Insadong Shopping Street, Seoul (must see)

Insadong-gil is a major shopping street and a true magnet for visitors to the Korean capital. You will know you are in the right place when the modern cityscape gives way to a lively stretch lined with boutique galleries, craft stores, souvenir shops, restaurants, and the abundance (nearly 40) of traditional-style wooden tea houses.

As you walk south along Insadong-gil, keep an eye on the shop windows. This is one of Seoul's best-known areas for traditional Korean goods, including hanji paper, ceramics, calligraphy supplies, folk crafts, artworks, tea, and souvenirs. Rather than staying only on the main street, look into the narrow lanes branching off on either side. Many of Insa-dong's most atmospheric restaurants and tea houses are tucked away in these quieter alleys, often behind modest wooden entrances or small courtyards.

About midway down the street, look for one of Insa-dong's easiest landmarks to recognize: Ssamzi-gil, at 44 Insadong-gil. Its entrance opens into a large central courtyard surrounded by shops on several levels. Instead of ordinary floors connected only by stairs, a gently rising walkway winds around the building, allowing you to browse upward past craft shops, galleries, workshops, and small eateries. Continue all the way to the top for the rooftop garden. Ssamzi-gil opened in 2004 and was designed as a cultural complex combining traditional crafts with contemporary Korean design.

Almost opposite, at 49 Insadong-gil, is Anyoung Insadong, a more modern cultural and shopping complex. Look for its larger contemporary façade facing the street. Inside are galleries, cafés, restaurants, shops, and entertainment spaces, making it a useful contrast to the smaller traditional businesses surrounding it.

Continue south from here and keep exploring the side alleys whenever something catches your eye. Street-food vendors add another dimension to the walk, while antique dealers, stationery shops, pottery stores, bookstores, and art galleries preserve Insa-dong's long association with Korean arts and crafts. On Sundays, the atmosphere becomes particularly lively when the street is traffic-free, and performers and buskers share the roadway with pedestrians.

Insa-dong is therefore best enjoyed slowly: browse the main street, step into Ssamzi-gil, wander through the smaller alleys, and finish with tea or a traditional Korean meal away from the busiest part of Insadong-gil.