{"id":97171568,"date":"2015-05-29T10:00:14","date_gmt":"2015-05-29T10:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/?p=97171568"},"modified":"2015-08-06T21:01:57","modified_gmt":"2015-08-06T21:01:57","slug":"seoul-shopping-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/seoul-shopping-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Bring An Extra Suitcase: Seoul\u2019s Best Neighborhoods for Shopping"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seoul is a flourishing metropolis with lots to see. The South Korean capital\u2019s innumerous attractions can be overwhelming, but one thing is clear: It\u2019s a shopper\u2019s paradise. Whether you\u2019re in the market for cute socks, K-pop albums, cosmetics, Korean snacks or traditional souvenirs like mother-of-pearl handicrafts and colorful hanboks<\/em>, you\u2019ll want to bring an empty suitcase to haul all your purchases home.<\/p>\n

But with so many different areas in the city, where do you even start? To help you sort it all out, here\u2019s a handy neighborhood guide to point you in the right direction.<\/p>\n

Hongdae<\/h3>\n

Great for: fashionistas, lovers of cute things, coffee addicts, young people in general<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Hello

Hello Kitty Cafe, Hongdae, Seoul, South Korea<\/a> by Jirka Matousek<\/a> is Licensed Under CC by 2.0<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

The Hongdae area is home to Hongik University, the country\u2019s premier school for fine arts. You\u2019ll see the local culture\u2019s creative influence reflected even on outdoor walls and fences, as graffiti has become a more legitimized form of art.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to exhaust yourself browsing Hongdae\u2019s shops for cute accessories and vintage threads or checking out the handmade goods at a weekend flea market \u2014 there\u2019s so much to see and buy! When your feet need a rest, park yourself at any of Hongdae\u2019s plentiful cafes (there\u2019s a Hello Kitty-themed one and several cat cafes!) and people-watch to scope out how the locals are sporting the city\u2019s latest fashion trends.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re traveling with other people, you\u2019re sure to have a blast at the Trick Eye Museum<\/a>, which features interactive exhibits and optical illusions that make for great photo opportunities. And at night, choose from a wealth of sleek bars and clubs that cater to the party crowd as well as indie music enthusiasts.<\/p>\n

Dongdaemun<\/h3>\n

Great for: families, night owls, street food connoisseurs, design aficionados<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Dongdaemun

Dongdaemun Design Plaza & Park<\/a> by Nestor Lacle<\/a> is Licensed Under CC by 2.0<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Dongdaemun is known for its market, and it definitely lives up to its retail-oriented reputation. There are countless\u00a0multi-level malls selling textiles of all sorts, from trendy new threads to traditional outfits to a whole street dedicated to toys and stationery. Bargain hunters can enjoy haggling with wholesale storekeepers to get the best price. With some shops open until sunrise and street food stalls operating similar hours \u2014 shopping works up the appetite! \u2014 you\u2019ll have lots to see and buy.<\/p>\n

Of course, Dongdaemun has more to offer than just shopping and dining. Just north of the scenic Cheonggyecheon stream lies the imposing Heunginjimun Gate, first built in the 14th century and the namesake of the neighborhood. (Dongdaemun translates to \u201cGreat East Gate.\u201d) For some futuristic architecture, check out the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, just a short walk across the stream. Often compared to a giant UFO, the DDP is a sleek structure celebrating Seoul\u2019s contributions to excellent design and serving as a space for exhibits and conventions.<\/p>\n

Gangnam<\/h3>\n

Great for: label lovers, plastic surgery seekers, people trying to avoid\u00a0the outdoors<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\u570b\u969b\u6703\u8b70\u5c55\u89bd\u4e2d\u5fc3

\u570b\u969b\u6703\u8b70\u5c55\u89bd\u4e2d\u5fc3 & COEX Mall<\/a> by lohasteru <\/a>is Licensed Under CC by 2.0<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

There\u2019s more than just clothes and accessories to shop for in the neighborhood made world-famous by Psy. As one of the wealthier areas in Seoul, Gangnam is widely known as the center for cosmetic surgery procedures, with clinics on pretty much every block. In addition to being cutting-edge and generally cheaper than the U.S., cosmetic surgery is so common in South Korea that nobody will judge you for walking around with a face wrapped in bandages!<\/p>\n

While you\u2019re walking off your rhinoplasty, take a stroll around COEX Mall<\/a>, the world\u2019s largest underground shopping mall. The newly renovated space is home to tons of stores \u2014 including the must-visit Lotte Duty Free shop \u2014 as well as an aquarium, movie theater, and lots of dining options. Outside of COEX, you\u2019ll find plenty of high-end brands scattered in the area.<\/p>\n

Myeongdong<\/h3>\n

Great for: families, beauty addicts, foodies<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Merchandise

Merchandise <\/a>by Chelsea Marie Hicks<\/a> is Licensed Under CC by 2.0<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

South Korea has arguably arrived as a global powerhouse in the beauty industry, and Myeongdong is the mecca for anyone who\u2019s ever heard of Missha, Etude House, The Face Shop and more. Best of all, these shops tend to give out lots of samples and freebies, so you always get more than what you pay for.<\/p>\n

Not looking to beautify? There\u2019s more \u2014 in addition to big, brand-name stores that line Myeongdong\u2019s sidewalks (such as Zara and SPAO), street stalls open up and sell clothes and accessories toward the afternoon and evening. The area is a pedestrian-friendly tourist haven, which means you\u2019ll find no shortage of restaurants and street food, from decades-old shops specializing in hand-cut noodles to carts whipping up 12-inch-tall ice cream cones.<\/p>\n

Have you been to Seoul<\/a>? Let us know where you like to shop!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Seoul is a flourishing metropolis with lots to see. The South Korean capital\u2019s innumerous attractions can be overwhelming, but one thing is clear: It\u2019s a shopper\u2019s paradise. Whether you\u2019re in the market for cute socks, K-pop albums, cosmetics, Korean snacks or traditional souvenirs like mother-of-pearl handicrafts and colorful hanboks, you\u2019ll want to bring an empty […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":97171585,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69,66,97],"tags":[518,520,517,513,519,514,521,516,515],"class_list":["post-97171568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-and-history","category-interests","category-shopping","tag-dongdaemun-shopping","tag-gangnam-shopping","tag-hongdae-shopping","tag-icn","tag-myeongdong-shopping","tag-seoul","tag-seoul-shopping","tag-shopping","tag-south-korea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97171568","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97171568"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97171568\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97172547,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97171568\/revisions\/97172547"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97171585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97171568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97171568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.com\/miles-away\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97171568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}