South Korea Travel Itinerary Day 12: Discovering Seoul Tower, Manjok Ohyang Korean Pork Trotter, Namdaemon, Myeongdong, Dongdaemon and Insa-dong Stream!

Manjok Ohyang Jokbal Korean Pig's Trotters Foreigner's Menu with Dumplings and Steamed Eggs

Finally after 12 days, we’re visiting all the attractions of Seoul! On day 12 of our South Korea Travel itinerary, we check out attractions in Seoul including Seoul Tower, Namdaemon, Myeongdong, Dongdaemon, Insa-dong Stream and the Michelin Starred Manjok Ohyang Korean Pork Trotters!

Book with Agoda Here: Popular Hotels in Seoul

Book Here with Klook: Popular Activities in Seoul

After breakfast at Grid Inn Seoul, we headed to our first attraction of the day – Seoul Tower!

Breakfast at Grid Inn Seoul
Breakfast at Grid Inn Seoul
Self Made Sandwich Grid Inn Hotel Seoul
Self Made Sandwich Grid Inn Hotel Seoul

South Korea Seoul Travels – Seoul Tower

To reach Seoul Tower, we originally thought that walking would be an option. It is not. Thankfully, we were able to find out that the way to reach Seoul Tower, is to alight at Chungmuro Station and head to exit 2. There, you will see this bus stop…

Bus stop at Exit 2 of Chungmuro Station to take bus to Seoul Tower
Bus stop at Exit 2 of Chungmuro Station to take bus to Seoul Tower
Namsan Tour Bus 2 and Bus 5 from Chungmuro Station to Seoul Tower
Namsan Tour Bus 2 and Bus 5 from Chungmuro Station to Seoul Tower

From Exit 2 of Chungmuro Station, you’ll be able to take bus 2 up to Seoul Tower. It is actually part of the Namsan Tour Bus network and costs 1,100krw for each bus ride up and down Seoul Tower (Namsan).

Namsan Bus 2 from Chungmuro to Namsan Seoul Tower
Namsan Bus 2 from Chungmuro to Namsan Seoul Tower
Namsan Bus Tour Seoul
Namsan Bus Tour Seoul

After a short climb (10 minutes or so), we arrived at Namsan Seoul Tower. We alighted close to 7-11 and had to take a short walk to Seoul Tower itself. Even at the area where we alighted, we were already greeted by beautiful views of Seoul!

First view of Seoul from Seoul Tower!
First view of Seoul from Seoul Tower!
Directions to Seoul Tower
Directions to Seoul Tower
Namsan Seoul Tower Up Close
Namsan Seoul Tower Up Close

Like Hilton Busan (the most instagrammable hotel in the world), there are many instagrammable spots with views, cute cartoon characters and even a lockermania at Seoul observatory

Viewing Platform Observatory at Seoul Tower
Viewing Platform Observatory at Seoul Tower
Lockermania Seoul Tower
Lockermania Seoul Tower
Shops at Namsan Seoul Tower
Shops at Namsan Seoul Tower
Hazelnut Coffee from convenient store of Namsan Seoul Tower
Hazelnut Coffee from convenient store of Namsan Seoul Tower

At the lower parts of Seoul Tower, there are many shops, cafes, restaurants where visitors can chill and enjoy the views of Seoul. As the views from Namsan (243m above sea level) were already beautiful, we decided that a visit to the top was not necessary. Hence, we continued to take more pictures with cartoon characters and enjoy the views with a beer in hand…

2bearbear and Cartoon Characters @ Seoul Tower
2bearbear and Cartoon Characters @ Seoul Tower
Seoul Tower Cartoon Character Stairs
Seoul Tower Cartoon Character Stairs
Seoul Tower Cartoon Characters with view in the background
Seoul Tower Cartoon Characters with view in the background
Park at Seoul Tower
Park at Seoul Tower
Views from Namsan Seoul Tower with Jeju Wit Beer (8,000krw)
Views from Namsan Seoul Tower with Jeju Wit Beer (8,000krw)

This time, we took the opportunity to try out the Jeju Wit Beer (8,000krw) as we did not have the opportunity while we were in Jeju. However, it was actually not as good as the Hawaii Kona Brewery Beers 😛 If you have time, taking in the views while sitting by the park or the cafe is definitely an unforgettable experience.

