“It will be very boring for me.”
This was my first reaction to my friend’s suggestion to travel to Korea during the winter holiday. I thought I already knew almost everything about Korea and it would be meaningless to spend my winter holiday traveling in my own country.
However, six days trip with my best friend, Melody, in Korea really blew my mind. I was completely wrong. I discovered so many unexpected treasures in this place.
HONGDAE – The place full of energy, arts, and souls
Hongdae (image by Sunny)
Hongdae is a region in Seoul and it gets its name from Hongik University. Hongdae is mainly known for its youthful and energetic atmosphere, indie music, and underground culture. Hongdae is recently very famous for the young adults because of the unique cafes, cozy galleries, amazing art free market and fashion shops. This is the place that Melody and I spend a lot of our time and money in eating and shopping. It can be a little tricky and overwhelming when you visit Hongdae for the first time, because there are just too many foods, cafes and shops. So, here are my recommendations around Hongdae when it comes to food, shopping, and entertainment.
Hongdae (image by Sunny)
One thing that you have to know about Hongdae is that you should not make this the first stop on your travel plan. Unlike other streets and shops, the shops and cafes in Hongdae starts around 11am and lots of places do not open until 2pm. Hongdae is one of my most favorite places to go because it has tons of cheap and trendy clothes and accessory. I can tell that this place is the best place for girls to hang out!
There are some main tourism spots that you can enjoy the unique culture of Hongdae.
- Hongdae Walking Street: This area is the main street in Hongdae which has outside performing stage for indie band and other performance crews. If you like to enjoy some cool street dances and performance as well as romantic melodies of various bands, Hongdae Walking street would be the best choice for you.
Hongdae walking street (image via naver)
- Hongdae Mural Street: This area would be the most artistic and cultural place in Hongdae. Other than some simple and free murals, there are also some eye-catching artistic design that make people fall in love with the arts and coziness of Hongdae. This street is also referred to as “Picasso’s street” because of its unique artistic design.
Hongdae mural street (image via naver)
- Hongdae Free Market: The market opens every Saturday from March to November at Hongik Children’s Park. Anyone who wants to join can sign up to sell their hand-made products. There are lots of amazing hand-made products such as candle, accessories and desserts that attract people every Saturday. There are also some other art exhibitions created by artiest on the street.
Honda free market (image via naver) 
Honda free market (image via naver)
We did not have chance to visit the Mural Street and the Free market because of the limited time and I am feeling so regretful by just looking at those images. I used to think that people only visit Hongdae to buy things and foods, but I found that the most valuable and special thing in this place is their youthful energy, ambience, and liveliness. If you have chance to travel to Korea, you must check out this place and feel their energy and passion.
I would like to share some helpful information and website that could help you to fully enjoy Hongdae:
- The best way to get to Hongdae from the Incheon Airport
- 10 Things to do in Hongdae
- 3 Best Korean Restaurants in Hongdae
Gyeongbokgung Palace – The place full of history, beauty, and elegance
Gyeongbokgung Palace (image by Sunny)
We visited Gyeongbokgung Palace on the second day of our trip because we wanted to select the warmest day to wear beautiful Korean traditional clothes – Hanbok. Although I thought it would be boring to just walk around the palace in Hanbok, it was the Melody’s biggest wishlist in Korea. However, unexpectedly, it became a great opportunity for me to wear beauiful clothes, take some nice pictures as well as relearn some long and storied history of Joseon Dynasty. So at the end, I was very thankful for Melody to ask me to visit this amazing place.
Gyeongbokgung Palace means “palace greatly blessed by heaven” and it is the most representative property in Joseon Dynasty. It was built in 1395. Some buildings were destroyed by fire during the Imjin War (1592-1598, Japanese Invasions), but . However, all of the palace buildings were later rebuilt during the reign of King Gojong.
Gyeongbokgung Palace (image by Sunny)
Gyeongbokgung Palace (image by Sunny) 
Gyeongbokgung Palace (image by Sunny)
Gyeongbokgung Palace (image by Sunny)
Every building in this palace has unique pattern, shape, and function.
- Gangnyeongjeon: It is the building used as king’s main residing quarters, which contains the king’s bed chamber. The king used the central chamber while the attendants used the remaining side champers to assist, protect, and receive orders from the king.
Gangnyeongjeon (image via naver)
- Gyotaejeon: It is the building used as the queen’s main residing quarters during the Joseon Dynasty. It is also called Gyotaejeon Hall. Since it is queen’s building, this building contains her bed chamber and it is located right behind Gangnyeongjeon which is the king’s chamber.
Gyotaejeon (image via naver)
There are too many different buildings in the Palace, so it is impossible for me to introduce every building and wall in this huge palace. If you are interested in other buildings, you can check out the link below and get more information about it.
Royal Guard Changing Ceremony
Royal guard changing ceremony (image via never)
One of the most regretful things in the palace is that we missed was the Royal Guard Changing Ceremony, which is only held at 10am and 2pm in the front gate of the palace. You have to buy the entrance ticket for KRW 3000 in order to get into the palace (Quick tip: it is free if you wear Hanbok!), but it is free to enjoy the ceremony since you do not need the ticket in this area.
The Royal Guard Changing Ceremony is a great opportunity to experience a rare traditional scene in Korea. It is exactly same from the actual ceremony performed by the royal guards during the Joseon Dynasty to guard the gate of the palace. You had better bring your camera to take lots of pictures. It would be very fun to see the guards’ colorful and splendid costume and weapons.
colorful costumes and weapons (image via never)
As a high school girls who LOVE taking pictures, we took hundred of the pictures in this palace. Every single wall and building was so elegant and beautiful that we just could not stop pressing the shutter. So I am going to share some of the nice pictures that we took in Gyeongbokgung Palace!
image by Melody 
image by Melody
image by Melody 
image by Melody
image by Melody
Yes, I WAS FREEZING!!!
(image by Melody)
This trip is very special for me because I was always thinking of traveling abroad and always wanting to visit those countries outside of Asia. To be honest, I never thought of traveling Korea, especially Seoul, where is my hometown, because I always think that traveling is to go to somewhere far and new. But from this experience, I almost feel shameful and embarrassing about myself because I realized that the most valuable and meaningful gifts are near us. We do not have to necessarily go too far to find wonderful scenery. Just look around, and you will find lots of unexpected gifts.
*I also made a travel Vlog (a short video) to vividly memorize my trip in Seoul. It is my first time to make this, so feel free to give any advice or comment. And enjoy it!
If you are planning to visit Korea, here are some useful links and recommendations that hopefully could help you plan your trip:
- What to wear during Winter in Korea?
- Seoul’s top 5 underground shopping malls
- What to eat in Seoul?
- Top places to visit in Seoul
Thank you for reading my post and see you in my next post!
ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ ɪѕ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ѕᴜɴɴʏ ᴅᴀʏ 
What an amazing journey! Now I totally regret that I did not join you guys when you mentioned it to me. I shall beg my daddy to let me go! The food, the palace, the Hongdae street are all my dreams about Korea! So jealous! I like how you organize this travel guide, and every link you given is useful tool for getting more information. Besides, the video is lovely! What’s more, I agree you that the best scenery is around us, and we just need to get a closer look at it to find the valuable beauty inside. Sunny! Wherever you go, next time, bring me with you!
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I told you that you should come with us Angela! hahaha I am very sure that you will love all of those places and food! and it’s ok, we can plan another trip during the summer 🙂 Thanks for your comment!
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