Hate crowds? Don’t go to MyeongDong. It is one of the major shopping districts in Seoul where tourists and locals flock to get some serious shopping done. But. If you love shopping and would want to experience Korean street food and get souvenirs on the cheap (and not-so-cheap), MyeongDong is heaven on earth.
Getting There
This was one of the first places we went to during our first trip. It’s fairly easy to locate. We got there by taking the train. We were lucky enough to have stayed at a hotel which was a 3-minute walk away from the train station. Download the Subway app to know where to transfer trains to get to the MyeongDong station.
Buses are also available. To know which bus to take from the nearest bus stop, I searched for directions using Google Maps.
Directions could get a little confusing and my Hangul-reading skills came in really handy.
What to see in MyeongDong
There are a lot of shops in MyeongDong selling everything from clothes, makeup, toys, souvenirs, and street food! I never did shopping in malls while I was in Korea. All the things I bought (mostly beauty products) were all from MyeongDong. You can find popular beauty shops like Etude House, Skin Food, Nature Republic, Tony Moly, and more. Shop assistants will lure you with great deals. If you’re on a budget, make sure to bring a list with you so you don’t overspend. This wasn’t a problem for me because 1.) Shopping really wasn’t on the prio list during this trip. 2.) I didn’t have that much money to overspend anyways!
We would rather spend our money on the yummy Korean street food! The streets are lined with food vendors selling tteokbokki, chicken with rice cakes, odeng, and a lot more!
Sorry for the blurry pics. As you can probably tell, taking pictures wasn’t the priority that night.
The place is packed with tourists and locals alike especially at night.
I realize I have more pictures of food than anything else. What can I say, I love Korean Street Food! I’ve been to this country twice on different seasons, and I will definitely come back again.