South Korea Seoul Attractions – Manjok Ohyang Jokbal Korean Pig’s Trotter

After our visit to Seoul Tower, we took bus 5 down to Namdaemon (kids/accessory shopping area)…

Namdaemon Seoul South Korea
Namdaemon Seoul South Korea
Namdaemon Shopping Street
Namdaemon Shopping Street
Crowd at Namdaemon Shopping Street Seoul
Crowd at Namdaemon Shopping Street Seoul
Nooks and Crannies of shopping at Namdaemon
Nooks and Crannies of shopping at Namdaemon

One of the most authentic Korean dishes in Seoul is the Manjok Ohyang Jokbal aka, Korean Pig’s Trotter. This time, we tried the Michelin starred Manjok Ohyang Jokbal at 134-7, Seosomun-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul!

Manjok Ohyang Jokbal Seoul (Korean Pig's Trotter)
Manjok Ohyang Jokbal Seoul (Korean Pig’s Trotter)
Manjok Ohyang Jokbal Menu
Manjok Ohyang Jokbal Menu
Manjok Ohyang Jokbal Foreigner's Menu (38,000krw)
Manjok Ohyang Jokbal Foreigner’s Menu (38,000krw)
Side dishes at Manjok Ohyang Jokbal
Side dishes at Manjok Ohyang Jokbal
Manjok Ohyang Jokbal Korean Pig's Trotters Foreigner's Menu with Dumplings and Steamed Eggs
Manjok Ohyang Jokbal Korean Pig’s Trotters Foreigner’s Menu with Dumplings and Steamed Eggs

First off, we must say that it korean styled pig’s trotters is nothing like the braised pig’s trotters in Singapore. As expected, the meat itself was very tender. However, the big surprise was that the gelatinous fats melted in our mouths but was not oily at all! Somehow, the oil must have been steamed off and left with a non-jelak (Singlish for “sick of eating” mostly due to oiliness) and full taste of the boiled broth. A perfect combination of fragrance with sweetness & saltiness! Remember to pair it with the cabbage dipped in the special garlic sauce for the authentic taste!

Although the set we ordered was called the “foreigner’s set”, the price was actually very reasonable. We compared it with the Korean menu and found that it was actually slightly cheaper than if you’d ordered separately. At 38,000krw, the set comes with Michelin-starred Manjok Ohyang Jokbal, steamed egg and dumplings/rice cake soup. Definitely worth it!

Book with Agoda Here: Popular Hotels in Seoul

Book Here with Klook: Popular Activities in Seoul

South Korea Seoul Attractions – Shopping from Namdaemon to Myeongdong

After a hearty meal, we continued our shopping from Namdaemon to Myeongdong!

Heading to Myeongdong Seoul
Heading to Myeongdong Seoul
Myeongdong Shopping Street
Myeongdong Shopping Street
Innisfree Flagship Store Myeongdong
Innisfree Flagship Store Myeongdong

While walking along Myeongdong Shopping Street, we passed by the Innisfree Flagship store at Myeongdong and found that there was a 50% discount sale going on! We soon realised that the signs JUST came on and soon, more and more customers were flooding the store. Interestingly, the salesperson was able to speak in Mandarin and thought that we came from China. This is a sure sign of the number of Chinese visitors. Hence, the in-house Mandarin speaking salesperson. As a result of the sales pitch Kate’s wise choices, we spent 82,000krw saved substantially during the sales! Thereafter, we headed to Dongdaemon…

About Heunginjimun Gate Seoul
About Heunginjimun Gate Seoul
Dongdaemon Heunginjimun Gate Seoul
Dongdaemon Heunginjimun Gate Seoul

However, at Dongdaemon shopping district, we were very disappointed. We only came across carpets, home furnishings and curtains etc. Disappointed, we headed back to Grid Inn for rest before we headed out for an evening walk…

Seoul Travel Itinerary – Stroll along Insa-Dong Stream

One of the free attractions in Seoul that we enjoyed was the stroll along Insa-Dong Stream…

Graffiti Art along Insa-Dong Stream Seoul
Graffiti Art along Insa-Dong Stream Seoul
Korean historical account depicted on wall along Insa-dong stream
Korean historical account depicted on wall along Insa-dong stream
Cute fortune coins along Seoul Insa-dong stream
Cute fortune coins along Seoul Insa-dong stream

As the sun sets, it was indeed relaxing to walk by the steam. Many groups friends and families also gather along insa-dong stream to wind down the evening. As we strolled further on, we chanced upon the now famous (also in Singapore), Yoogane Chicken Galbi!

Yoogane Chicken Galbi , Teppan Fried Rice Seoul
Yoogane Chicken Galbi , Teppan Fried Rice Seoul

As we were still relatively full from the Jokbal in the afternoon, we decided to have “only” the chicken galbi fried rice (6,000krw) and cold noodles (6,500krw). As there were free flow of sides (which Kate said after the trip that we had probably eaten a year’s worth of kimchi. Yikes!), the price, with no other taxes/charges were especially value-for-money!

