5-day, 4-night girls' trip itinerary
Buchiko
6 days ago
This time, I took a 4-night, 5-day trip to Seoul✈️
First up, day 1. From Incheon Airport, I took the limousine bus to Dongdaemun.
It was my first time staying in a hostel, but the location was unbelievably good, the facilities were new, and with this level of satisfaction, a hostel is more than enough for me from now on✨
They also had free laundry and instant ramen services, and I could freely restock face towels.
The only downside was there was no elevator, but when staff were around, they carried my luggage for me.
After checking in, I immediately started shopping.
This time, I stayed 2 nights solo, then met up with a high school classmate for the next 2 nights, such a fun plan✨
For the first half before my friend arrived, I did an outlet tour.
I topped up my beloved transportation card's 5-day pass, and headed to Gasan Digital Complex🚃
I wandered around Mario Outlet and Lotte Outlet, then spotted a 50% off sale at MLB👀
Since I’m petite, the kids sizes fit perfectly, so I got everything I wanted, sandals, pants, a hoodie, and sweatpants.
Back to Dongdaemun for more shopping.
I stopped by my favorites at Hyundai Outlet, then at my target shop on the 6th floor of Gwanghee Market, I bought six handmade genuine leather bags made by the owner👜
The bag I found on my last Korea trip has been so incredibly easy to use that this time I bought all the styles I liked in different colors.
I was grateful they accepted a mix of Japanese yen and won, but they said profit margins on bags are thin, so even after buying this many, the discount was only 10,000 won.
I couldn’t carry any more, so shopping was done for the day.
I bought my favorite yogurt at a convenience store and enjoyed it slowly in my room.
And then day 2.
I was so tired the night before that I only had yogurt, so I woke up early and went to Seungune Sikdang, which I’d found on Instagram.
I wanted the sweet and spicy stir-fried squid, but orders start from two servings. So I went with the sundubu set meal instead, and the ajumma’s side dishes were truly delicious, it was totally worth going out of my way first thing in the morning.
The rolled omelet in particular was incredible!!!🍳
Until my friend arrived in the evening, I headed straight to another outlet again. I pushed myself and made it all the way to Giheung Outlet using my transportation card🚌
I made the mistake of asking ChatGPT for directions, which turned out to be a huge error. It really hit me that info with limited data can be risky.
I was so over it that from there I trained myself to use Naver properly. Once I got the hang of it, everything went smoothly.
At Giheung Outlet, I picked up some great finds at New Era and Nike, then headed to Dongdaemun in the evening.
I met up with my friend, and we went for an early dinner of Dak Hanmari🍻
Dak Hanmari with abalone and ginseng.
It came with pajeon and ginseng tempura, and on the way out they even gave us souvenirs like ice cream, Jeong’s Choco Pie, Yakult, and a face mask pack. The owner’s Japanese was so good, and I found yet another favorite spot.
After that, we looped around from Gwangjang Market to Dongdaemun, checked out places like Daiso, Olive Young, and No brand, then I headed back to the hostel a little earlier.
Day 3 started with my pre-booked makeup and haircut.
We went to the super popular Hosu Dosan in the morning.
There was even a Japanese elementary school girl there, reviews really are powerful!
I was a bit disappointed because my skin wasn’t moisturized enough, so the foundation didn’t blend well, but for hair I tried a wavy style for the first time.
I was thrilled that waves actually worked on my hair type.
Since my appointment was early and I skipped breakfast, after makeup we went to Jojo Kalguksu. The clam noodles were so good I was completely obsessed, but then it was almost time for my spot at Mukuya, which I’d only booked just in case, so we went for a second lunch.
Even though we were already way too full, we headed to the Anana Photo Studio I’d booked. It’s a simple studio, but the photographer was really kind, and the shoot felt comfortable and easy.
It was about 14,000 yen including two retouched photos plus all the shooting data.
They printed the photos on the spot, let us decorate them, made a collage photo, and even tucked a small lamp into the paper bag. I was so impressed by the thoughtful wrapping✨
After the shoot, we strolled around Seongsu, but it was so crowded we couldn’t really enjoy it, so we moved on to Itaewon. We tried to reach Haebangchon, which my friend wanted to see, but since she had also asked Chatty, we got the subway exit number wrong, headed the opposite way, and even went to a different cafe.
In the end there was nothing we could do, so we took a taxi to Haebangchon🚗
Maybe because it was a holiday, Haebangchon in the evening was packed with people. Still, it’s such a lovely area, like little European alleys lined with shops, and we told each other it was worth not giving up and coming.
Since we were there, we waited for rooftop seats to open up and took a break for a while☕️
From there we visited filming spots from Itaewon Class, and then went to our final destination, All that Jazz, to watch a live jazz show🎷
That day was a special event, a jam session where tons of artists kept coming up on stage one after another from the audience.
We enjoyed it all the way through from 7:30 pm to 11:00 pm.
It was such an exciting stage, it became a night to remember. As we were leaving, the artists came out of the venue, and we even got photos together, I was beyond happy.
On day 3, we also woke up early again and went to the Artist Bakery in Anguk. We were seated on the terrace right away, and had breakfast with bread and coffee☕️
We headed to rent hanbok, aiming for first thing at 9:00, picked our outfits first, and started exploring. Then came the shocking news that Gyeongbokgung was closed due to a holiday substitute day, so we decided to go to Changdeokgung instead.
The weather was unbelievably good, so we got beautiful photos under the blue sky.
By the way, since it was the two of us and we planned to wear hanbok and do makeup, I brought a full-size DSLR even though it’s heavy. It really is on a totally different level from phone photos✨
After enjoying hanbok, it was time for lunch.
We went to Wangbijip in Myeongdong for their great-value weekday lunch menu. My friend had a night flight, so her time limit was getting close, and lastly we went to the The North Face outlet about a 10-minute walk from Seoul Station.
She bought kids-size clothes here too, then we said goodbye to her after this store.
I stopped by Lotte Outlet and Lotte Mart, made a card through the Check in Seoul campaign, got two packs of Buldak plus a Lotte Mart discount, then headed toward Dongdaemun.
I really wanted to eat Shilla Jemyun, but it seemed like you could only order from two servings, so I gave up. I visited my favorite shops around Dongdaemun, bought yogurt again, and that wrapped up day 4.
On day 5, I had a mole removal appointment in the morning, so I went to Myeongdong. I paid an amount that was nowhere near what SNS made me expect, but it was my lack of research, I’ll use it for next time.
For lunch, I went to Sojeong Bossam Jongno Branch, where you can order a set meal for one. I love their kimchi more than anywhere else, so I really enjoyed my final meal.
You can order in Japanese, and they process card payment right there. That kind of efficiency is even more amazing!
I stopped by Off Beauty and Starbucks at Gwangjang Market, and the sense of style in Starbucks’ renovation was so good it honestly shocked me☕️
Next time I definitely want to try alcohol🍸
I picked up my luggage at the hostel, avoided subway stairs, and used my transportation card to take a local bus to Gimpo Airport🚌
Since I arrived early, I checked my luggage and went to Lotte Mart Gimpo Airport. After checking out stores here and there, I went back to the airport and enjoyed makgeolli in the lounge. I was happy they even had chestnut makgeolli.
I arrived safely at Kansai International Airport, then headed straight back to Nara✈️
After getting home, I unpacked in 30 minutes, then it was the usual souvenir photo time.
My suitcase was miraculously exactly 23.0 kg😆
I did tons of shopping, made lots of memories, and had a wonderful Golden Week.
Next, I’m planning to visit Korea in September and October✈️✈️
