Stroll through the artistic alleys of Seoul's Seochon neighborhood with a one-day tour guide.

charlesku

2 years ago

Located next to Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seochon is a cultural and artistic gathering place that combines traditional and modern elements in Seoul. Walking around here feels like escaping the hustle and bustle of Seoul and instead experiencing a sense of relaxation and comfort. Compared to Bukchon, I personally prefer Seochon because it is less crowded, making it a more comfortable place to stroll. Plus, the opening of the former presidential residence of South Korea, Cheong Wa Dae (The Blue House), in May 2022 has turned this area into a popular tourist destination in Seoul! So this time, we have organized a one-day tour of Seochon for your reference on your trip to Seoul 😎

Primera parada: La Casa Azul (tiempo de estadía recomendado: 1 hora 30 minutos)

A partir del 10 de mayo de 2022, el antiguo palacio presidencial de Corea del Sur, conocido como 'La Casa Azul', finalmente ha abierto sus puertas para visitas del público en general bajo el lema 'La Casa Azul, de vuelta en los brazos del pueblo'. Solía ser extremadamente difícil hacer una reserva para visitar la Casa Azul, y aquellos que han visitado Corea del Sur antes y han estado por la zona deberían saber que las medidas de seguridad aquí son muy estrictas y no era posible acercarse demasiado a la Casa Azul. Desde la apertura de las visitas públicas, el pueblo coreano ha estado acudiendo en masa a la Casa Azul, convirtiéndola en una popular atracción turística en Seúl. 😂

La Casa Azul está compuesta por el edificio principal, la casa de huéspedes, pabellones de primavera y otoño, jardines verdes, interminables jardines de flores y siete palacios, todos ubicados en el centro. Aunque cada edificio tiene sus propias características únicas, para resaltar las características únicas de Corea, cada edificio está construido en el estilo arquitectónico tradicional coreano. El edificio principal (el de techo azul) es la arquitectura más representativa, y el gran césped delante es un lugar popular para tomar fotos con el edificio principal. Actualmente, muchos edificios están abiertos para que los visitantes los exploren, como el edificio principal y la casa de huéspedes, pero en el futuro se abrirán más espacios para el público. No fue fácil para Corea dar este paso y abrir la Casa Azul a los visitantes, ya que hubo mucho debate y discusión al respecto. Así que, ¡cuando visites Corea, asegúrate de aprovechar la oportunidad de visitar la Casa Azul! Sin embargo, ¡no olvides hacer una reserva antes de venir!

▍Casa Azul 청와대

· 1 Cheongwadae-ro, Jongno-gu, Seúl, Corea del Sur

☞ Horario de apertura: A partir del domingo 12 de junio de 2022 ～Abierto todos los días, de 09:00 AM a 06:00 PM / Cerrado los martes

☞ Sitio web oficial (inglés): https://www.opencheongwadae.kr/eng

☞ Sitio web de reserva (ES): https://www.opencheongwadae.kr/eng/event-reservation

Segunda parada: Casa Azul Sarangbang (Tiempo de estadía recomendado: 40 minutos)

Junto a la entrada de la Casa Azul, hay un edificio llamado Casa Azul Sarangchae, que es una sala de exposiciones que presenta la Casa Azul. ¡Cuando vi las lindas mascotas de la Organización de Turismo de Corea en la entrada, no pude resistirme a tomar una foto! Aquí, puedes repasar los pasos de los presidentes pasados de Corea y aprender sobre las atracciones turísticas coreanas. El primer piso es la Sala de Exposiciones de Turismo de Corea, donde no solo puedes experimentar el encanto del turismo coreano, ¡sino también aprender sobre las historias detrás de la Casa Azul! ¡Pero lo que quiero compartir y recomendar más es la tienda de recuerdos en el primer piso, donde hay muchos productos periféricos con el logo de la Casa Azul (como imanes, insignias y marcadores). Sin embargo, ¡mi amigo compró un recuerdo práctico coreano súper especial, texturizado y representativo, que es una carta de flores tradicional! (Ver imagen) Pero no es el patrón más tradicional, sino una carta de flores texturizada que ha sido rediseñada. Aunque no sabemos cómo jugar a las cartas de flores, ¡es realmente hermosa y adecuada para regalar o conservar como recuerdo! Después de visitar la Casa Azul, asegúrate de venir a Sarangchae y dar un paseo, porque no habrá tiendas de recuerdos dentro de la Casa Azul. ¡Así que si quieres comprar recuerdos relacionados con la Casa Azul, ven aquí!

