Winter in Seoul: A 2 day Taste
Seoul, the capital city of South Korea, is a must-see place! It is the largest metropolitan city in South Korea and the 16th largest in the world. Daniel and I visited in January during our Chinese New Year holiday, spending just two days in the capital city. The information you will find below will tell you how to spend 2 days exploring Seoul during Winter time.
Winter time in South Korea is between December and March and it is freezing! The temperature has ranged from -5 degrees to 0 degrees. Personally, if I were planning a trip and could visit another time of year then I would. However, even though my toes have felt better, the things we have done in these 2 days have been fun. Plus, we have got that little taste of South Korean culture, which was our main aim for visiting. Read on to find out more about what we did and how we did it.
What is Seoul Known For?
First off, Seoul is in the Northwestern part of the country and is on the Han River. It is known for its temples, palaces, shops, local food, and history. In the 2 days we have spent in Seoul, we have seen a few of these things. We know there are a lot more historical places you can visit in Seoul and if I were to visit again, I would tick these things off the list. However, on this trip, we wanted to travel slower and not exhaust ourselves by trying to see everything in a short amount of time. It is also freezing during winter, so we wanted to spend more time in coffee shops, eating local foods, and people-watching!
The following activities are for someone that wants to explore slowly and do a few things during their winter time in Seoul. If you are a foodie, I have you covered for what to try and where to find the best of the best! Check out my Google Map with most of the locations on.
The Best Way to Get Around Seoul in Winter
Most importantly, understanding how to get around South Korea is a key ingredient for having a successful, smooth trip in winter. I have been pleasantly surprised at how easy it is. Arriving at the airport (Incheon International Airport) all the staff spoke English and were very helpful and welcoming. Also, money exchanges are at the airport and in many places in Seoul, so you won’t be stuck for cash. Clearly, South Korea welcomes and helps tourists get around. Once in Seoul, we found that the best way of traveling and exploring is by subway.
The trains are modern, in English, and super simple to navigate. Just download the APP ‘Seoul Metro’ and it will tell you how to get to where you want to go. It is also easy to see the touristy hot spots of Seoul using this system. Another plus of using this system is that you will find ticket refund machines when exiting the train station. Just pop your train ticket card in the machine and you will get some money back. Furthermore, Wi-Fi is everywhere, and Google Maps is easy to use to find places. This has been great for us as tourists, you do not need a VPN to connect to the internet and everything has been accessible.
Where to Stay and What To Do in Winter
There are many exciting things to do in Seoul and I feel sad that I didn’t get to do more. However, during our two days in Seoul, we had a great time and it just left us craving more. We stayed in the Holiday Inn Express Seoul Hongdae, which was a great location. We could easily walk to nearby restaurants, cafes, and the subway station is right outside the hotel. This was a great way to escape the cold quickly because everything was at our fingertips!
Activity 1: Walk around Hongdae and see Street Performers and the graffiti walls
My first recommendation would be to just walk around the streets of Seoul to get a feel for the atmosphere and area. We always do this on a trip to a new place and it’s good because you never know what you will stumble across. Hongdae Street, where we stayed is a popular area for university students, so you will see a lot of street performers. K-pop is huge in South Korea and it was cool to see a little bit of that in action on our first night in Seoul. I also learnt who BTS are. If you don’t know, type BTS into your Spotify and you will see that they are a huge Korean pop band in very popular western songs!
Another cool thing to see is the graffiti art along the walls of Hongdae- it feels like a young persons slice of Seoul. As you are taking a stroll around Hongdae, you could also try the fried tofu and vegetables on the street and their famous rice wine (makgeolli) which looks milky. Its a traditional drink and is a strange taste, but worth the try! It is also served in a bowl to drink out of! Its a peculiar taste, unexplainable…but worth the try whilst in this part of the world.
Activity 2: Take Drunken Photos at a Photo Studio
Whilst exploring Hongdae Street we noticed that there are a lot of photo studios. In these studios, you can wear props and take photos with your friends. They also have mirrors and styling equipment if you really want to get fancy! I was surprised at how many of these pop-in studios there were, but it was good fun and a memory you can keep forever. It was also a great activity to do to escape the winter of Seoul for a brief moment. If you need a little courage before going into a photo studio then make sure you head to a local place for local food and SOJU. This I will explain in more detail below, but once you’ve had a few of these shots at dinner, stepping into a photo studio will be a piece of cake!
Activity 3: Taste the Delicious Dak-galbi in a Local Place
This leads me to food. You have to try the amazing, delicious food of South Korea during the winter. Hongdae Street is an excellent location to do that. You have many options, and they are all very close together. The first dish to try is the most popular dish in South Korea- dak galbi. It is a must-dish to try and one you won’t regret. It is prepared in a huge skillet in the center of a table. The dish includes chicken, cabbage, sweet potatoes, cheese, and tteok bokki, which is the name of Korean rice cakes. The whole thing is then mixed in a yummy, sweet and spicy gochujang sauce- which is fermented chili paste. This yummy dish is a sure way of warming yourself up in the cold winter of Seoul.
This dish is famous for its arrival after the Korean war when people needed a cheap but filling meal. Just walk the streets of Hongdae and you will see a place that does this delicious dish. In addition to the great food, you should also try the drink Soju with your dinner. In my opinion, the classic soju tastes like watered-down vodka. However, there are many flavors of soju, that can make you think you are drinking juice and that is dangerous! Soju and alcohol in general are drunk a lot in South Korea and is normal to have a few bottles with dinner. Normally you shoot the soju, but people can mix it too. On our first night, the soju was mixed with beer. It was actually tasty and I highly recommend it.
