A Perfect Korean-Style Day Trip from Seoul
Here's an itinerary for a Korean-style day trip that's easily accessible for people living in Seoul!
During this long Chuseok holiday, I thought the roads would be too crowded for a long trip and plane tickets were too expensive for an overseas trip.
Although I diligently explored many places abroad, whether in hot or rainy weather, I often find myself staying home or just wandering around my neighborhood in Seoul. So, I finally decided to take a trip with my child via the subway.
Today's day trip itinerary in Seoul is:
Ikseon-dong Cafe Onhwa > Changgyeonggung Palace > Gogungui Achim (Korean Restaurant) > Hanyangdoseong (Seoul City Wall) Museum > JW Marriott The Lounge > Cheonggyecheon Stream > Myeongdong Cathedral > Yoshyoku Select Lotte Department Store
We spent a total of 10 hours, from 10 AM to 8 PM, following this route.
It was such a packed itinerary that I've decided to split the post into two parts.
This first post covers the course of leisurely strolling along traditional Hanok houses and ancient palaces, fully experiencing the beauty of Korea.
We spent 5 hours on this, from 10 AM to 3 PM.
Cafe Onhwa Ikseon Branch
We visited this Hanok-style cafe for a simple breakfast. We started our Seoul outing with a brunch of sweet soufflé desserts, strawberry lattes, and Americanos.
We took the subway and got off at Jongno 3-ga Station and walked from there.
It was my child's first time riding the subway in Seoul. We went early in the morning, so there weren't many people, and moving with a stroller using the elevators was easy and convenient.
Changdeokgung & Changgyeonggung Palace
After leaving the cafe, we walked through the Ikseon-dong alleyways to Changgyeonggung Palace, which took about 10 minutes.
We entered Changgyeonggung Palace through the Changdeokgung Palace management office side.
Since the weather was hot, we brought Hanboks and wore them briefly in front of Changgyeonggung Palace before entering.
During the Chuseok holiday, admission was free, except for the Secret Garden tour, so we entered without buying tickets. Consequently, it was very crowded inside.
Normally, there's an admission fee of ₩1,000, but admission is free if you're wearing a Hanbok!
Admission Fees:
- Koreans aged 25-64: ₩1,000
- Koreans aged 24 and under, Koreans aged 65 and over: Free
- Foreigners aged 18-64: ₩1,000
- Foreigners aged 17 and under, Foreigners aged 65 and over: Free
- Disabled persons, veterans: Free
- Those wearing Hanbok: Free
You can check the viewing courses, facilities, events, and other information for all the royal palaces in Seoul on the official website.
It seems like it would take a long time to see everything, but every time I go, the weather is so hot that I end up just taking pictures at photo spots and moving on.
Looking at the map of where the photos stored on my phone were taken, it seems like I took a lot of pictures in the places marked above.
Next time, when the weather is better, I'd like to take more time, wear comfortable sneakers, and explore every nook and cranny, including the Secret Garden.
Even though it was crowded this time due to the holiday and good weather, the inside is so large that you can take pictures as if there aren't any people if you find the right angle.
We took some good pictures in the Injeongjeon courtyard, the largest space a little ways into the entrance.
Passing through Hamyangmun Gate on the way to Changgyeonggung Palace, we took a picture with Namsan Mountain in the background between Tongmyeongjeon Hall and Yanghwadang Hall.
Further ahead, we could even see a bit of Namsan Tower, and there were many photo spots where people were taking pictures.
Coming down to Changgyeonggung Palace, the lush green grass, tiled roofs, Namsan Tower, and the sky with fluffy clouds all came together, making me want to capture every scene I saw along the way.
There were also places to sit and rest, and an event was taking place where we were walking by, but the weather was too hot, so we quickly left.
Gogungui Achim (Korean Restaurant) Seoul National University Hospital
For lunch, we exited through Honghwamun Gate, passed Seoul National University Hospital, and went to a Korean restaurant called Gogungui Achim located at the Wonnam-dong intersection.
I happened to be craving Dolsot Bibimbap (stone pot mixed rice), so I searched for a place and visited.
The interior had quite a bit of space between seats and partitions, and there were also private rooms, making it a good choice for entertaining guests, groups, or family visits.
However, even though there didn't seem to be that many customers in the seats visible from the entrance, we had to wait quite a long time standing before they cleared a table for us, perhaps because there were many seats inside.
It's a restaurant that serves traditional Korean dishes like Hanwoo Bulgogi (Korean beef), Bulnak Jeongol (beef and octopus hot pot), and Kkotdeungsim Gui (Korean sirloin), all of which were generally neat and tidy.
Parking support is available, so it's good to visit by car even though it's not completely free.
For a simple lunch, we ordered the Special Galbitang (short rib soup), Dolsot Bibimbap, and a small side of Perilla Oil Tofu.
The total bill was ₩23,000.
The Dolsot Bibimbap included mushrooms, carrots, bellflower root, zucchini, bean sprouts, and seaweed. It was neat, but not particularly delicious.
On the other hand, the Perilla Oil Tofu was not greasy, but savory, firm, and soft, and the seasoning on top was neither too salty nor too spicy, making it perfect for my taste.
My child also ate the grilled tofu well.
My husband ordered the Special Galbitang and shared it with our child, but he said it was a bit greasy and immediately looked for a cafe after we left. It wasn't that it was bad, but it seems like it was just the nature of Galbitang to be a bit greasy.
Hanyangdoseong (Seoul City Wall) Museum
After lunch, we looked for a cool place to escape the hot weather, and we found the Hanyangdoseong Museum.
It's located near Dongdaemun Station, about 1 km away, which took about 20 minutes on foot.
We had to go over a hill on the way, so we were sweating when we arrived.
The entrance was a steep uphill, but after pushing the stroller up, we found cool exhibits inside.
There wasn't much parking space, but parking was available, and there were quite a few families with children and foreigners.
You can touch the screen to engrave your name or draw a picture, and then press email to send it, and the picture you drew will appear on the stone in front of the screen.
My child seemed to enjoy this engraved stone program, and tried it twice. After watching the older kids do it, she told me, "Mom, we have to wait in line and take turns!" ☺️
It has a total of three floors, and we looked around all of them.
We went without much expectation, but the exhibition was quite interesting, so my husband and I enjoyed it, and we explained the contents to our child in an easy-to-understand way.
The wooden models of the city walls in each exhibition hall were really impressive.
We also took four-cut photos on the second floor ✨ The print came out very pixelated in black and white, so I took a picture of it with my camera before printing it.
We went to escape the heat, but the Hanyangdoseong Museum was a surprisingly fun and free experience.
It was just one day, but we went so many places that it feels like the post is getting too long, so I'll write about the rest of the route in the next post.
Please read the next post, which will capture the crowded streets of Myeongdong again and the beautiful night view.
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