Seoul, Korea With Kids

Seoul is a dynamic, modern city with plenty of food, shopping, nightlife, and beauty services, though I’ll admit it’s probably best experienced with friends or a partner. That said, we still had a great time—despite the intense July heat and leaning into the indoor attractions (read: lots of eating and shopping). 

If you have more time, I’d recommend venturing beyond the capital to places like Busan or Jeju Island. But for us, five days in Seoul was more than sufficient.

Before You Go

• Download NAVER: Google Maps is largely ineffective in Korea. NAVER is the preferred local navigation app, and searching in English works surprisingly well. Bookmark your destinations—restaurants, shops, hotels—in advance of your trip so you can find them on the fly.
  
• Download Kakao Taxi (or Uber): We used Uber, which works most of the time. It calls taxis, but our taxi drivers were all older Korean men who don’t speak English and were not all familiar with how to use Uber. Kakao is more flexible, allowing bookings for five passengers with the “Venti” option.
  
• Book restaurants early: High-end restaurants like the Michelin-starred Jungsik or Mari require advance reservations.
  
• Carry Korean Won: Small vendors and subway machines often don’t accept cards. You’ll need cash to load T-Money Cards (transit cards), too.
  
• Pre-fill your e-Arrival Card: Save time on the plane or at immigration by an e-Arrival form online before your flight.
  
• Staying Cool in a Heat Wave: Forget the neck fans. We found these in Biore cooling sheets in Japan (US here) that literally feels cold when first opened no matter the ambient temperature. 

Orientation of Seoul

Seoul is divided by the Han River into two regions:

• Gangbuk (North): Historic and traditional
• Gangnam (South): Modern, luxurious, and trendy

We stayed in Gangnam at the Park Hyatt—beautiful, but with oddly designed elevators—and found ourselves commuting back to Gangbuk almost every day. Depending on traffic, that can mean anywhere from a 25-minute to 100-minute drive. So keep that in mind when planning.

Exploring Gangbuk (The Old Side)

Gyeongbokgung Palace + Hanbok Rentals

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Renting a hanbok (traditional Korean attire) from one of the many shops near the palace grants you free admission. There are many options around the palace – we went to a place in the southwest corner – but it seems like the most expensive shops are closest, and shops a few steps further away are cheaper.  

I initially resisted, but gave in to my daughter after she saw the other kids and adults dressed up. 

Don’t miss the Changing of the Guards ceremony at 10:00 AM outside Gwanghwamun Gate (southside of palace). You’re allowed to leave and re-enter the palace afterward—even if the signage says otherwise.

Due to the oppressive heat, we cut our palace visit short and detoured to the National Folk Museum of Korea, though I think I was actually looking for the National Palace Museum – oops.

For lunch, we tried Tosokchon Samgyetang, known for ginseng chicken soup. (Our family can always have hot soup, even on a 95°F day.) It’s a bit of a tourist trap, but the wait was short and the food was good. 

Myeongdong Night Market

This street food market starts up at 5:30pm. It gets busy but not sardine-packed as the Taipei night markets do now.  

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We got these tiny tasty fried crab guys, which I had only seen once in Japan. We ate them like chips. 

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We also tried skewered fish cakes, Korean hot dogs, and Mayak kimbag rolls (the Korean version of sushi rolls). 

And we bought Dalgona cookies to bring home and play our own PG-rated Squid Games. (You can also can find them for cheaper at many convenience stores.)

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Cheonggyecheon Stream

Cheonggyecheon Stream reminds me of The Highline in NYC, in that it’s a public space that is well designed both aesthetically and functionally for the purposes of revitalizing an area. 

After the Korean War, many people migrated to Seoul and settled by this natural stream, setting up shantytowns that made evident the severe poverty of the city. The river quickly became polluted, and the government covered up the stream with concrete, forming a paved road and eventually erecting a highway above it in the 70s.  

In the early 2000s, a growing movement to improve air quality and bring back design and open spaces led to a nearly ₩400 billion (US$ 300 million) project to restore Cheonggyecheon Stream. 

Now, it’s a popular spot for families and friends to use, particularly in the evenings. We went during the day, and our daughter enjoyed jumping across the stone tiles to cross the river.

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HiKR Ground (for kids!)

This free, interactive museum is a K-Culture playground. “HiKR” = “Hi Korea.” It’s designed for visitors to experience K-Pop media and film their own K-Pop music videos with the provided stages and backdrops, but our daughter enjoyed exploring the different themes.

She took a subway ride (as a NYer!), did laundry at a laundromat, was a graffiti artist, and skateboarded through a virtual city. There are 5 floors, and the exhibits change regularly. 

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Bukchon Hanok Village

An historic, traditional village with hanok houses, marked by tiled roofs and big wooden doors. Sadly, it’s become so overrun by tourism, that the city now limits visiting hours by tourists and cautions them to keep their voices down.  There are so many souvenir shops hawking awful tchotchkes. We tried to avoid the crowds and go up a smaller, quieter street, but we were politely escorted back to the main street by a resident wearing a shirt with “GUARDIAN” written on it. We felt bad intruding on these their neighborhood, and we left quickly after we got there.   

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Insadong

If you’re looking for more unique, quality gifts, go to Insadong. You can find hand-made pottery, calligraphy brushes, custom name seal stamps, antiques and more.  There’s also the Ssamziegil multi-level complex which has a Williamsburg-y feel and offers indie artisan boutiques and curated kitsch.  

