Four days, three nights in Seoul: shop, get cosmetic treatments, and eat your fill!
zoeeye
5 days ago
This time, my trip to Seoul was a short 4 days and 3 nights. Even though it wasn’t that long, I still managed to pack in everything I needed to see, eat, and buy, I even squeezed in some aesthetic treatments, so you could say the itinerary was pretty full.
By the time I arrived in Seoul on the first day, it was already past 8 p.m. Basically, I didn’t plan anything special for that day, I just wanted to make it to the accommodation smoothly and end the day safely. Unexpectedly, the moment I got to Korea, I met the kindest older driver, not only was he super friendly, the whole ride was genuinely comfortable. Whenever you meet a good person on the first day of a trip, you somehow get this feeling like, “Okay, this trip should go smoothly.” It was a really nice start to this Seoul trip.
On day two, I officially started running through the itinerary, and the first stop was the Outlet. To be honest, I was a little excited beforehand, thinking an outlet would mean I could dig up some cheap, nice-looking finds, but once I got there… well, it felt a lot like Taoyuan Dayou Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, if you know, you know (lol). Overall, the brands and styles were pretty dated, and after walking around, there wasn’t really anything that caught my eye. If you’re coming with the mindset of scoring bargains on current-season, cute styles, personally I wouldn’t really recommend it, your time might be better spent shopping somewhere else.
Right after the outlet, I rushed off to get my nails done. Everyone at the shop was really friendly, and the overall service felt great, but the manicure itself might not have been the best fit for me. During the process, they tended to touch the skin next to my nails pretty often, and after a few times, I ended up feeling a bit nervous. On the other hand, the hair removal experience was amazing, fast and super comfortable, that one was totally a win for me!
After that, of course I couldn’t skip one of the most important parts of coming to Korea, shopping. Next up was Olive Young and the duty-free shops, and I slipped right into the familiar mode of “This looks like I could buy it, that also seems pretty good.” Korea is seriously dangerous, especially once you walk into Olive Young. You start out thinking you don’t really need anything, but as you browse, your basket somehow starts filling up on its own.
In the evening, I had an experience scheduled at Guhojae. The vibe was completely different from the daytime shopping frenzy, it added a bit of traditional Korean culture to the trip, so it wasn’t just endless buying. Along the way, I also picked up two things you pretty much have to drink in Korea, banana milk and an iced Americano. I mean, since I’m in Korea, if I’m not holding an iced Americano, it feels like something’s missing (lol).
On day three, I went to Hongdae and Lotte Mart. Hongdae was still as fun to browse as ever, food, shopping, and things to see are all packed into one area, perfect for wandering around without a set goal. After that, I headed to Lotte Mart to restock and buy all kinds of snacks, souvenirs, and anything I wanted to bring back to Taiwan in one go. By the third day of the trip, my suitcase was basically entering the “Can I even fit any more in here?” phase.
That night, I didn’t plan anything fancy. I just ate some grapes and ended day three in a relaxed way. After all the shopping, walking, and buying, being able to sit down back at the accommodation, eat fruit, and rest unexpectedly became one of the comfiest little moments of the whole trip.
Day four was also the last day, and I had a very important aesthetic treatment scheduled, YouI. I originally thought I’d planned the timing pretty well, but reality proved: I was being way too optimistic.
As soon as the treatment was finished, I realized it was already later than expected, and then I launched straight into Seoul’s ultimate final mission, catching my flight. Watching the time get tighter and tighter was honestly stressful, I almost thought I was going to end up staying in Korea for an extra day. Thankfully, everything worked out in the end, and I made it onto the plane. At that moment, there was really only one word left: phew.
Even though 4 days and 3 nights is really short, this time I managed to cram in almost everything I wanted to do, from the Outlet, nails, hair removal, Olive Young, duty-free shops, and Guhojae, to Hongdae, Lotte Mart, and the aesthetic treatments on the final day.
There was great food, great shopping, a few disappointments, and even the thrill of almost missing my flight.
Seoul is such a strange place. Every time before I go, I think, “I probably won’t buy much this time,” and I still end up carrying a ton of stuff back to Taiwan. And every time I get back, I tell myself I probably won’t need to go again anytime soon, but not long after that, I’m already looking up flights to Seoul again.
