Walking is by far the best way to really soak in a city. I don't feel like I've visited a place until I've walked the streets, eaten the food, and talked to locals.
So we decided to book a private walking food tour through Marriott Bonvoy (since Bryan had some points he could use).
When the tour guide reached out to us, one of his first questions was "Do you walk well?"
"YES!" we said. "We love walking, and often walk many kilometers a day when traveling."
Wow. Did he honor our wish. This generous, semi-retired Korean tour guide ended up staying with us for over FIVE hours! It was only supposed to be a 3-hour tour. And boy, was he FIT for a retired person, walking along with us for that entire 5 hours.
1. Street food at Gwanjang Market Seoul Korea
After filling up our bellies with breakfast at the market, we walked towards the palace and surrounding areas.
2. Gyeongbokgung Palace
3. Cheonggyecheon Stream
Cheonggyecheon Stream is a long 11km long "urban" stream that runs through Seoul. It was created through an ambitious urban renewal project in 2003. For decades, the historic stream was paved over, a massive elevated expressway sitting on top of it. However, in 2003, the city decided to demolish the expressway and restore the stream. This pedestrian-friendly zone is a great place to take a walk (a bit removed from the cars), enjoy art installations, and learn a bit of history.
Our tour guide told us some fascinating (and somewhat disturbing) history about some of the stones that were used to build some of the bridges in the area.
4. Korean Ginseng Chicken at Tosokchon Samgyetang
Next, we went to Tosokchon Samgyetang (土俗村蔘雞湯) to sample one of Seoul's most famous Korean ginseng chicken places! We waited about 30 minutes in this looooooong line (that moved fast), and then enjoyed a lovely, heartwarming lunch. You can read the full post about our experience at Tosokchon Samgyetang here.
5. Bukchon Hanok Village
Bukchon Hanok Village is a traditional village filled with hundreds of hanok homes dating back to the Joseon Dynasty. The beautifully preserved traditional hanok houses have elegant curved roofs and narrow alleyways. Because it is a real living community, there are respectful visiting hours—typically from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM—to minimize disruption for the residents.
Climb up high enough, and you can see some nice views of Seoul below.
6. Baek In-je House
A nice way to explore the inside of a hanok house is to explore Baek In-je House. This house was owned by a Korean doctor who was quite well off. You can see the life of a wealthy Korean during that period of time.
We learned fascinating stories, such as the fact that the daughter was not allowed to leave the premises (which, admitted were quite spacious, but still . . .) until she was an adult.
7. "Cheong Wa Dae" Blue House (Former President's Residence)
Cheong Wa Dae or the "Blue House" has a fascinating history of being the president's residence since South Korea was established in 1948. Perhaps akin to the "White House" in the US, it represents generations of the center of presidential power, serving as both office and residence.
Interesting, many presidents have tried to move the residence, due to purported bad "pungsu" (Korea's verison of "feng shui"), the building's symbolism of imperial power, or connection with military dictatorship. However, this did not really happen successfully until March 20, 2022, when President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol moved the president's office to the Ministry of National Defense building and opened up Cheong Wa Dae as a park for the public to enjoy.
For the first time in 74 years, the president's residence and grounds were open to the public! It was an amazing opportunity for researchers and everyday people to enter the building for the first time, giving them first-hand access to this very famous but (previous) inaccessible building.
The gardens are beautiful and it's quite soothing to explore these grounds that the public had not seen in 74 years (!).
Interestingly, after the impeachment of President Yoon (following the 2024 martial law crisis), the new President Lee Jae-myung announced he would return to Cheong Wa Dae!
Just like that, in August 2025 Cheong Wa Dae closed to the public again, preparing for the President's return.
It certainly feels a bit surreal to walk these grounds knowing they just opened up in 2022, and have since closed in August 2025. I didn't know it at the time, but I'm so thankful that our tour guide asked us if we wanted to go to this place (which was not on the original agenda).
The line to go inside the building was insanely long, so we skipped going inside but we got some nice photos of the building and also enjoyed the lovely gardens.
8. Insadong
It's a very cute neighborhood with all sorts of trendy shops, cute cafes, and restaurants. The old-style buildings add to the charm, although at times it can feel a bit touristy. Bryan is standing in front of a private residence whose owner refused to move out, despite the area becoming very gentrified and commercial. Must be tough living here with all these tourists swarming around your home every day!
Outside the Tour: Starfield Library at Coex Mall
Finally, just one final place to mention since it's really famous：we didn't go here on the walking tour since it's on the other side of the river (definitely not walkable) from most of the tourist sites.
Definitely check out the Coex Mall in Gangnam, which has a stunning Starfield Library that has books going from floor to ceiling. It's really quite a cool sight to see.
The Coex Mall itself is also an interesting snapshot into Korean modern life.
If you have time, check out the Hyundai Department Store, which has a cool food section on the bottom floor!
And that's a WRAP for our Korea series! So excited to add a new country to the blog this year. Click here to see all the Korea posts on one page!
