Sightseeing and Serums: A South Korean Adventure
Coming all the way from the U.S. to South Korea deserves more than just two days. We spent six, splitting our time between Seoul and the DMZ (three days), Busan (two), and Incheon (one) before flying out. Thanks to recommendations from a friend with deep family ties in Seoul, my K-drama and skincare-obsessed daughter and I packed our days with shopping, sightseeing, and soaking up the culture in some of South Korea’s most dynamic cities.
SEOUL
Where to stay
We stayed at the Plaza Seoul, Autograph Collection, a Marriott property, and were very happy with it, especially for the convenient location. Pro tip: Splurge on a suite, as the regular rooms are a bit cramped. If you’re on a budget, there’s a new Moxy that has good value, and for ultra luxury, we heard the Josun Palace is the place to go.
Room service breakfast at the Plaza
Marriott Bonvoy Elite benefit gift at The Plaza
Plaza Seoul lobby
Places to eat
We are bringing you a very full list of dining options for Seoul. While we didn’t get to try every place, we can still recommend since all restaurants below are from a local with great taste!
Myeongdong Kyoja: This is a well-known and long-standing place with Michelin recognition. The recommendation is to order the dumplings and the kalguksu (chopped/knife-cut noodles).
Wangbijip: Eat solid Korean bbq here, as well as highly recommended cold noodles (naengmyun).
Sulbing: Korean dessert spot that has multiple locations; try the shaved ice bowls.
Odarijib: Known for their soy marinated crabs.
Gaesong Traditional Dumpling House: Outstanding dumplings!
Egg Drop: Try this place for Korean egg sandwiches and this can be your snack while touring.
After our tour of Gyeongbokgung Palace, we ate at Maple Treehouse and had tasty Korean bbq in a friendly and welcoming environment.
Things to do
There are many sightseeing options in this vibrant city. We experienced some on our own and some through the tour guide Odynovo. Here are our picks:
The Korean National Museum: A beautiful building both inside and out, with a wide variety of art installations.
Gyeongbokgung Palace: We toured with Odynovo and highly recommend this experience. Learning the history, seeing the architecture, and observing the ‘changing of the guards’ all made this a memorable day.
Before leaving the palace, stop at the museum on the same grounds.
Our tour guide next took us to Bukchon Hanok Village, a charming traditional village that unfortunately is now quite crowded and touristy.
Shopping in Myeongdong for skincare was dreamy! So many brands for a fraction of their cost in the US.
We also shopped in Insadong, with unique boutiques for souvenirs and art.
Souvenir shopping in Insadong
Lotte World Tower was another place we visited on our own (and saw interesting architecture from the car on the way), with solid indoor mall shopping and dining.
A day trip to the demilitarized zone (DMZ) was incredible. This part of our South Korea trip brought history to life. We viewed North Korea from an observation tower, walked through ‘infiltration’ tunnels built decades ago (no photos allowed from here), and saw the Bridge of Freedom, with an in-depth education provided by our tour guide during this small group excursion.
Next stop: Seoul Station to take the train to our next city - Busan! (and not a bad meal from the restaurant in the train station).
BUSAN
Busan at night
Where to stay
The Westin Josun Busan met all of our needs. It’s on the beach with great views, has an onsite spa, and there’s a walking path along the beach just outside the entrance.
View from the Westin Josun Busan
Places to eat
I am ashamed to admit we ate just about every meal at the hotel and did not adventure. We will do better next time and add to this post!
Things to do
Visit the Gamcheon Culture Village. Try to go early or during a time of the year when there are fewer tourists - this place gets very crowded.
Visit the Busan Tower. We saw great views from here and there’s shopping at the bottom of the tower where we purchased seaweed and skincare.
Busan cityscape
INCHEON
Where to stay
Staying consistent in terms of booking with Marriott, we did the Sheraton Grand Incheon and loved it. Next time we may try the newer Nest, one of the Design Hotels, that looks really thoughtfully designed and is much closer to the airport than the Sheraton.
View from the Sheraton Grand Incheon
Places to eat and things to do
We had intended to go to the Songdo Central Park, the Hanok village, and the G-Tower observation deck while in Incheon, but we were pooped from the busy trip so far and just walked around, got Gongcha, had ice cups from the convenience store, and went to the mall before our flight the next day. We will have to return to experience the sights we missed!
