How to spend 4 days in South Korea

If you know me or Adam, you know we take our travelling very seriously. Any chance we get to take a little trip you can bet we have the flights booked, accommodation sorted & itinerary planned  all within a couple of days! 

'Do it while you can' is very much our attitude. 

We have a list of destinations we would like to explore, and well, that pretty much consists of the whole world...but there was one continent Adam & I wanted to travel to together for a while now, and that was Asia. 

We wanted to go to Japan. Adam suggested, that, if we're going the whole way to Japan, we may as well stop off in South Korea for a couple of days. You know, a 'while we're at it' kind of situation. 

And boy am I glad we did!

South Korea is a truly wonderful country and if you ever have the opportunity to go I would highly, highly recommend. It is so beautiful, the people we met we're so friendly and the culture is just SO different from anything I've ever seen before. If I could have I would have spent longer, but we packed lots in to 4 days and I thought I 'd share everything we got up to. 

Day 1: Dublin - Abu Dhabi - Incheon, Seoul

+ Arrive in Dublin airport on Monday 17th June @ 7am & land in Seoul on Tuesday 18th June @ 12pm then make the final journey to Myeong-dong. 

+ Book into Ibis Styles Ambassador Hotel in Myeong-dong, have a quick nap and a refresh before heading out to explore the area. This was a great area to stay in! 

+ After finding your bearings on foot, catch the train to Gangnam-Gu. Here you can visit the Gangnam style statue and be embarrassed while your husband tries to reenact the music video. Head over to the Coex Mall and get lost in the Starfields Library. Make the first of many skincare purchases in Olive Young and browse the other stores. We also checked out a Korean McDonald's menu, because you just have to, right? 

+ Head back to Myeong-dong Station and go towards the Cathedral. Make your way through the busy streets enjoying the many crazy shops and local street food, ready for a big day tomorrow. 

Day 2: Explore the City

+ Get the train to Anguk Station around 7am to beat the crowds at Cafe Onion. Then chill in Starbucks for 50 mins while your husband travels back to the hotel to get the passports you were supposed to bring for the main thing you're going to do that day. 

+ Then it's time to visit the beautiful Bukchon Hanok Village with the most stunning traditional houses and gorgeous views. Visiting hours are between 10am - 5pm out of respect for the resident who live there, so keep it chilled and enjoy. 

+ One of the best things we did while visiting Seoul was renting traditional Hanboks. Then head to Gyeongbok Palace in your new outfit to get in for free! Almost everyone was wearing their hanboks, you should definitely do it. Spend time enjoying the surroundings and taking lots of pictures. 

Book your hanbok rental with  Klook , there are lots of packages; we did the 4 hour rental which, in 35 degree heat  and everything else we wanted to squeeze in, was plenty for us! 

+ Time to get some dinner. Head to Kwanggjang Market to try some local delicacy's and some other great dishes. By now it is almost sunset and the perfect time to get the train to N Seoul Tower.  Take the cable car up, enjoy the stunning views and relax watching the sun set on day 2 in Korea.

Day 3: DMZ Tour

+ Rise & Shine for a bit of history & culture on the DMZ Tour. We booked with Klook, and Dora our tour guide was amazing! We had an great day taking in the history, walking through the Third Tunnel built by North Korea and exploring a little bit of Unification Village. 

+ With a limited number of people being allowed into the DMZ per day, hopefully your bus driver has been quick off the mark and got your tour back by lunch time because it's time to visit Insadong. This is such a vibey area with so many coffee spots, shops, restaurants & iconic Korean photo booths. We recommend Mil Toasthouse for some delicious brunch, but there are so many options to chose from. 

+ Time to freshen up after your early start and head for dinner. We met some of Adam's colleagues for authentic Korean BBQ and stopped at 7/11 for an iced drink (if you don't know, get to know) while we slowly wandered back to our hotel. 

Day 4: 

+ On your final day head to a coffee spot for a slow morning after many early starts & watch the world go by in beautiful Seoul. We stayed around Myeong-dong station as we were catching the train to the airport. 

+ Grab any last minute souvenirs in the many shops around & head to a Wappen store to make your personalised South Korean memento! 

+ Make your way to Incheon Airport via the comfy airport bus to head home or onto your next destination! 

I need more time and more money to visit Seoul again, a stunning and super friendly country with such a rich history and a chilled, edgy vibe. 

P.s. The cafe culture...I'm obsessed!! Here's a list of cafe's or restaurant's I would've loved to try but couldn't squeeze in: 

• Egg Drop 
• Teddy Burre House 
• Chang Chang Restaurant 
• Sinleedoga
• Soha Saltpond
• Cheonsudang 
• MammaMia 
• Layered Cafe
• Blue Bottle
• 5 to 7 Cafe 
• Yuki Mochi

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Most, if not all, pics are taken by my husband Adam

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Links to trips, experiences and guides: Hanbok Rental and DMZ Tour