Seoul travel blog — The fullest Seoul travel guide blog first-timers

Evening: Going to the Gwanghwamun Square and the Cheonggyecheon Artificial Stream

Day 2: Have fun at Everland, have lunch at Everland. Afternoon, watch the Cookin’ Nanta show.

Day 3: Daylight: Visiting Nami Island. At night: strolling in Myeongdong street.

Day 4: Daylight: Visit Digital Media City (DMC) – Haneul Park – Ewha Girls’ High School. Evening: Visit Hongdae Market.

Day 5: Shopping in Namdaemun, visit the Gangnam or Dongdaemun street.

Seoul travel guide blog: What and where to eat in Seoul?

These are some foods that you have to try in Seoul according to our Seoul travel experience:

Hanjeongsik: The set of portion rice but not as simple as the Vietnamese portion rice set, it is quite similar to the Japanese Kaiseki cuisine with small plates full of foods. A portion of rice is include of many vegetables, meat is cooked in a variety ways of baked, steamed, and definitely must have hot pot and kimchi salted.

Bossam: The fresh pork bacon slices are boiled with pear or apple’s juice, add a little onion and Doenjang soy sauce. The meat dish after cooked must be yellow, clear fat and fatty. Bossam served with raw vegetables such as salads, napa cabbage, white radish kimchi or napa cabbage kimchi and samjjang sauce.

Jokbal: Pig’s trotters are stewed with soy sauce, ginger, garlic and rice wine. Another version of Jokbal is grill instead of stew. This dish is also served with salads or kimchi and samjjang sauce.

Makguksu: Noodles made from buckwheat (Buckwheat noodle), slightly ivory and strange taste. Noodles served in rolls, so will be called makguksu (mak is circle), served with pear, kimchi slices and special sauce.

Kongguksu: Cold noodles served with broth made from soy milk (Soy milk noodle soup), add a little of kimchi, cucumbers to create a sense of elegance, gentle, suitable for the hot days.

Jjolmyeon: Noodles mixed with noodles are placed in a bowl with shredded vegetables, add a little bean sprouts and a boiled egg and a spicy sauce. When eating, you will mix ingredients and enjoy.

Jaengban guksu: “Tray noodles” with rolled noodles presented along with various kinds of vegetables from sweet, hot, bitter, sour, spicy like cabbage, napa cabbage, carrot, cucumber, raw vegetables , … The dish served with bold tasty sauce.

Jjajangmyeon black soy sauce noodle: Noodles mixed with seafood, meat, and chopped vegetables added with black soy sauce to create a catch eyes noodles dish but have a little bit of tough and strong taste.

Jjamppong: Noodles served with seafood soup such as mussels cooked with napa cabbage and extremely spicy chili sauce to create a very spicy noodles dish.

Tteokbokki: Korean traditional rice cakes, with traditional flavor are rice cakes fried with bean sprouts, onions, mushrooms, carrots, western onions and spicy chili sauce served with beef or octopus.

Korean BBQ: Korean Barbecue is a national dish that must try when visiting to Korea. A Korean barbecue “meal” will consist of different types of meat. There are usually sliced fresh side pork bacon: Samgyeopsal (thin slices), Daepae Samgyeopsal (very thin slices), Ogyeopsal (5 layers, thick fat, fatty slices), and Byjjip Samgyeopsal and Kaljip Samgyeopsal (thick slices, carving pineapple eyes to spice up the meat and easy to
ripen); pork ribs…

Bibimbap: Extremely famous rice mixed, Korea’s No.1 specialties, whoever has to eat with rice, shredded vegetables, minced meat and a delicious egg.

San-nakji: Fresh octopus or squid, this is the most unique dish in Korea and is what a dish that not everyone dares to try, but the taste is extremely fresh and sweet.

The best budget eat places in Seoul

South Korea has never been famous for saving meals at an average price of 10,000 won per meal. However, you can find a lot of options to eat full of stomach and still Korean standard in the following areas:

Sidewalks food/ street food stalls: always are the most popular choice for any traveler. You can easily find Tteokbokki, noodles, or skewers on a budget price.

Hongdae University Village: Student Village also means that student price is good, suitable for you to have delicious meals that are not too “fire wallet”.

Haemul-won kalguksu: Located in the Dongmyo area, seafood noodles with kimchi and salty broth is one of the delicious kalguksu restaurants that cost only about 3500 won.

Bulgogi Baekban: This restaurant sells traditional Korean lunch with beef rice. Before cooking meat is marinated with soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and black pepper to create a spicy, warm and attractive fragrance. The price of one serving is 5000 won.

Meals from convenience stores: Sounds may not appealing, but a lunch or rice biscuit, bibibap in the South Korean convenience stores are the solutions to eat full stomach, cheap and quality.