▍Casa Azul Sarangchae

· 45 Hyoja-ro 13-gil, Jongno-gu, Ciudad Especial de Seúl

☞ Opening hours: 09:00~18:00 (Last entry at 17:30), Closed every Tuesday

☞ Sitio web oficial: http://www.cwdsarangchae.kr

Tercera parada: '효자 분식' (Almuerzo)

This local Korean restaurant in West Village is very close to the Blue House, it takes about ten minutes to walk there. Specifically, we made arrangements to come to this restaurant for lunch because it is the snack stand of Go Ah-rin's family in the Korean drama 'Twenty-Five Twenty-One'! Originally, we thought there might be people like us who came to pay homage to the filming location of the Korean drama, but when we entered the restaurant, we didn't see young people like us at all. It seems that almost all the residents of the surrounding community come here to eat. The menu here is all kinds of common Korean cuisine, although it is ordinary Korean cuisine, it is more like home-cooked food that can be eaten at home. This time we ordered Korean ramen and army stew, and since the portions were a little larger, we really ate until we were full... And the menu here does not exceed 10,000 won, so it's great value for money!

▍'효자 분식' en español

· 108-2 Pilundae-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul ☞ NAVER MAP Información de la tienda: https://naver.me/5pNkIKsJ

Cuarto Parada: Folki (Café)

After finishing lunch, we went to a popular local café in Seochon. Although the exterior of the café does not look like a traditional Korean house, the interior is a fusion of modern and traditional design. The overall feeling is comfortable and relaxing with simple wooden tones and white walls. In addition to the popular photo spot outside, the interior of the café is also a great place for photos. However, the prices are quite high, so it's better to come here for the ambiance than just for the food and drinks. We ordered milk tea, lemon soda, and matcha cake. The flavor of the drinks and desserts is not unique to this café, but we highly recommend coming here for afternoon tea and chatting to experience the local atmosphere of Seochon's high-end cafés. ☕️ Additionally, this café opened around April 2020, during the pandemic outbreak, so if you come to Seochon next time, make sure to visit it!

▍Folki

Should be translated to:

▍Folki

▍Folki in target language

Folki

· 6 Sajik-ro 9-gil, Jongno-gu, Seúl

☞ Horario de atención: Diario 11:00am-10:00pm

☞ Información de la tienda MAP de NAVER: https://naver.me/5pNkIKsJ

Quinta parada: Pueblo Hanok de Seochon (Tiempo de estadía recomendado: 2 horas)

The name of Seochon comes from the fact that it is a town located on the west side of Gyeongbok Palace. Compared to Bukchon on the other side and the area around Anguk station on the subway, Seochon has more of a community alley feel. This was my first time in Seochon, and I had only heard from others that there are many small shops and things to discover here. And it's true! Walking the streets of Seochon, you can discover many amazing cafes, snacks, and many fashion shops to explore. The Daewoo bookstore (대오서점) is also located in Seochon. It is a place that many people come to visit because IU took her album cover photo here. However, if you want to enter the bookstore, you need to make a purchase to sit inside. Since we didn't particularly want to go in, we just took some photos outside.

