Do comment below if you have any other places in Seoul/Jeju Island that you would like to share and I might visit on my next trip (if I havn't already!).

Things like portable Wifi rental and airport transfers could be booked in advance to ensure that your trip to Seoul is hassle-free. You could also get a SIM card for local calls and mobile data (much cheaper compared to a portable wifi rental if you are travelling alone or in pairs).

Day 1
Anguk Station

INSADONG & BUKCHON
Streets full of vendors and food, plus the Ssamziegil open air shopping centre in Insadong (photo) is definitely worth visiting.
Bukchon is more of a traditional village area and you could get some interesting ootd shots there.

MISS LEE CAFE 별다방미스리
Famous for their doshirak (photo), Miss Lee Cafe is a back-to-school themed cafe, perfect for a gathering with old schoolmates.



Day 2
Ewha Women's University Station

EWHA UNIVERSITY TOWN & YEOLBONG JJIMDAK 열봉찜닭
Ewha is popular among the youth and it is a popular shopping district for cheaper clothes and accessories. Ewha University is open to the public and it has a spectacular view.

BONJUK 본죽
One of the more popular porridge places in South Korea, Bonjuk even have instant porridge packs in convenient stores!


Hongik University Station 


HONGDAE
Another popular spot for the younger crowd, Hongdae is a lively place at night. Also, did I mention that you could find lots of unique/tasty street food there?

THANKS NATURE SHEEP CAFE 땡스 네이쳐 카페
Dog cafes, cat cafes, rabbit cafes, owl cafes... now I've seen it all. The resident sheep were kind enough and affectionate towards their owner. They could be seen taking morning strolls on the streets of Hongdae.



Day 3
Hapjeong Station


YG BUILDING / YOUR PUBLIC OASIS / GET & SHOW CAFE
Hapjeong is the quieter part of Hongdae but there are also quite a lot of interesting cafes and stores here.


Dongdaemun

DONGDAEMUN DESIGN PLAZA & YELLOW CAFE
Where else could you shop till 5am? Yellow Cafe, however, closes around 11pm.


Day 4
Hyehwa


AND.HERE CAFE 앤드히어 카페
Owned by Big Bang's Seungri, the Belgian waffles here are worth the money. Do try the original one with blueberry yogurt ice-cream (bottom). Cozy atmosphere too.

IHWA MURAL VILLAGE
Famous for their painted staircases. Unfortunately they were both under maintenance when I was there.


Myeongdong

FOOD/SHOPPING DISTRICT & YG REPUBLIQUE
How could one miss out Myeongdong? It used to be THE place for beauty products but now it's just super crowded and better deals could be found elsewhere. Still visited for the food though.



Day 5
Jeju Island
Caught a flight from Gimpo Airport to Jeju Island. Slacked around and went for a kBBQ dinner. Visited the eMart in town after that.
(pics coming up soon)


Day 6
Jeju Island

GLASS CASTLE MUSEUM
Skipping all the nature trails and teddy museums, we decided to visit the Glass Museum for a few hours.

MONSANT CAFE 몽상
Interesting architectural structure and owned by Big Bang's G-Dragon were reasons enough for a trip to Jeju Island.


Day 7
Konkuk University Station

COMMON GROUND
Blue-photogenic-containers-turned-shopping-area.
On a side note, there are lots of eateries on the other side (namely Apgujeong Rodeo Street). Had a friend bringing me around, all the alleys and streets were so confusing and I doubt that I could find the way out in an emergency.


Day 8
Sinsa Station (Garosu-gil)

LINE FRIENDS CAFE & STORE
If you are a fan of LINE, do visit! (or join the queue at the entrance for a photo with Brown)
Wasn't as expensive as expected. Or you could just get something from the cafeteria. Ice-cream is always a good idea in summer.


REMICONE 레미콘
Famous for their Thunder Bomb (photo) but keep in mind that the queue is quite long + small outlet.

HANCHU FRIED CHICKEN 한추
Only opened after 5pm, wasn't too crowded but supposedly has the best fried chicken in town.


Day 9
e-Mart Shopping
Went crazy at the nearest e-Mart and rushed to the airport.

It was a Friday afternoon and there weren't a lot of people around so we chilled there for a while.

They also sell some trinkets and candies near the cashier.
From what I could tell, they were going for the we-are-going-to-trigger-your-childhood-memories decor hence the nostalgic food items (metal lunch boxes) and stuff from two decades ago.
Or you could simply call it a school-themed cafe.





Not sure whether I should be happy or upset that my head didn't even brush against the bottom of the stairway.
There are also pen and paper for you to leave a note/message there. Some of the weirder ones include a note asking to be T.O.P's (member of kpop group BigBang) wife. But basically you could just leave a 'so-and-so has been here' or your bucketlist there.



Bingsu빙수 (shaved ice): Milk Ice Flakes in Pot (₩11,900)
One of the best bingsu that I've ever had. It is soft, and melts in the mouth. I love the milky flavour and it was neither too much or too little unlike most bingsu outlets in Singapore and Malaysia. The red bean certainly added flavour to the bingsu and the tteok topping the dessert was chewy but not too difficult to bite on.



Dum dum dum, the main reason we were there:
Dosirak도시락 (Korean lunch box): Byeoldabang's memorial assorted box (₩6,500)
The dosirak at Miss Lee Cafe comes with a bowl of seaweed soup, egg, sausage/luncheon meat, and kimchi. It wasn't too spicy that even my brother who could not eat much spiciness enjoyed the dish. For me, I love the combination even though it was a simple one.
(There was this phase where a sunny side up with soy sauce was sufficient for a meal with rice)



BUT WAIT. How do you actually eat the dosirak?
One must not simply scoop up some rice and swallow it, not while having dosirak!

Step 1: Make sure that the container is sealed, with the lid on top.
Step 2: Shake it like there's no tomorrow to evenly distribute the kimchi and the other ingredients. You could start dancing to a song if you want to.
Step 3: Open up the lid and shake your head at the now messy and unglam dosirak in front of you. Smell the goodness and eat it anyway.

Anyways, one dosirak wasn't really enough but that was all we had. -sulks- Would try to make it when I have the time (it seemed simple enough but good kimchi isn't easy to find/make).



144 Yulgok-ro, Gwanhun-dong, 

Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

별다방미스리 인사동점
서울 종로구 관훈동 144번지 2층

Nearest train station: Anguk (exit 6)

*near the Insadong Tourist Information Centre and located above a GS25 convenience store.