Best shopping in Seoul — Top 10 best shopping places in Seoul & best underground shopping Seoul

If you have been travelling and shopping in South Korea before, you normally heard people talking about Dongdaemun. This is a convenient and bustling shopping district (because it’s near downtown Seoul) where a lot of department stores with numerous trendy clothing brands are located. And, since it became a major tourist attraction, pricing here in Dongdaemun has started to increase significantly compared to what is used to be. Now, check it out our best shopping in Seoul guide with top 10 shopping districts (top shopping in Seoul) you definitely cannot miss including best shopping places in Seoul, top shopping places in Seoul, best shopping mall in Seoul and especially is cheap underground shopping in Seoul (underground shopping Seoul) below.

So, how can shopaholic shop for affordable and decent Korean clothes? We have followed the locals and discovered some interesting shopping districts, especially the underground ones, where the Koreans love to visit for low-cost and quality deals.

Besides ordinary tourist destinations (normal shopping malls and centers), we also include below top 5 underground shopping malls in Seoul where our local Korean pals really enjoy visiting.

1. Dongdaemun

Dongdaemun is even busier at night because it is a must-visit place in Seoul for tourists as well as local traders, who can be identified by features such as wearing sunglasses, holding a calculator in hands with a backpack behind. A lot of clothing stores in Myeong-dong pick up their goods from here.

• Transportation: Subway line number 1.4 Dongdaemun Station, line number 2.5.6 Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station
• Opening hours: 10:30 A.M to 12:00 A.M, and open until 4:00 A.M on Friday and weekend
• Shopping tips: 60% of the posted price (remember to make a bargain when shopping here).

2. Myeong-dong

Myeong-dong is a typical reflection of Korean culture (Hallyu): all kinds of goods including clothes, footwear, souvenirs, cosmetics, groceries stores, foods, sauna houses, luxury department stores as well as trending products from domestic TV shows and experimental Kpop exhibitions are available here. Even though Myeong-dong does not cover a large area, the density of make-up brands is extremely high, which is the main reason why it is a promise land for tourists. Thus, Myeong-dong sometimes makes you feel “hard to breath” due to the fact that it is overload.

• Transportation: Subway line number 4, Myeong-dong Station
• Opening hours: 10:30 A.M to 10:30 P.M
• Shopping tips: 80% of the posted price (Myeong-dong is the hub of cosmetics for beauty guru, but extra gifts are becoming less and less).

3. Honggik University (HongDae)

HongDae is a university focusing on study fields such as fine arts, cinema and music, which make the area surrounding HongDae full of the vibrant and artistic vibe. On the weekend, HongDae students gather at the nearby children’s park to sell their handmade creative art pieces. In the morning, there are only a few shops here, but it is a completely different story at night. The place turns into a night market where you can experience nightlife of Korean culture, singing at KTV and having some Soju with your friends.

• Transportation: Subway line number 2, Honggik University (HongDae) Station, exit 5, walk for about 10 minutes to arrive there
• Opening hours: 11:00 A.M to 10:00 P.M
• Shopping tips: 90% of the posted price (the most common major at HongDae is Fine Arts, so there are a lot of small shops related to arts in the nearby district offering a variety of interesting creative handmade stuff).

4. Ewha Woman’s University

Ewha Woman’s University, also called Edae (abbreviated of Ewha Yeoja Daehakgyo), is the most prestigious private university for female students in Seoul and the largest woman university in the world. Clothing stores, footwear and cosmetics shops for women are situated around the main entrance of Edae, creating the name ‘Women’s street’. Most of the stores are open at 11:00 A.M, suitable for study schdules. A few other shops close on Sunday so it is the best for shoppers to visit this fashion street on weekday afternoons to get the best experience here.

• Transportation: Subway line number 2, Ewha’s Woman University Station
• Opening hours: subjective to students’ study schedules, a lot of stores are close on the weekend
• Shopping tips: 70% of the posted price (personally, I think walking around Ewha University campus will consume all the shopping time).

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