One of my favourite neighbourhoods in Seoul so far is Insadong. Located just about right in the middle of Seoul, this area contains traditional teahouses, crafts and craft products. This area also contains over 100 galleries and is one of the oldest culturally important areas of Seoul. This area use to be the point of antique trading when the Japanese occupation began and today has morphed into an area where art from past and present reside.
It’s sure to be on your list of things to do as it’s a very popular tourist spot for all those souvenirs. The plus side is that there are pottery and art supply stores here for that something different.
Getting lost in the traditional alleyways was a pleasure. Many restaurants are closed in the late afternoon so they can prepare for dinner. I came across this alleyway (got lost!) looking for the entrance to the Kyung-In Museum of Fine Art. I passed many beautiful tea houses which I have yet to stop at.
As you walk down the main strip, you’ll come across an outdoor mall called Ssamzie-gil. It won’t be hard to miss with greenery covering the walls on the outside. Inside, there are 4 storeys of craft stores to visit or stick you head into winding it’s way up to a small food court and look out. The staircases are covered in art as well.
How to get there:
Closest metro stops are Jonggak, Anguk or Jongno 3-ga.
Have you been to Insadong? Is it on your list?
Lingo in Transit 
Sometimes it’s worth getting lost along the way, it makes you discover things you would never have looked for.
Exactly!
Insadong looks so beautiful! And somewhat quiet and residential…kind of incredible given it’s smack-dab in the city center! I’d love to wander the alleyways and perhaps pop into one of the teahouses for a snack and afternoon tea. Looks like you could spend a whole afternoon here!
There are many pockets of hanok villages in Seoul. It’s really cool and it really feels like you’ve been transported elsewhere! I need to go back for a teahouse. My problem is wanting to be on the go all the time.
First time I’ve heard of Insadong, but it looks fascinating. The kind of place you could enjoy wandering- lots of colour and creativity. Enjoyed the virtual tour, thank you!
Thank you for reading! I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
It looks amazing – your photos are beautiful. I’d love to visit Seoul one day
Thank you so much. I hope you get to soon!
I’m sure I would love this area too! Cute traditional streets and craft stores? That sounds like the dream ahah! I hope I’ll be able to go there myself one day! Thanks for sharing and taking us along!
AND the art galleries change almost every 2 weeks (I can’t believe it, it’s hard to keep up!)
I stayed in Insadong when I visited Seoul. Loved it! Hope you didn’t have any friends in that terrible crush in Seoul recently. 😦
Oh awesome! Luckily everyone I know here is safe. What happened was such a tragedy.
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