After three years of feeling trapped in separate households in the course of the pandemic, my household and I lastly acquired an opportunity to journey to Seoul, South Korea. Blame it on the recognition of Ok-dramas we binged on in the course of the lockdown, and our frequent eating out in samgyupsal eating places within the metro, however everybody was desirous to expertise Seoul for themselves and spend high quality time collectively.
After months of planning, ready for slots for our visa functions, and clearing everybody’s respective work and faculty schedules for per week, we lastly made it to the land of Seoul in time for the late autumn season in November 2022.
Since we had been touring with children and most of us had been first-timers, our itinerary was a mixture of sightseeing to basic landmarks, kid-friendly amusement parks, and experiential museums. We additionally had a number of seniors in our group, so we would have liked to incorporate a number of academic and cultural experiences.
Listed below are simply a few of the basic experiences in Seoul, South Korea that my household loved essentially the most that you may also wish to embrace in your itinerary.
Gyeongbokgung Palace
Gyeongbokgung Palace was the primary royal palace of the Joseon dynasty. Inbuilt 1395, this grand palace positioned in northern Seoul is the most important of the 5 Grand Palaces constructed by the Joseon dynasty, and reportedly served as the house of Kings of the Joseon dynasty.
In trendy occasions, this palace has been seen in varied historic k-dramas like Kingdom, Goong, The Final Empress, and The Moon Embracing the Solar, to identify a number of.
For the reason that Nineties, the walled palace advanced has step by step been restored to its unique kind. It at the moment homes the Nationwide Palace Museum and the Nationwide Folks Museum throughout the premises of the advanced.
One of the vital enjoyable experiences for the entire household is to attempt on the elegant Korean conventional clothes known as ‘hanbok’ for photograph ops across the Gyeonbokgung Palace.
Very similar to how Japan has kimono rental outlets, South Korea has hanbok rental outlets for vacationers, and you may borrow and put on hanbok whereas strolling across the palace to make recollections and snap distinctive household photographs.
Nami Island
For nature lovers, Nami Island ought to undoubtedly be in your bucket record. Nami Island is a half-moon-shaped isle close to Seoul. Featured within the well-known Korean drama, Winter Sonata, this romantic vacation spot gives a special expertise relying on the season you go to.
Count on stunning blossoms for those who go to throughout spring time. Throughout summer season, guests can expertise lush inexperienced environment and sunny days. Throughout autumn, the climate is cooler and the falling leaves provides an air of drama and nostalgia. In winter, guests can see snow on the bushes and stroll by fantastic white landscapes.
The tour to Nami Island entails lunch at a conventional Korean restaurant, a leisurely ferry experience, and sufficient time to stroll across the spacious grounds.
The youngsters acquired an opportunity to run round, whereas the older members of the group loved the refreshing surroundings and native refreshments.
Those that wish to get a little bit of a piece out can borrow conventional bicycles to go across the small island. Due to its totally different points of interest, Nami Island gives the proper year-round day journey from Seoul.
Deoksugung Stonewall Walkway
The Deoksugung Stonewall Walkway is a picturesque pedestrian footpath that runs subsequent to Deoksugung Palace. This space has been featured in varied Ok-dramas together with Guardian: The Lonely and Nice God (Goblin), One Spring Night time, The Magnificence Inside, and Run On, to call a number of.
As soon as a daily highway earlier than it was was a pedestrian walkway, this city house exhibits how individuals and nature can coexist in good concord.
This 900-meter stretch of highway has 20 benches and 130 bushes lining the trail, providing a terrific place to take leisurely walks, relaxation, and calm down. It’s in style throughout autumn due to the attractive foliage. Whereas strolling, you may spot photos of well-known historic landmarks on the pathways recreated within the tiles.
In late autumn and colder winter months, the tree trunks listed below are embellished with colourful knitted “sweaters,” which have turn out to be a vacationer attraction in themselves. Apart from serving to preserve the bushes heat, the designs knitted by volunteers add a creative contact to public areas. The distinctive venture additionally helped deliver pleasure to locals and passersby in the course of the gloomy pandemic years.
Haneul Sky Park
Haneul Sky Park is the most well-liked of the 5 parks of World Cup Park, close to Seoul World Cup Stadium. This picturesque panorama options paths by tall, lush grass to a hilltop with sweeping vistas, with pampas grass in bloom throughout autumn months.
Surprisingly, this stunning park was as soon as a landfill that held over 92 million tons of rubbish till it was was a large-scale surroundings and ecological park.
For these touring with children and seniors, golf cart shuttles are offered for simple entry to the highest. Those that wish to get some train can hike up the Haneul Park Stairs, which has 291 steps or stroll up the identical hilly paved highway taken by the shuttle bus.
Cheonggyecheon Stream
Cheonggyecheon Stream, which runs by downtown Seoul, is a restoration of the stream that existed in the course of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). The 11-km lengthy stream was as soon as coated with an elevated freeway, which was eliminated in an enormous city renewal venture in 2003, to deliver nature again to town and promote a extra eco-friendly city design.
The Seoul Metropolitan Authorities designated the world as a vehicle-free zone on holidays, which has given extra leisure house for pedestrians.
Since its restoration, the waterfront areas of Cheonggyecheon Stream, and the encircling streets have turn out to be in style locations for locals and vacationers to unwind and luxuriate in cultural experiences. Whereas strolling round right here, we observed how native workplace staff had been having fun with their espresso alongside the stream and loved sitting and listening to music being carried out by buskers.
Tradition and Arts Streets
Whereas in Seoul, we visited a number of vacationer areas identified for buying, arts, and tradition together with the Hongdae Tradition and Arts Particular Vacationer Zone and Insadong, a full of life space stuffed with artsy decorations and historic spots.
The entire household can take pleasure in wandering round this colourful place and benefit from the full of life ambiance, from daytime to nighttime.
Apart from searching for souvenirs, you may cross the time at one of many many conventional tea outlets. You too can see road distributors making and promoting the well-known Dalgona Sweet (Korean Honeycomb Toffee) made in style by Netflix’s Squid Sport.
The meals
One other spotlight for the entire household was the scrumptious Korean meals that we acquired to take pleasure in throughout Seoul and a few hands-on experiences together with sampling seaweed and kimchi making on the Kimchi Museum.
Throughout one lunch tour, we had Dakgalbi, a spicy stir-fried rooster dish made with boneless rooster items, rice, and a few greens. One other night, we loved a festive Samgyupsal meal at a ship restaurant docked at Han River. Ove a number of days, we loved meals like Bulgogi, Tteokboki, and the well-known Bbq Hen and craft beer within the famed Myeong-dong vacationer district.
Nonetheless, probably the greatest meals we had in the course of the journey was at a easy native eatery that served grilled mackerel and fish stew that our tour information James introduced us to.
It wasn’t a flowery restaurant and never the standard place you’d deliver vacationers, however judging by the gang of native cyclists and the empty plates after our meal, you would inform everybody loved the fare.
NOTE: A model of this text was first printed within the October 2023 subject of Enrich Journal. Half 2 will concentrate on the fashionable, technological, and kid-friendly points of interest in Seoul.
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