Asia - Seoul Sights and Shopping Recommendations?

I am planning a trip to Seoul Dec 7th for a "shopping" trip. Will be flying LAX-NRT-ICN and possibly staying a day and a 1/2 in Tokyo on my return. Will try to take bullet train to Kyoto to do day sightseeing then back to Tokyo for return flight. Would love to get some insight from anyone having been to SEL and any must not miss areas for shopping. Thanks for any info!

Welcome to FT!

I'm afraid your post is a bit confusing though. You've posted information about your eccentric and flamboyant plans for Japan here in the Japan Forum, but you seem to be actually asking about Seoul.

Questions about Seoul go into our Asia Forum
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=460

If you enter Seoul into the "Search this Forum" feature you should find a few posts with answers to similar questions to your own.

If these don't help you and you are after something more specific, then feel free to either tag on another question to a previously made thread, or, if your own question is unrelated to what you've already seen, then start a new thread there.

Hope this helps!

I'd be interested in the same - will be there for a short one night stay in a couple of weeks.

What should I see in my one free day that is unique?

what kind of shopping are you interested?

This does sound as though it really is a Seoul question. Thus, I'm going to move the thread to the Asia forum. However, if the OP truly means to ask about Japan instead, would you please message me? I can return the message to the Japan forum.

Please feel free to post a question that is specific to Japan in that forum.

And welcome to FT!

SanDiego1K
Senior Moderator

If you enter Seoul into the "Search this Forum" feature you should find a few posts with answers to similar questions to your own.


Right you are LapLap^, search for "Seoul" would have yielded:

How best to maximize 21 hours in Seoul: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=684455

Information about Seoul Hotels: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=565924

ATM’s in Seoul: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=734015

Seoul food/dining thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=683329

Another good forum to search in is the Trip Reports forum: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=177

Where if you search for Seoul, you will find a trip report about Seoul and the DMZ@:-)@:-)

Have fun it is a wonderful City

Big_Dutch asks a very good question, are you interested in designer brands, local Korean goods, trinkets or .... ?

what kind of shopping are you interested?

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if you are going on a "shopping" trip, then make sure you visit some of the duty free shops within the city (hotel shilla, lotte hotel, etc.) or make sure you leave some time to browse at ICN and enjoy all the luxury goods available at the terminal!

seoul also has a very active "night market"... near dong-daemoon and nam-daemoon. there are a number of complexed located near one another and hundreds(literally) of vendors looking to make wholesale/retails sales in the wee hours of the night. typically open in the afternoon~early morning. you can find almost anything in these markets, dongdaemoon catering more towards clothing... you might also enjoy walking around "myung-dong" which is another shopping area with lots of little shops to look around in.

itaewon, which is the foreigners'/expats'/US army district... has a large offering of A class knockoffs... just stroll along the road in front of the hamilton hotel, and you will have plenty of sales guys in the street leading the way to their "shop". i wouldn't go alone, though. take a friend. :D

The most exclusive fashionista shops are located close to the Grand Hyatt up on Namsan hill.