We were so hot. I only took this one photo of my mom and daughter cooling off in front of this “Spot Cooler”.

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And, if timing works out, we found a decent dumpling restaurant, Bukchon Son-mandu, in the basement level of Ssamziegil. 

Other Things To Do in Gangbuk

Here are some other activities recommended to me that we weren’t able to get to:

• Dongdaemun Design Plaza - futuristic architecture, exhibitions and design stores
• Naksan Fortress Hike - chill city hike where you can see a lot of Seoul. We would have done this if not for the heat.  
• Itaewon - Diverse selection of international restaurants, trendy bars and unique boutiques. Good for drinking, lots of bars and clubs. Lots of foreigners. 
• Gwangjang Market - authentic Korean street food, such as bindaetteok (mung bean pancakes), mayak gimbap, and yukhoe (Korean-style beef tartare).

Exploring Gangnam (The Modern Side)

COEX Mall (Aquarium and Library) 👧🏻

The COEX Mall is a massive mall that also has some fun, air-conditioned underground shopping for sweltering hot days.  Inside the COEX Mall is an aquarium, which my sis-in-law took my daughter to (while the rest of us got facials). 

COEX Aquarium

Starfield Library

A stunning library spanning two floors. 

Gangnam Style Hands

From the name-sake 2012 song. I made sure our daughter heard it before we came. 

More Gangnam Suggestions (From My Local Friends)

• Lotte World Adventure - an indoor/outdoor amusement park. While this would have been fun for our daughter, we decided against going. I was more interested in more cultural and unique experiences.  
• Lotte World Tower & Seoul Sky: 5th tallest building in the world, with a sky-high observatory (floors 117–123)
• Han River Picnic (Banpo Hangang Park): Great at night with fried chicken and beer; don’t miss the LED rainbow fountain show
• Garosu-gil - stylish area with trendy cafes, fashion boutiques and beauty stores
• Gangnam Station Area - Youthful nightlife and shopping
• Apgujeong Rodeo Street - Rodeo Drive, Seoul-style
• Garosu-gil: Hip boutiques, cafés, and beauty shops

Day Trip Highlight: DMZ Tour

This was the most memorable part of the trip—for me, at least. We booked this half-day tour through Koridoor Tours, which took us out on a 1.5 hour drive toward the North Korea border, close to the DMZ.

DMZ stands for Demilitarized Zone, which is the 2 km area on either side of the border.  It was established under the Korean Armistice agreement in 1953 as a buffer between North and South Korea.  The DMZ tour, which is a South Korean government tour, does not actually take you into the DMZ but rather the Civilian Control Zone (CCZ) which is another buffer area south of the DMZ. 

Aside from the obvious South Korean propaganda, there are some really cool things about the tour, like the Third Tunnel – one of the many tunnels that North Korea dug in order to attack Seoul before being discovered. At 240 feet underground, a mile long and less than 5’5” high (I had to duck), the tunnel was capable of transporting 30,000 soldiers per hour.  It’s a sharp descent down and a steep climb back up the same way. We’d have taken our time coming back, except that my daughter urgently had to pee half-way in! 

There’s also a stop for the Dora Observatory, where you can see parts of North Korea, like the Joint Security Area (JSA) and the buildings the generals reside in.  You used to be able to access the observatory rooftop and use their binoculars. Due to political tensions, the rooftop is now off limits as is any photography. 

But it was our guide, Moon, and her personal stories – of the Korean War, a boy (her uncle) that was abducted to North Korea, and a reunion between the boy and mom (her grandmother) 50 years later – that I found most fascinating. I wouldn’t be surprised if every guide has their own anecdotes of family members affected by the war. 

Where to Eat

Gangbuk (Old Side)

• Tosokchon Samgyetang - chicken ginseng soup, near palace
• Myeongdong Night Market 
• Bukchon Son-mandu - dumplings and cold noodle, in Ssamziegil
• Gwangjang Market - lots of traditional Korean foods
• Myungdong Kyoja - Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand. Dumplings.
• Namsan Tonkatsu
• Bakjae Samgyetang - chicken ginseng soup
• Hadongkwan - beef bone broth
• Mosu - A Michelin-starred restaurant. Elegant, innovative Korean-inspired tasting menus crafted by Chef Sung Anh

Gangnam (Modern Side)

• Majang Meat Market - Korea’s largest meat market, known for high-quality hanwoo (Korean beef) and affordable cuts. Buy fresh meat and take it to a nearby restaurant for grilling.
• Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market - Seafood market. Buy fresh sashimi or seafood and eat nearby restaurant.
• Jungsik - Two michelin-starred restaurant. There’s a location in NYC, but Seoul’s is two-thirds the price, plus no tipping. 
• Deungchon Shabu Shabu - locations all over Seoul. Shabu meals end with fried rice. We really enjoyed our meal here. 
• Jeju Rooftop Black BBQ - Korean BBQ. Less touristy than all the other places we went to. Known for their Jeju Black Pig, but we found the beef and egg casserole to be excellent. It’s also in a cool, quaint neighborhood. 

To Conclude

My cousin in Taipei summed it up best: “Korea is more suitable for adults 🤣 I always fly to Seoul for derma treatment and shopping with my girlfriends”. She wrote this as she was heading to Okinawa with her husband and kids. I should have consulted with her before the trip! 

I’d love to visit Korea again, perhaps when our daughter is older, it’s not during a heatwave, and we have time to visit other regions.