Tear out page here then fold along the dotted lines TURN OVER FOR MAP AND NUMBER LOCATIONS
Fold 1Stopover
in Seoul
The South Korean capital is a dynamic
24-hour city, both deeply traditional and
cutting-edge, mashing up temples, palaces,
contemporary design and mountain trails.People gather at
Cheonggyecheon
Stream by nightSights
Culture Food & drink
CHEONGGYECHEON
A raised highway was demolished
to resurrect this long-buried
stream, transforming Seoul’s
centre with walkways, waterfalls
footbridges and public artworks.
The Cheonggyecheon Museum,
towards the eastern end,
explains the mammoth effort to
complete the project, and makes
a good starting point (cgcm.go.kr;
530 Cheonggyecheon-ro,
Seongdong-gu; 9am–7pm
Tue–Sun).HONGDAE
The area around western Seoul’s
Hongik University (Korea’s
leading art and design
institution) has long acted as a
magnet for young, independent
and creatively minded Koreans.
Hongdae is packed with quirky
bars and cafés, jazzy boutiques,
and cramped, smoky dance and
live-music clubs where people
bop around to the latest K-indie
bands. Come here to sample
gourmet ice cream and artisan
coffee, spot street art, and pick
up a cool craft souvenir at
Saturday’s Free Market.JOGYE-SA
The headquarters of the Jogye
Order of Korean Buddhism has
the largest hall of worship in
Seoul: a 1938 wooden
behemoth decorated with
murals from Buddha’s life and
carved with floral latticework.
Inside the grounds there’s a
free Buddhist museum. Or
book on to the Temple Life
programme (£20; 2pm Wed;
three hours), which includes a
temple tour, meditation,
painting and a tea ceremony
(jogyesa.kr; 55 Ujeongguk-ro,
Jongno-gu; 24hr).NAMSAN
Protected within a 109-hectare
park and crowned by N Seoul
Tower, Namsan is the most
central of the city’s four
guardian mountains. Locals
come here to keep fit on hiking
paths, including one that
follows the line of the old Seoul
city walls. The summit is
commercialised but still worth
visiting (nseoultower.com;
10am–11pm Mon–Fri & Sun,
to midnight Sat; tower £7).BUKCHON HANOK
VILLAGE
In a city at the cutting edge of
21st-century technology, this
neighbourhood stands as a
testament to an age of craft when
citizens of Seoul lived in one-
storey hanok (wooden homes).
Get lost wandering the
labyrinthine streets and visit
the hanok exhibition inside the
Bukchon Traditional Culture
Center (bukchon.seoul.go.kr;
subway Line 3 to Anguk, exit 3).CHANGDEOKGUNG
The most beautiful of Seoul’s four
main palaces is Unesco-listed
Changdeokgung. It was originally
built in the early 15th century as a
secondary palace to the larger
Gyeongbokgung, but beats its
predecessor in looks and grace.
The most charming section is the
Huwon, a ‘secret garden’. Visits are
by guided tour; check online (eng.
cdg.go.kr; 99 Yulgok-ro, Jongno-
gu; 9am–6pm Tue–Sun; tour £2,
plus Huwon £5.60).O’NGO FOOD TOURS
Sampling the varied delights of
Korean cuisine is one of Seoul’s
great pleasures. O’ngo offers food
tours ranging from several-hour
street-food jaunts or night strolls
to full-day immersive culture fests.
Well-run cooking classes are
another option, helping visitors
demystify signature Korean dishes
including kimchi (ongofood.com;
12 Samil-daero 30-gil, Jongno-gu;
courses and tours from £45).GWANGJANG MARKET
By day, this market trades
secondhand clothes and fabrics,
but at night it becomes Seoul’s
largest food alley. Some 200
stalls set up selling all manner
of street eats among kimchi and
fresh seafood vendors. The
market’s speciality is the golden
fried nokdu bindaetteok (mung-
bean pancake), washed down
with local liquor (88
Changgyeonggung-ro,
Jongno-gu; 8.30am–11pm;
dishes from £3).A typical backstreet in Seoul’s
trendy Hongdae districtTwo women in traditional dress
in Bukchon Hanok VillageAn array of local specialities on
display in Gwangjang MarketFold 2MINI GUIDE
KOREA HOUSE
Scoring a hat trick for quality
food, entertainment and
shopping, Korea House serves
up a royal banquet of a dozen
artistic courses against a hanok
backdrop. An intimate theatre
stages dance and music
performances (£35). The shop
stocks design goods, crafts and
books (koreahouse.or.kr; 10
Toegye-ro 36-gil, Pil-dong,
Jung-gu; noon–2pm, 5pm–
6.30pm & 7pm–8.30pm; lunch/
dinner from £16/£48).