Yoogane Cold Noodles 6,500krw
Yoogane Cold Noodles 6,500krw
Yoogane Chicken Galbi Fried Rice
Yoogane Chicken Galbi Fried Rice
2bearbear having Yoogane Chicken Galbi Teppan Fried Rice
2bearbear having Yoogane Chicken Galbi Teppan Fried Rice

Thankfully, we only ordered the 2 dishes (teppan fried rice for 1 person) as we were so SUPER FULL! The one person portion was actually good for 2 to share. As expected, parts of the fried rice was crisp and well infused with the galbi sauce. Yum! Somehow, the Korean version trumps the Singaporean one. Perhaps its the frying technique?

Eventhough we were full, we were not THAT full. Kate always says that “there’s always space for dessert!”. Hence, we headed to Korean Dessert Cafe for a delectable strawberry cheesecake chocolate patbingsu (~10,000krw)!

Korean Dessert Cafe Seoul
Korean Dessert Cafe Seoul
Korean Dessert Cafe Strawberry Cheesecake Chocolate Patbingsu
Korean Dessert Cafe Strawberry Cheesecake Chocolate Patbingsu

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Book with Agoda Here: Popular Hotels in Seoul

Book Here with Klook: Popular Activities in Seoul

We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of our Seoul Travel Itinerary. Stay tuned as we check out more attractions in Seoul during our last leg of South Korean Travels! We’ll now leave you with this video coverage of the top things to do and attractions in Seoul as well as where to eat in Seoul!

Related Posts

You have just finished reading a post from our 14 Days Travels in South Korea. Check out the rest of the posts from this series below!

South Korea Travel Itinerary Day 1: Busan Gwangalli Beach, Spaland and Fried Chicken Army Stew!

South Korea Travel Itinerary Day 2: Busan 40 Steps, Yongdusan Park, Busan Tower, Jagalchi Market, Gukje Market, Songdo Beach and Seomyeon Underground Mall!

South Korea Travel Itinerary Day 3: Jeju Mysterious Road, Hallasan, Black Pork BBQ and Jeju Shinhwa Landing Resort!

South Korea Jeju Travel Itinerary Day 4: Jeju Attractions of Cheonjeyeon Waterfall, Jeosangjeolli Cliff, Oedolgae Rock, Cheonjiyeon Falls, Jeongbang Falls, Jeju Folk Village, Seopjikoji and Seongsan Ilchulbong!

South Korea Jeju Travel Itinerary Day 5: Geumneung Beach, Hyeopjae Beach, Jeju Glass Castle, Innisfree Jeju House, Jeju Teddy Bear Museum, Sanbangsan, Suwolbong Peak

South Korea Travel Itinerary Day 6: Flight from Jeju to Busan PLUS Hilton Busan Review!

South Korea Travel Itinerary Day 7: Haeundae Beach, Dalmaji Road and Dalmaji Hill

South Korea Travel Itinerary Day 8: Gyeongju Attractions of Cheomseongdae, Dong-Gung, Wolji Pond, Bulguksa Temple and Bumunho Lake

South Korea Travel Itinerary Day 9: Namsan Dong, Korean Cafe Hopping, Gyeongju Bread and Korean Beef Hanwoo BBQ

South Korea Travel Itinerary Day 10: Discovering Danyang Attractions Dodamsambong, Woraksan and Chungju Lake Cruise

South Korea Travel Itinerary Day 11: Driving from Danyang to Seoul!

South Korea Travel Itinerary Day 12: Discovering Seoul Tower, Manjok Ohyang Korean Pork Trotter, Namdaemon, Myeongdong, Dongdaemon and Insa-dong Stream!

South Korea Travel Itinerary Day 13: Gyeongbokgung Palace, Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup (Tosokchon Samgyetang), Buchon Hanok Village in Seoul Attractions!

South Korea Travel Itinerary Day 14: War Memorial of Korea, Emart Yeongdeungpo Station Times Square Mall, Craft Roo Pub Seoul Attractions

Top 17 Things to do and Attractions in Jeju South Korea!

Top 8 Busan Travel Experiences, Things to do and Attractions!

Top 7 Gyeongju Things to do, Attractions and Travel Experiences!

Top 5 Danyang Attractions, Travel Experiences and Things to do!

Top 7 Seoul Attractions and Things to do

Top 8 Food to eat in Seoul South Korea

The Ultimate Guide to Driving in South Korea!

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