Activity 4: Visit the Harry Potter Themed Café in Hongdae
Another cool spot to check out in Hongdae is a café called 943 Café, it is a tall building with different floors dedicated to Harry Potter. If you are a Harry Potter fan then this would be a cool place to check out. Especially in the wintertime when it’s cold outside. They also have a variety of drinks and cakes and the interior design is of course themed. However, a downside to the café is that the drinks and food are a little pricey and we were told each person had to order a drink. You couldn’t order a cake and not order a drink. For this reason, the group decided to not explore any further. If you are a hardcore Harry Potter fan then for sure it would be worth it.
Activity 5: Have a Coffee and Dessert at Coffee Brown
Right in the middle of the street in Hongdae there is a coffee shop, called Coffee Brown. The logo is of a Mexican man and this intrigued us to check out. Once inside, we saw that they had lots of seats with large windows to see the street. We had a coffee and a Brulé chocolate chip cheesecake and it was super yummy. It was a good spot to get warm, have a coffee and a cake. Most importantly, it was a good spot to avoid the winter in Seoul.
Activity 6: Experience Myeong-dong’s Shops and Seoul Tower
Myeong-dong is a huge shopping area with large brands like Footlocker and Lush and it is worth visiting when staying in Seoul. We stayed in the Holiday Inn in Hongdae, so the subway station is right outside the hotel, and a very easy journey to Myeong-dong. Once you arrive in Myeong-dong you will easily find rows of shops and restaurants.
There are lots of skincare shops and people trying to sell you their products. We visited the Lush and ended up being in there for a while as the sales lady let me try out many different products! It was a great excuse to be pampered and escape the winter of Seoul. Something to also look into is the tax refund you can receive if you buy something in a store in South Korea. The lady in Lush asked for my passport for the tax refund. As a visitor, you can get back the tax you pay at a shop. As what I bought in Lush was for a friend in South Korea, I didn’t look further into it. If you want to look into this further, this website does a good job of explaining it. https://en.koreagrandsale.co.kr/traveltips/taxrefund
After exploring the shops and restaurants, the best thing to do whilst in Myeong-dong is to take the cable car up to the top of the Seoul Tower. It’s not far from the shopping center and is a lovely way of seeing the whole city. From exit 3 of Myeong-dong station, it is about a 10 minute walk to the entrance of the cable car. You will see a 7/11 outside of exit 3 and if you walk past that to the right of the exit for around 10 minutes, you will see signs to the Namsan Cable Car. It is up the top of the hill and will cost 14,000Krw for a round-trip. The cable car opens at 10am and closes at 11pm, so you have plenty of time to do this activity.
It was also another good activity to avoid the cold of Winter in Seoul for a short time, whilst riding the cable car up and down the mountain. It is worth mentioning that you don’t have to take the cable car up and down the mountain, but in the winter in Seoul, its a good idea!
Once you buy your ticket and board the cable car you will see amazing views of the city. Going in winter time, there was a little bit of snow on the mountain too, which was really nice. At the top you will see many love locks attached in so many places and of course Seoul Tower. We walked around and took some photos of the views and locks. If you decide to go during winter, it won’t be very busy at all and you can peacefully explore.
To escape the cold, there are cafes and restaurants at the top near Seoul Tower and I highly recommend the café Cinnabon which is on the 2nd floor. We had a warm Cinnabon and coffee and sat outside on these fluffy beanbags overlooking the view. The cable car and Cinnabon was a great activity to do whilst in Myeong-dong. Daniel and I aren’t big shoppers, but it was nice to see the area and see Seoul from above.
After exploring the shopping center and taking the cable car up to see the tower, it is best to make your way back into the city and have a nice bowl of something hot. A friend had recommended a beef, noodle soup place, but we couldn’t find it. We ended up stumbling across a Korean restaurant and had a rice cake soup, which was delicious and the right amount of spice! Overall, Myeong-dong is worth the exploration, with the shopping, restaurants and cable car to do.
Activity 7: Eat all the Chicken and Beer you can!
Chicken and Beer restaurants are huge in South Korea, every street has a Chicken and Beer place. The restaurant does what it says in the title and is a must-try when in Korea. We decided to get the chicken platter, which had 3 different flavorings of fried chicken, fries, mozzarella sticks, and potato balls. Truly yummy and wherever you see a sign for chicken and beer, don’t question it- just go in and taste the tender chicken. I also appreciated that they offer everything boneless. For me, this was great! Check out my Google Map of the Chicken and Beer place Daniel and I went to.
Activity 8: Try Japanese Curry at Abiko
My favourite meal we had for a lunch time warm up, was a curry at Abiko. Thick noodles, beef gravy, cheese and fried chicken. It was honestly so delicious and mouth watering. I also had it with a can of their cider and that was great too. I wish I had an Abiko curry where I live.
Overall: Winter in Seoul is Still Fun
Overall, spending two days in Seoul during the winter can be tough. Some even say unenjoyable. However, with the right attitude and plan, it can be a cool cultural experience with yummy food and site seeing. If you like tasting local food and walking around to see the true local atmosphere and experience, then this plan of places to try won’t let you down.
