So it’s the Weekend and You’re Bored in Seoul

For starters you will never be bored in Seoul. I visited more places, tried more food, and explored more in the first week I was abroad than I ever have in my 20 years of living in the United States. However, after you have finished your studying and school work for the week, it can be difficult to decide from the loads of options there are for fun things to do, so here are some ideas.  

1.Amusement parks

Lotte World

• Outdoor/indoor
• School uniform rental
• Buy your tickets online for a discount
• Can take Line 2 the entire way 

Everland

• Largest theme park in Korea
• Gardens 
• Zoo
• Has one of the fastest wooden roller coasters in the world 

2. Markets 

Gwangjang

• All food 
  • Mung Bean Pancakes
  • Fish cakes
  • Spicy Rice cakes
  • “Live” octopus
  • Chicken feet
• Foreigner friendly venders
• Easy to get to 

Myeongdong

• Cheaper stall shopping
• Foods and Desserts

Dongdaemun

• All the shopping malls you will ever need (26)

3. DIYS

Bag making (Yaniyarn)

• Located in Gangnam
• Reservation required (1 Hour)
• Instruction in English, Korean and Chinese 

Perfume Making (GN Perfume Studio)

• Located in Seocho
• Reservation required (1 Hour)
• Psychological test to find ingredients that suit you best
• Classes in Japanese, Korean, English, and Mandarin

Jewelry (Banji Cafe)

• Located in Hongdae
• Reservation required (2 Hours)
• Can make rings, bracelets, or necklaces

Desserts (Dicha Cake)

• Located in Jamsil
• Reservation required only Saturdays and Sundays (~2-3 Hours)
• Classes in English, Korean, and Japanese
• Making traditional rice and bean paste desserts

4. Shopping (realistic prices)

NyuNyu

• Located in Myeongdong and Dongdaemun
• You know all about how when you walk around Seoul you see all of the same clothing, well they start at NyuNyu and will be cheapest there. 

MPlayground

• Relatively affordable 
• Basics and unique pieces
• Make sure to read the text on the clothing if it has any

Bind

• Has some really interesting and unique pieces
• Hosts other brands
• In the basement of the Hyundai mall in Sinchon
• Pieces may appear on the expensive side but once the exchange rate is factored in it is usually pretty cheap. 

The subways

• Will never fail for cheap decent quality clothing and accessories 
• Particularly good for phone cases, and tech accessories 

5. Nature Parks

Seoul Forest

• Has lots of cute cafes around
• There are deer
• Really nice to simply walk around and have a picnic
• Can take Line 2 all the way there

World Cup Park

• Really good park to go to for sports
  • Basketball, soccer, and tennis courts
• Good for picnicking
• Public bathrooms and showers available

Yeouido

• Near the Han River
• Popular during cherry blossom season

Namsan Mountain park

• It’s a hike but a pretty one
• Can see all of Seoul

6. Cafe Hopping (obviously)

Animal Cafes

• They aren’t hard to find
• You can find cat, dog, raccoon, sheep, literally any animal at various cafes

I Heart Fruit (if you’re starting to miss fruit)

• Cute fruit cafe located in the back alleys of Sinchon
• Owner is very sweet (no pun intended)
• Has fruit juices, smoothies, fruit bowls, salads, and sandwiches
• Good study location as it is away from the main area of Sinchon and is pretty quiet

Antique Cafe

• Amazing desserts and coffee
• Nice chill vibe but I recommend going at an obscure time since it is quite popular

Waffle it Up

• By far my favorite waffle and ice cream place
  • Must try caramel macchiato 
• Really nice vibe
• a little hard to find
• Also recommend going at a weird time and with few people

Plant (for my vegan individuals)

• Located in Itaewon
• The most New York coded cafe in the whole of Seoul
• Everything is vegan, but it can be crowded during lunch I recommend going around 1:30pm

7. Visit Traditional Cities

Bucheon

• Nature Parks
• Manhwa Museum
• Hanok Village

Insa-dong

• Cheonggyecheon Stream
• Jogyesa Temple
• Tea Houses

Seongbuk

• Many Museums
• Cultural Experiences

8. Museums (Free)

National Folk Museum

• Located in Jongno
• Open 9am-6pm all week

National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Korean Art

• Has four branches in Seoul, Gwacheon, Cheongju, and Deoksugung
• Open 10am-6pm on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and 10am-9pm on Wednesday and Saturday

Seoul Museum of Art

• Located in central Seoul
• Closed on Mondays, open 10am-8pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and 10am-7pm on Saturday, and Sunday