – 22:00, some of the streets are blocked off from traffic. More stalls and booths would be set up. Traditional performances and exhibits can been seen as well. Visitors here can enjoy cultural performances, taste traditional Korean food and buy interesting souvenirs.

In order to explore the side alleys at Insadong, it is better obtain a map of Insadong from one of three Tourism Information Centres located there. They can be found at the centre and the two ends of the main street.

Previously, the tower was known as Seoul Tower or Namsan Tower. The tower was remodelled and in 2005, it was re-opened as N Seoul Tower. The tower has a new lighting system that enables it to become a spectacular sight at night. Furthermore, with this new lighting system, the tower is able to display a different look in every season or event.

N Seoul Tower is one of the best tourist attractions in Seoul. Many tourists come here for the opportunity to have a magnificent panoramic view of Seoul city. There are four observation decks in the tower. The fourth observation deck is a revolving restaurant which rotates at a rate of one revolution every 48 minutes. The N Seoul Tower Plaza has restaurants, a gift shop and halls for cultural performances and entertainment events. At the lobby, there is a Media Zone and a Pavilion Exhibition Hall. At the Media Zone, visitors can enjoy various kinds of music, movies and games. The Pavilion Exhibition Hall has two sections; a hall where you can experience nature and another hall where various exhibitions or events are held.

N Seoul Tower is surrounded by a beautiful park, the Namsan Park. In the park, there is a Public Library, a National Theatre, an aquarium, the Botanical Gardens and a historical site, called Bonghwadae (beacon mound). Some people come to this park for jogging, hiking and strolling.

N Seoul Tower can be reached via walking, taking a bus or a cable car. If you go to N Seoul Tower by cable car, you can have the opportunity to enjoy beautiful views of Seoul city and Namsam Park during your journey there.

There are more than 2,400 shops along Itaewon Street. Goods you can find here include fashion apparel, shoes, sports gear, luggage bags, handbags, tailor-made suits, antiques and souvenirs. Itaewon is a popular place for those who shop for bags, fur coats, leather goods, shoes and suits. Apparel available here has all kinds of styles including hip hop style, casual wear and formal suits. A great variety of bags are being sold here, ranging from suitcases to casual backpacks. There is great number of leather shoe stores. Leather goods, such as handbags and shoes are a great demand. Other popular items are sports jerseys, jackets, and outdoor hiking gear.

One of the reasons many tourists come here for shopping is the availability of large sizes here. Apparel and shoes are available in large sizes where you cannot find easily in other places of Korea. There are shops displaying signs such as ‘Big Size’ or ‘Big Tall’ in their shop windows. Another reason many tourists come to Itaewon is that most of the shop owners here can speak fluent English and foreigners find the ease of communication when shopping in this place. Also, most of the signboards are written in English. Furthermore, there are plenty of trinkets and souvenirs being sold here.

Apart from shopping, there are many places you can go for dining, relaxation or partying. Itaewon has a wide variety of restaurants and visitors here can try exotic food from all over the world. Due to its ethnic diversity, Itaewon has many restaurants serving international dishes and some of these types of food are not available in other parts of Korea. Besides international food, visitors can also enjoy delicious traditional Korean cuisine. The Annual Itaewon Festival and Traditional Culture Festival are two exciting events that take place in Itaewon every year.