Lotte World, Seoul
This quite amazing theme park located in 40-1
Chamshil-dong, Songpa-ku, Seoul, which is open
365 days a year, is quite unusual in that it covers the
top floors of a huge shopping centre and also covers a
separate section across the road. Lotte World includes
adventure and thrill rides, a bungee jump section, swimming
pools, a haunted house, restaurants, and a hotel. There
is also an attached Folk Musuem which is worth going to
see, in its own right. This is certainly worth visiting.
For more information visit the Lotte
World website.
Coex Aquarium, Seoul
Quite often Koreans like to combine together cultural
entertainment with shopping facilities and the COEX Mall
is one of such examples in Seoul. The Convention and Exhibition
Centre here is combined together with an aquarium, a 16-screen
cinema complex, restaurants, shops etc. The COEX mall
is located by Samseong subway station.
Maruzon Kimchi Market, Seoul
Kimchi is a national food obsession in Korea and it
is, together with rice, the Korean staple diet. This market
in Seoul is specialised in everything to do with kimchi,
selling every type of kimchi. You can reach it by catching
the metro and getting off at Balsan Station-Line 5, Exit
2 or Gimpo Airport-Line 5.
Namdaemun Market, Seoul
Namdaemun
market is the biggest traditional market in Seoul. It
is made up of indoor shops together with thousands of
stalls. Shopping here is a really unique experience and
this Seoul market is very popular with locals as well
as tourists. Here you can find everything from clothes,
souvenirs, hardware, things for the house, ginseng, underwear
and much more.
Take the subway line 4 and get off at Hoehyeon Station,
to reach the market.
Dongdaemun Market, Seoul
This Seoul market was opened in 1905 specialising in
wholesale clothing. Now it has more than 20 malls, selling
every type of fashion items, both retail and wholesale
at low prices.
Some of Dongdaemun shopping malls open from 10 in the
morning until 5 the following morning. Seoul is a city
that never sleeps and Dongdaemun market reflects the city’s
hectic spirit. The closest subway stop is Dongdaemun Stadium.
Insadong market, Seoul
Insadong, located in the heart of old Seoul, is popular
with tourists and offers a lot of art galleries, antiques
shops as well as cheaper souvenir shops. The closest subway
stations are Jonggak Station, exit 3, or Jongno 3 (sam)-ga
Station, exit 1.
Other shopping areas and markets in Seoul include: Myeong-dong,
for middle price range shops; Apgujong, for very expensive
designer shops; Itaewon, the area were many foreigners
live in Seoul, which has many antiques and clothes shops
and a clothes market; Yongsan Electronics market, where
you can find everything to do with electronics and modern
technologies at low prices. Last but not least, the amazing
(if you like seafood) Noryangjin Fish Market, Seoul’s
largest fish market with over 700 fish shops and several
restaurants where they can cook for you the fish you just
bought. Like in other Asian countries, some of the fish
is sold alive, kept in water tanks and fished out as soon
as a customer chooses it.