Además, Sae-mun Market en Seochon es un famoso mercado tradicional en Seúl. Aquí, hay una forma única de consumo llamada 'coin lunch box.' Los viajeros pueden intercambiar won coreanos por monedas en el centro de servicio en Sae-mun Market y recibir una caja de almuerzo. Luego, pueden usar las monedas para comprar bocadillos que deseen de los vendedores cooperativos dentro del mercado. ¡Es una experiencia cultural muy especial! No tuve la oportunidad de probarlo esta vez, pero cuando vine a Corea antes de la pandemia, cambié 5000 won coreanos por una caja de almuerzo de monedas. Fue suficiente para dejarme muy lleno, y recomiendo encarecidamente a todos que prueben la experiencia de la caja de almuerzo de monedas en Sae-mun Market~

▍Pueblo de Seochon

· Área alrededor de Hyoja-dong, Jongno-gu, Ciudad Especial de Seúl (45 Pilundae-ro)

Sexta parada: '영화루' (Cena)

For dinner, we went to the famous Chinese restaurant '영화루'. I found out about this place thanks to the recommendation of a YouTuber and I saw that it has appeared in many TV shows and even in Korean dramas, including 'She Was Pretty' by Park Seo-joon. However, I don't remember seeing this place in the drama... Their Zhajiangmian (noodles with soybean paste sauce) is the most famous dish here, but as I love fried rice, I also ordered that. However, I got really full because the portions they serve are huge. The staff inside the restaurant were very friendly and chatted with us when they found out we were from Taiwan. Suddenly, I felt like I was back in my hometown 😂

▍'영화루' en idioma de destino

· 65 Jaha-munro 7-gil, Jongno-gu, Seúl

☞ Horario de atención: diario 11:00-21:00

☞ Información de la tienda de mapas de NAVER: https://naver.me/xv0LhHBp

Séptima parada: '통인스윗카페' (Postre)

After dinner we were already full, but we couldn't resist the temptation of the egg cakes. Dessert is a different stomach! This place is on the same street as Yonghe Building, a popular local bakery on the internet. You can smell the strong aroma of egg cakes from outside. Although an egg cake is not very cheap (KRW 3500, approximately TWD 80), you can taste that it is different from the average egg cakes! The crust is very crispy and the egg flavor is full. It is also common to see people buying a box as a souvenir~

▍Café Dulce Tongin

· Seúl Jongno-gu Jahamun-ro 7-gil 50

☞ Horario de atención: Lun 11:00am-9:00pm, Mar-Dom 10:30am-9:00pm

☞ Información de la tienda de mapas de NAVER: https://naver.me/501ooogX

Parada Ocho: Visualización Nocturna del Palacio Gyeongbokgung (Tiempo Recomendado: 1 Hora 30 Minutos)

Most of you who have visited Seoul have probably seen Gyeongbokgung Palace during the day! But compared to the day, I highly recommend Gyeongbokgung Palace at night! The palace has much more mystery at night, and Korean palace architecture looks really beautiful when illuminated. However, this is a test of everyone's ability to take photos at night with their phones. I used an iPhone 11, which is already a bit outdated, but the results were quite good, right? 😂 Although the night visit period is limited only to spring and autumn each year, if you come to Seoul during these two seasons, be sure to check the opening hours of Gyeongbokgung Palace at night. The ticket office for Koreans and foreigners is separate (there is a limited number of visitors for the night tour every day). Foreigners can show their passport when buying tickets, and there may sometimes be discounts for foreigners, so be sure to confirm everything carefully when buying tickets at the ticket office! I have seen the night view twice myself. The first time was in the spring when foreigners didn't have to pay an entrance fee, but this time in the fall, I paid 3,000 won (I still don't understand why). Anyway, I recommend again the night view of Gyeongbokgung Palace. Be sure to stay updated on the latest news about Gyeongbokgung Palace and include it in your itinerary!

Palacio Gyeongbokgung 경복궁

· 161 Sajeok-ro, Jongno-gu, Special City of Seoul

· 161 Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu, Seúl

☞ Horario de apertura:

Enero-febrero 09:00-17:00 (última entrada 16:00) / Marzo-mayo 09:00-18:00 (última entrada 17:00)

June to August 09:00am to 06:30pm (last entry 05:30pm) / September to October 09:00am to 06:00pm (last entry 05:00pm)

November to December 09:00am to 05:00pm (last entry 04:00pm), closed on Tuesdays every week!! (very important)

☞ Sitio web oficial: http://www.royalpalace.go.kr

‌