Background
In July 2023, our family visited Seoul, South Korea! This has been at the top of our family wish list for a few years. In the last few years, k-drama watching for Jenn has made it jump higher on the list. We visited in late July and combined this trip with a Hawaii visit and 5 days in Japan.
This post covers our second full day in Seoul and visits Gyeongbokgung Palace, Gwanghwamun Square, and Hongdae Cafes.
Read all of our 2023 Korea/Japan posts at the following links:
- Seoul, South Korea: Flights, Logistics, and Hotel Info
- Seoul Day 1: Myeongdong, Namsangol Hanok, Seoul Tower
- Seoul Day 2: Hanbok rental, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Gwanham square, Hongdae
- Seoul Day 3: Gangnam Area, COEX Aquarium, Myeongdong Night Market
- Kyoto, Japan: Flights, Logistics, and Hotel Info
- Kyoto Day 1: Higashiyama Temples: Maruyama Park, Yasaka Shrine, Kiyozdemeru
- Osaka: Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan and Osaka Dotonbori
- Kyoto Day 2: Arashiyama River Cruise, Monkey Park, Bamboo Gardens,
- Kyoto Day 3:Aeon Mall, Nishiki Market, Pokemon Center,Gion Matsuri Gallery
- Kyoto Day 4: East Kyoto Temples: Philosophers Path, Nanzeji Temple
Day 2: Hanbok rental, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Gwanham square, Hongdae cafes
Hanbok Rental
Hanbok Rental: This was one of the highlights of our trip! We rented outfits for 2 hours and walked to the palace across the street. We used a company called chambok. Outfits were 10-20 each for the 2 hours and it also came with some small hair decorations. The ahjummas were so sweet and helped us pick our outfits and get dressed. Ellie was a princess and Carter loved dressing up as a magistrate. From here we walked half a block to the palace
Gyeongbokgung Palace
Gyeongbokgung Palace: The palaces have free entry if you’re wearing a hanbok outfit. About a quarter of the visitors were wearing hanboks. It was so fun people-watching and sightseeing while dressed up. The palace was gorgeous, although busy. There are a few short guard changing ceremonies at different times throughout the day. It was hot hot hot and we didn’t time a tour or get a lot of context but it was fun to walk through the buildings and take pictures. We only stayed about an hour
Gwanghwamun Square
Gwanghwamun Square: Right across the street from the palace, there’s a small square with large statues. Gwanghwamun Square is mainly known for its two landmark statues? The King Sejong the Great of Joseon and Admiral Yi Sun-shin. Its a popular spot for K-drama films including memories of the alhambra where the statues come to life in a VR game. Very fun! From here, we caught a taxi to Hongdae (This was a 30 minute drive)
Hongdae Cafes
Hongdae Cafes: This neighborhood was so fun! On the main streets, there were tons of cute shops and activities. We stopped for a fantastic lunch of grilled meat that was really cheap. Per the recommendation of a friend, we stopped at 2 cafes. The first was a meerkat cafe where you could pay a fee and pet animals such as racoons, kangaroos, and meerkats! FYI, you had to be 7 to play in the meerkat room and Ellie was too young. We still had fun watching and seeing the other animals.
We also went to a harry potter themed cafe! It was a little pricey as drinks purchases were required for each person. There were several floors of sights to visit and some cute visuals but only a small interactive robe section and the kids weren’t familiar with Harry potter. The hongdae atmosphere was really fun with lots of people hanging out including some dancers in the streets. There is also a cooking show called NANTA that was recommended on many of the blogs I read.
Itaewon dinner: Near the hotel, we had some pork cutlet and pastries at a shop near our hotel. If we had more energy, it would have been great to go out to one of the night markets to explore but we were pretty tired.
More Asia 2023 Posts
Read all of our 2023 Korea/Japan posts at the following links:
- Seoul, South Korea: Flights, Logistics, and Hotel Info
- Seoul Day 1: Myeongdong, Namsangol Hanok, Seoul Tower
- Seoul Day 2: Hanbok rental, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Gwanham square, Hongdae
- Seoul Day 3: Gangnam Area, COEX Aquarium, Myeongdong Night Market
- Kyoto, Japan: Flights, Logistics, and Hotel Info
- Kyoto Day 1: Higashiyama Temples: Maruyama Park, Yasaka Shrine, Kiyozdemeru
- Osaka: Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan and Osaka Dotonbori
- Kyoto Day 2: Arashiyama River Cruise, Monkey Park, Bamboo Gardens,
- Kyoto Day 3:Aeon Mall, Nishiki Market, Pokemon Center,Gion Matsuri Gallery
- Kyoto Day 4: East Kyoto Temples: Philosophers Path, Nanzeji Temple
