Review of: Seoul 5 Days 4 Nights (5D4N) Itinerary - What to See, Do, Eat and Seoul Trip Planning TipsRating:5Summary:This is our first trip to Seoul so we tried to do as much sightseeing as possible e.g. the famous Nami Island and the Demilitarised Zone and Joint Security Area through day trips from Seoul. If you are a shopaholic, you might consider dropping one of the day tours and just have one full day exploring Hongdae and Ewha - go in the afternoon after lunch and weekends - that will be when most shops are open.If you are planning a trip to Seoul, this blog post might help – you will find a downloadable Seoul 5 Day 4 Night (5D4N) Itinerary and a visual guide of the various attractions we visited here. You can also download our Jeju 4 Days 3 Nights trip itinerary here. Korea Travel Instagram feed and do follow us too!  This is our first trip to Seoul so we tried to do as much sightseeing as possible e.g. the famous Nami Island and the Demilitarised Zone and Joint Security Area through day trips from Seoul. 

If you are a shopaholic, you might consider dropping one of the day tours and just have one full day exploring Hongdae and Ewha – go in the afternoon after lunch and weekends – that will be when most shops are open. I recommend staying in Myeongdong – we stayed at J Hill hotel at the heart of the Myeongdong shopping district – affordable and convenient.  When in Myeongdong, buy skincare products and as a matter of fact – only buy skincare products in Myeongdong as you will get lots of samples when you buy any amount of facial masks, toner, lotions etc.  80l backpack coverRemember to print discount coupons from the Visit Korea Committee (VKC) if you are buying skincare products at Myeongdong.dds backpack Next up – Shopping at Hongdae Market. laptop bags dundrum

Take the MRT from Line 4 Myeongdong station to Line 2 Hongik University station (Exit 6). During weekends, there are interesting markets set up at Hongdae Park e.g. flea market and art market. Next up – Shopping at Ewha Market. Take a taxi from Hongdae Market to Ewha Market. Both markets are very near and the taxi fare is about S$4-5. While the ladies shop around Ehwa university, I eat – first stop: meat skewers. Takes 20 minutes to prepare from their raw form to tasty BBQ version Next – popcorn chicken along the street leading to ehwa university; despite being deep fried, the meat tasted tender and not too oily! – Magic of Korean fried chicken! Head back to Seoul for dinner if you are catching a NANTA performance at Seoul Myeongdong NANTA Theatre.  One suggestion for dinner – Yoogane Chicken Galbi fried rice – must try when you are in Seoul Nanta Cookin’ – a must catch show when you are here in #seoul – one hour of action packed performance! Egg on top of butter bread – a must try food street snack (1500 krw) when shopping in myeongdong – or post-theatre snack after NANTA.

It is possible to take the MRT + commuter train to Nami Island and Petite France (both at the Gapyeong region). We booked a private driver (about 300 USD) – taking the public transport will be much much cheaper but you will need to coordinate the train and bus schedule and there will be quite some time spent travelling.  This is what Nami Island is famous for – the lanes of trees on Nami Island made famous by the show “Winter Sonata”. There is a statue which re-enacts a key scene from Winter Sonata.  Here you find tourists posing in front of the Winter Sonata statues on Nami Island – they looked like they are strangling each other! Nami island souvenir coins – these are actually legal tender currency on Nami Island! One of many Nami Island souvenirs – they are supposed to represent the male and female lead in Winter Sonata show. Merlion spotted at Nami Island – unfortunately a very weird copy! Next – Petite France – small French-themed village with lots of photo taking opportunities

If you are a fan of the book – “The Little Prince”, then you must visit Petite France from Seoul! Beautiful little French houses at Petite France – just 1.5 hours from Seoul Next up – Shopping mania at Dongdaemun shopping complexes – this is called Good Morning City shopping complex – there are at least 4-5 more of such big shopping complex all around Dongdaemun area.  It is like Platinum Mall in Bangkok – except much much bigger. Wholesale sunglasses at Pyoung Hwa Fashion Plaza – also one of the many wholesale markets around Dongdaemun. One of the long chocolate – vanilla ice cream for sale at Dongdaemun night market – should try at just 2000 krw Visit Noryangjin Fish Market for the fresh seafood.  Here you can buy live seafood from Level 1 – bargain hard for a good price (for the seafood itself + cooking and preparation fees). The seafood stalls works with the restaurants at Level 2 to cook and prepare your purchased seafood for youOne of the many seafood vendors in Noryangjin Fish Market – they will proudly show off their products!

Four abalones for about 10 usd at Noryangjin Fish Market – cooking is charged separately Moving on to Gangnam from Noryangjin – At #seoul beauty belt – starting from Apgujeong train station, you see lots of before & after plastic surgery ads! Going back to Myeongdong – we checked out the various themed cafes in Myeongdong – starting with O Sulloc – a green tea themed cafe.  Green tea swiss roll at O Sulloc tea house @ Myeongdong #seoul #ktosingapore – expensive at 4500 krw ! Planning his escape from the Myeongdong Cat Café… The cat seems to be saying “Can I help you?” :-p @ Myeongdong Cat Cafe Dinner at Myeongdong Red Sun toppoki feast – mix of ramen, rice cakes, ham, cheese etc in a spicy soup – delicious! 명동 즉석떡볶이 Red Sun At USO Camp Kim for our trip to the Demilitarised Zone and Joint Security Area!  Book your tour with Koridoor early for your DMZ and JSA tour. At the Joint Security Area – face-off between ROK & US soldiers and North Korean soldiers