Hello you! I hope you’ve been well. If you’re following me on Instagram (if you’re not, head on over to @lacedivory), you’ll know I’m currently visiting the lovely city of Seoul. I was here just one year ago, and this time I’m back for the winter. There are so many things to see here and I love what I’ve seen and experienced. Of course, shopping has been crazy and I’ve spent way too much money.
Today’s Link Love post is dedicated to some cool blogs out there that talk about certain parts of Seoul that I particularly feel for and would love for you to know about. I’ve personally visited these places and do recommend that you add them to your itinerary too.
1. Gabrielle from From KD to Kimchi shares street snaps from her stroll along my favourite part of Seoul, Samcheongdong.
2. Tricia from Tricia Will Go Places shares her experience around Hongdae.
3. MisSuety from MisSuety lets us in on the things to do in Samcheongdong. A must-read, especially since I love this neighbourhood so much!
4. Ken from Seoul State of Mind shares what it was like working as a photographer with Dior in Seoul. This guy is living the kind of lifestyle that I’d love for myself.
5. The peeps at Luv.kr share the best 21 dessert cafes in Garosu-gil in Seoul. This part of Seoul is quite the upscale preppy town with lots of cafes, so you’ll want to spend a day just chilling here and people-watch.
6. Mina at Sweet and Tasty TV shares 8 things you can do at Insadong, where you can find all sorts of fair trade traditional souvenirs.
7. JB at Will Fly for Food shares what you should know about the Namsan Tower, where you get the best view of the city of Seoul from the top.
8. Lobsterpaints at Lobsterpaints let us in on what girls do when they go to Edae (a.k.a. Ewha Women’s University Shopping District). This is where you get the best skincare and beauty deals, in my opinion.
9. YZ at Everyday I’m Travelling shares her experience when visiting the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea.
My favourite place to chill and explore is definitely Samcheongdong. It’s not a very big town, unlike some places like Apgujeong or Sinsadong, but it has got a little bit of everything – shopping (budget and high-end), cafes, peace and old tradition – and it helps that it’s near Bukchon. Bukchon is a must-see ancient village in Seoul, where the houses used to belong to officials from the Joseon dynasty, and it is vastly different from the urbanised Seoul that we’re all so used to seeing and hearing about.
I don’t really shop at Dongdaemun, because it’s overhyped. All the stores sell the same ware and they’re overpriced too, so you have to haggle to get a decent price. And I detest haggling – it’s just so tiring. For shopping, I highly recommend Garosu-gil for the higher end indie local brands and Edae for the beauty and skincare products.
There are many things to do in Seoul but shopping and cafe-hopping are definitely the top two in my list. Tell me though, do you have a favourite part of Seoul?
Bitten by the wanderlust bug,
Roxanne