Tom Continuing our South Korea Travel Itinerary in Seoul, we checked out attractions in Seoul including Gyeongbokgung Palace, Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup (Samgyetang) and Buchon Hanok Village! Slurp!
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Gyeongbokgung Palace – Seoul Attractions
Gyeongbokgung Palace is one of the main palace to visit in Seoul. Built in 1395, it remains as one of the largest palaces in Seoul and houses the National Palace Museum of Korea as well as the National Folk Museum.
Address: 161 Sajik-ro, Sejongno, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
(Exit 5 of Gyeongbokgung Station)
Opening Hours: 9am to 5pm (closing time extended to 6pm from March to October)
Price: 3000krw (adults), 1500krw (kids), kids 6 and under (free)
Gwanghwamun Gate is the main gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace with a high stone foundation and a double-roofed pavilion. As you can see from the picture, the gate is a popular photo spot with the gate as well as the guard dressed in traditional costume.
Heungnyemun Gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace is the first gate inside the palace walls. After paying for your tickets, this is where your tickets will be checked.
Geunjeongjeon Hall is the largest hall in Gyeongbokgung Palace. It is here that the King meets his officials to discuss official matters officially. Envoys are also received here as well.
Like Yu Garden in Shanghai, there are also hidden secrets to be discovered. For instance, can you see the inscriptions on these pillars?
On joyous occasions, the King would throw a feast at Gyeonghoeru Pavilion. Located west of Gangnyeongjeon Hall, Gyeonghoeru Pavilion also includes a pond where the King and his officials would enjoy these feasts.
What to eat in Seoul – Tosokchon Samgyetang Korean Chicken Soup
After a visit to a traditional palace, we headed to the Toksokchon Samgyetang for Korean Chicken Soup!
Address: 5 Jahamun-ro 5-gil, Sajik-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Opening Hours: 10am to 10pm
Within walking distance from Gyeongbokgung Palace is Toksokchon Samgyetang, a famous dining venue for Korean Chicken Soup.
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This time, we ordered just one samgyetang for 16,000krw and one seafood pancake for 15,000krw. But that was sufficient for 2 to share…
It was indeed an experience to dine at Tosokchon Samgyetan Restaurant. There are even instructions on how to eat your Korean chicken ginseng soup.
1. Put baechu-kimchi (cabbage kimchi) and kkakdugi (radish kimchi) in the jar into the plate – as much as you want!!!
2. Put black pepper and salt into the small petridish
3. Take Tosokchon Samgyetang and place it onto the plate in front of you and enjoy chicken meat with black pepper and salt.
4. Lastly, discard bones into the bone bucket.
In terms of volume, one chicken soup was good for 2 to share. In terms of taste, it was slightly milder than we expected but of course, it tasted healthier! The seafood pancake was shiok. Texture as it should be.
Things to do in Seoul – Bukchon Hanok Village
The good thing about this itinerary is that you can cover all three attractions of Gyeongbokgung Palace, Tosokchon Samgyetang and Bukchon Hanok Village – all by foot! The only thing we forgot to consider was that after Gyeongbokgung, we had already walked quite a distance and we still had to walk the rest of the day. That made our feet rather sore by the end of the day. Nonetheless, it was enjoyable to enjoy the vicinity by foot. Along the way, we also noticed that there were many Hanbok rental stores where tourists (and locals alike), would rent traditional costumes and take photos with the traditional buildings at Gyeongbokgung or Bukchon Hanok Village.
Along the way, we found ourselves at Bukchon Road (bukchon ro 5 ga), right in the heart of a hipster area. There, we discovered a cafe called Cacadew Cafe where we had the Ethiopia cold brew (5,500krw) and Hallabong (lemon mix) tea (5,000krw).
From Cacadew Cafe, we walked towards Bukchon Hanok Village, just a short distance away.
There, we noticed that there were many tour guides around. Turns out, there are only 2 stretches to take photos. If you approach the tour guides (who can speak many international languages – just observe their tags), they will be more than happy to point you in the right direction.
Do note that you must keep quiet as you walk into these neighbourhoods. However, we still noticed tour groups talking loudly! -_-” It’s little wonder that residents don’t welcome tourists…
Nonetheless, it was still an experience to stroll through these streets of old. And if you’re patient, you’ll also be able to take shots without people at Bukchon Hanok Village…
After visiting one of the biggest attraction in Seoul, we decided to head back to Grid Inn Hotel. Along the way, we stopped by Paris Baguette for our favourite melon pan (1,800krw) and crab croquette (2,300krw) and green tea latte (4,000krw). From there, we passed by Myeongdong (again!:P), Lotte Mall and Youth Mall. We even snacked along the way 😛
Dinner was at Omori restaurant. We were attracted by its trademark guy dressed in hanbok costume. It’s specialty? Kim Chi Stew (7,500krw) and jajangmyeon (7,000krw).
The restaurant itself was old-ish but exudes a little bit of nostalgia. Perhaps that’s why we saw a ladies group (maybe a book club?) meeting there for dinner and celebrating some occasion. As for the food, we were relatively disappointed by the kim chi stew. There were literally little or no kim chi, let alone meat. Disappointing. Nonetheless, the Jajangmyeon was delicious. As it was hand-pulled on the spot by the skilled owner, the texture was Q. The sauce complemented the noodles very well. Eventhough there was very little meat, the noodles and sauce combi was sufficient.
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Stay tuned as we enjoyed our last day in Seoul by visiting the War Memorial of Korea as well as a surprising discovery! 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!
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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 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 11: Driving from Danyang to Seoul!
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!
What Souvenirs to buy from South Korea? 9 Souvenirs to get from South Korean Supermarkets!
The Complete Hilton Busan Review: Probably the Most Instagrammable Hotel in the World!
Jeju Shinhwa World Landing Resort Review: The Perfect Base to Discover Jeju!
Da Moim Buffet Restaurant Hilton Busan Review
Singapore Airlines (SQ) 777-300ER Business Class Review: Singapore to Beijing
Air China Business Class Review: Beijing to Busan CA 129
Singapore Airlines Business Class A330-300 Review: Incheon to Singapore
