I spent four months travelling around Asia at the beginning of the year. In April, I spent a week in South Korea, a country that had been on my radar for some time, but was usually overshadowed by Japan. Instead of extending my two-week trip in Japan, I decided to spend a week in Seoul, a city known for K-pop music, skincare and its variety of neighbourhoods.
As Seoul has been named “the world’s greatest city” by CNN, I felt it only right to share my thoughts on the intriguing city.
April was the perfect time of year to be there; temperatures sat at about 26C most days, not too hot, just right. The city did not feel too heavily polluted as some Asian cities tend to, and there was always a beautiful view of the entire city from the area I stayed in, Myeongdong.
This area is known as the “beating heart of Seoul”; it has a huge street food scene and also many, many skincare shops, among other things. Seoul is hands down the best place to shop I’ve ever been. Within 24 hours, I had acquired an entirely new Korean-based skincare routine, and I was glowing.
I also ate Korean BBQ several times in this area, and it was one of the best meals of the entire four-month trip; the novelty of using your own grill to prepare your meat just how you liked it didn’t wear off. I also sampled Korean corn dogs, Kal-guksu and of course, Soju.
Hongdae is another area widely known for youth culture and shopping; here you can find street performers singing K-Pop music while you sip on bubble tea and browse the clothing shops – which cost a fraction in comparison to the UK.
During my six-night stay in Seoul, I visited the DMZ (the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea) and learned a lot about the war between the two. This served as a stark contrast to the vibrant, joyful atmosphere I felt in Seoul, but it was eye-opening and incredible to see and hear about from locals.
If you are thinking about taking a trip to Asia, or specifically Japan, I’d highly recommend trying to fit some time in to see Seoul; it’s only an hour flight from Tokyo and is a must-visit – I can’t wait to go back!
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