Gwangjang Market: Famous for Korean typical dishes, most notably Mayak Gimbap and 1001 other dishes like rice cakes, items grilled, seafood … with good prices.

Luxury Eats

Noryangjin Fish Market: Famous fish market in Seoul, with famous and “scary” dish, but also worth trying is san-nakji — raw live octopus cut into piecs, fresh to each tentacles. You can also try abalone, oyster and king crab. All these items are bought and processed at the
market. You can bargain for the seafood and then rent cooking for about 20,000 (cooking fee).

Dongdaemun Grilled Fish Street: Grilled fish street in Dongdaemun with all kinds of saltwater fish, fresh water in all sizes are marinated with 1001 spices and special sauces to create a whole fish grilled street with extremely diverse menu but just step on you would not want to come out.

Namdaemun Market and Myeongdong: Not the most famous places for food, but the food carts / sidewalks stalls in these two markets will not make you disappoint.

Delicious japchae noodles at Namdaemun.Gogung Bibimbap: As one of the most famous restaurants that is highy rated by CNN, the main dish served by the restaurant is the bibimbap with two types of Jeonju style bibimbap in a gold bowl or dolsot bibimbap (돌솥 비빔밥) in a clay hot pot . The price for a portion of about 11,000 won.

Extreme Eats

Mapo Sutbul Galbi (마포 숯불 갈비) in Nonhyun-dong: The premier barbecue pork ribs restaurant is loved by many Korean stars for about 30,000 won per person.

Seoul’s Hairtail Alley: The famous dish is the spicy hairtail beef soup, which costs about 21,000 won for a portion.

Seocho Myeonok located in Seocho-dong with Galbi jjim pork ribs or beef stew with special sauce, fresh vegetables and a bit of shop secret. As a result is the dish costs 35,000 won.

La Yeon: The 3-star Michelin restaurant with traditional Korean cuisine but no less delicate and artistic.

Other 2 Star Michelin Restaurants: Gotgan, Kwon Sook Soo, Pierre Gagnaire

1 star Michelin restaurants: Alla Prima, Baloyo Gongyang, Bicena, Bo Reum Soei, Dining in Space, Hamo, Jin Jin, Jungsik, Keunkiwajip, Kojima.

Seoul blog: Useful information when traveling to Seoul

Korean visa: Visa application fee: $US20. According to Seoul travel guide blog, you must pay in US dollars, so you should be prepared before to go.

Korean SIM: With 4G Korean SIM received at Incheon Airport you will be spoiled for surfing the Internet, searching information, sharing your travel photos with friends easily with unlimited high speed 4G LTE connection with KT Olleh provider. Or if you go to a large group you may consider renting Korean wifi box. You can buy sim card in advance here.

For convenience transporting you can buy T-money card (works similar to the Ez link of Singapore and Octopus of Hong Kong). The price of this card is about 2500 won and can be purchased at Incheon Airport.

Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in and from Seoul you can refer to

• Private Incheon International Airport Transfers (ICN) for Seoul
• Private Incheon Airport Transfers (ICN) for Seoul
• Incheon International Airport (ICN) Limousine Bus Transfers for Seoul (Gangnam District)
• Klook Exclusive Seoul 5 Day Pass
• Discover Seoul Pass (BTS Edition Available)
• [SALE] Instant Ticket! Korea Rail Pass (KR PASS) 2/3/4/5 Days to travel around the cities in Korea
• Private Incheon Airport (ICN) and Gimpo Airport (GMP) Transfers for Seoul by S.A Tour
• Everland Private Car Charter with Admission Ticket by Wondertrip
• KAL Limousine Bus Ticket for Seoul
• [Limited Offer] AREX Incheon Airport Express Train One Way Ticket in Seoul
• Bukchon Oneday Hanbok Rental Experience (4/24 Hrs)
• Nami Island, Petite France, Garden of Morning Calm, and Gangchon Rail Bike Day Tour from Seoul
• Seoul City Sightseeing Bus (Downtown Palace Namsan Course/Seoul Panorama Course)
• [Limited Offer] Incheon International Airport (ICN) Luggage Services (Between Airport and Hotel) by Safex
• 4G Prepaid SIM Card (SK Airports Pick Up) for South Korea
• [Sale] Hanbok Experience (Hanboknam Gyeongbokgung Store) with Korean Hairstyling
• [SALE] South Korea 4G Pocket WiFi (KR Airports Pick Up) from KT Olleh
• 4G WiFi (MY Airport Pick Up) for South Korea (Unlimited Data)
• 4G Portable WiFi for South Korea from Uroaming (Unlimited Data)

Are you looking for more Seoul travel guide and top things to do in Seoul: Tours, activities, attractions and other things? Read more: Seoul itinerary 5 days — How to spend 5 days in Seoul & what to do in Seoul for 5 days perfectly?