Bongeunsa Buddhist temple was founded in 794 during the United Shilla Dynasty, with a 23-metre tall Maitreya Buddha statue. We came across this temple while visiting Starfield COEX mall.
Starfield COEX Mall
On day 7 of our South Korea trip, we went to the underground shopping mall – Starfield COEX Mall to avoid the rain and to visit Starfield Library! This mall is in the Gangnam District of Seoul, South Korea. It was relatively far away from our location in Myeongdong and it took us nearly 40 minutes to travel there. It is located near Samseong station on Seoul Subway Line 2, at the intersection of Teheranno and Yeongdong Dae-ro.
Myeongdong Night Market
We were so lucky to have booked a hotel (Ibis Ambassador Myeongdong Hotel) so close to Myeongdong night market! Little did we know at the time of booking that this place was so convenient! It is located in the popular Myeongdong shopping district and is within walking distance of many popular locations, like LOTTE Department Store, LOTTE Young Plaza, Namsan cable car, meeting point for day trips etc. It is near Euljiro 1-ga subway station exit 6.
Food to Try at Gwangjang Market
If you are a foodie, then you should visit Gwangjang market at least once! It is a highly recommended place to visit! Just remember to go there with an empty stomach! There are over 5,000 shops in a very small area! This place is very near to Jongno 5-ga Station line 1, exit 7/8, which takes a 3-minute walk or Euljiro 4-ga Station line 2/5, exit 4 and about a 5-min walk. After finishing your food, you can take a stroll near the bridges with stepping stones and shop at the fashion malls near there.
N Seoul Tower & Namsan Cable Car, South Korea
Day five of our South Korean trip was a Saturday and both my children wanted to have a lie-in. Hence we decided to take it easy and visit the local area instead. We were within walking distance (maybe 30 minutes) of N Seoul Tower and booked the tickets with Namsan Cable Car via Klook (costs £76.16 for four people). As the Wonder Trip ticket office only opened at 1pm on Saturdays, we had plenty of time to explore the nearby area before picking up the tickets.
Jogyesa Temple, Seoul, South Korea
Jogyesa Temple is the main temple of the Jogye Order and a symbol of Korean Buddhism, and it is located in the heart of Seoul. It was founded in 1910 and is a place to practice Buddhism as well as a centre for education, culture and social services. This is a very impressive and colourful temple. The Main Dharma Hall/Daeungjeon is open 24 hours a day to the public.
DMZ and Ganghwa Island Day Tour
On Day 6 of our South Korea trip, we went on a DMZ and Ganghwa Island day tour which we booked via the Klook app. When we first booked this trip, we were unsure if this was the same DMZ trip as we had previously booked. Anyway, after booking it, we realised that this DMZ trip is on the other end of South Korea – Peace Observatory in Ganghwa island. Hence we booked another proper DMZ tour.
Bukchon Hanok Village
Bukchon Hanok Village is home to over 900 traditional Korean houses and it is one of the recommended places to visit while on holiday in Seoul. The location didn’t disappoint me at all, but many tourists dressed up in hanbok and spent ages taking multiple shots and some were even doing a live feed on the street. They do have a number of tourist officials to control the crowds and make sure they don’t invade the local people’s privacy, especially around the hilltop. I still think it is not easy to enjoy the architecture of the buildings. All we did was try to avoid photobombing other people’s photos or videos. It was not easy to take any nice shots.
Italian Village and Petite France
We had booked this trip to visit Italian Village and Petite France, along with Nami Island and Gangchon Rail Bike. If I was given the choice again, I probably would not have added these two places as part of our day trip. It felt a bit too too rushed and it was an extremely hot summer’s day.
Nami Island, South Korea
My sister-in-law recommended we visit Nami Island via public transport from Seoul (over 1.5 hours to 2 hours or more to travel). As we had two teenagers travelling with us, we decided to take the easy route by booking a day tour instead (around £50 each person, along with these two other locations: Gangchon Rail Bike and Italian Village & Petite France). Therefore, we didn’t need to look out for trains, platforms, exits and walking in the hot sun!
We ate at a Korean BBQ!
If you are visiting South Korea for the first time, besides eating their delicious street foods and kimchi, you have to try out their barbecue at least once! Depending on what you order, it can be quite expensive, but it’s a great experience!
Gangchon Rail Bike, South Korea
When we first researched South Korea, a biking activity never came across my mind. Someone even suggested to me to go biking at the Han River which is definitely not my cup of tea!
Anyway, I decided to take on the Gangchon rail bike only after I came across the day trip for Nami Island offers on the Klook app. As the Nami Island day trip offers add-on activities, I decided to book it along with Petite France and Italian Village. I was so glad we went for it as both my children loved this activity!
Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) Tour, South Korea
On day 3 in South Korea, we went to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) Peace Tour with Seoul City Tour which we booked via the Klook app. It was a half-day morning trip and we were back by 3pm, which gave us time to do other activities. For this trip, we were all required to bring our passports for checking as we were entering the military area. If you don’t have any ID, you will be refused entry.
National Folk Museum of Korea, Seoul
The National Folk Museum of Korea originally began as the National Museum of Anthropology, which was founded in 1945 and opened in Namsan in 1946. It is an educational venue where visitors learn about the daily lives of Koreans in the past and present. There are many artefacts on display, educational photographs, films and videos of the sites of various folk events.
Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul
On day two of our trip to South Korea, we went to Gyeongbokgung Palace but it was raining cats and dogs! We may have been soaking wet but it didn’t dampen our spirits for this delightful place. It was built in 1395 as the main palace and is commonly referred to as the Northern Palace because its location is furthest north compared to the neighbouring palaces of Changdeokgung (Eastern Palace) and Gyeonghuigung (Western Palace).
