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The Soul of Seoul Tours: Hanboks, Tea & Gold Recap
This past weekend, The Soul of Seoul Tours held our Hanboks, Tea & Gold event and boy was it fun, not to mention beautiful! The group started at a Hanbok rental shop at 10:00am and was dressed head, and some, to toe in traditional Korean clothing. Each person chose from a selection of brightly colored skirts and tops, changed and then had their hair done. They had the option to carry a provided purse as well so the whole outfit could be in the style of traditional Korea. After the group was dressed and good to go, we headed to Unhyeongung Palace or royal residence. The residence provided a chance…
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Sea LaLa Water Park: Indoor Family Fun In Mullae-dong
Looking for an indoor water park in Seoul, Korea? I’ve got one to tell you about that is very kid-friendly and parent-friendly too! Sea Lala (씨랄라 워터파크) sits in the area of Mullae-dong which is more popular for the street art and iron works among most expats in Korea, but there are some cool hidden gems there for families living in Korea. If you’re ready to get wet and wild with your kids in Seoul, put this fun spot on your list of places to go. (This page contains affiliate links. That means if you click on them and purchase something, I will get a percentage of the transaction at no cost…
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Unhyeongung Palace: Perfect For Traditional Photos In Seoul
Unhyeongung Palace or Royal Residence (운현궁) sits quietly along the road just south of the touristy and popular Bukchon Hanok Village. This quaint and more rustic collection of historic Hanoks is easily accessible and if you want beautiful photos with Hanok buildings sans crowds, you should definitely visit Unyeongung Royal Residence. With five palaces in Seoul to choose from when visiting the capital of South Korea, it’s easy to head to the biggest and grandest of them all, Gyeongbukgung Palace, and call it a day. I often recommend the palace to tourists saying that if they’ve only a short time, it is a must see. That isn’t to say that…
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Noryangjin Fish Market: A Guide For What To See & What To Order
Noryangjin Fish Market (노량진수산물도매시장) is the largest fisheries market in Seoul and one of the more distinctive experiences the city offers. Centrally located, open from the early morning hours, and built around a system where you buy your seafood from vendors downstairs and have it cooked for you in restaurants upstairs, it’s unlike most dining experiences visitors have encountered before. Make sure you know what you’re getting into before you go. The subway directions alone can go badly wrong, and if you’re planning to buy and haggle rather than just browse, some preparation makes a real difference. There’s a lot to know about Noryangjin Market. Here’s what to know: (This…
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Scavenging For S(e)oul: Recap
At the end of last month The Soul of Seoul Tours hosted our first event under the title of Scavenging For S(e)oul. Teams raced from Gwanghwamun through Jongno along the Cheonggyecheon into Bukchon and Gwangjang Market, down to Dongdaemun and eventually turned up at 3 Alley in Itaewon. The teams were provided with 40 clues that took them to specific locations as well as asked them to look for matchy matchy couples, dyed dogs and ajjussis in hiking gear. From culture and tradition to history and fads, everything was covered. As this was our very first event, initially we were just hoping to get 60 people, or just 15 teams.…
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Seoul Lotus Lantern Festival 2026: Parade Route, Dates & Local Tips For Visitors
The Seoul Lotus Lantern Festival, also called Yeondeunghoe (연등회) in Korean, is one of the largest Buddhist festivals in Korea and celebrates Buddha’s birthday with massive lantern parades, cultural events, and temple decorations throughout the city. In celebration of Buddha’s birthday, this spring festival takes place over a few days with events around downtown Seoul from morning into the evening. Colorful lanterns are strung up around the city in anticipation of the event and then over 100,000 more lanterns are lit and paraded down the main streets of the capital. The excitement, hope, and love is palpable at this event and all are welcome to attend whether Buddhist or not.…
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Seonyudo Park: One Of The Best Kept Secrets In Seoul
Seonyudo Park sits on an island on the Han River in Seoul, Korea between Hapjeong and Dangsan and is one of the best kept secrets in Seoul. The island, only accessible by foot bridge, walking, or bus, used to house a water treatment plant but in the effort to bring green space back to Seoul, it was released back to nature. Just south of the popular art and live music district known as Hongdae sits Seonyudo Island. There are only a few islands on the Han River that are accessible and this park is one cool one to find. Crossing the bridge from Hapjeong Station to Dangsan Station, I’ve seen…
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Gastro Tour Seoul @ The K-Style Hub
This past week, I was invited by the founder of Gastro Tour Seoul, Veronica Tae-Ahn Kang, to attend a tour at the new K-Style Hub. I’ve of course heard about Gastro for a few years but just hadn’t had the chance to go on a tour so I jumped at the invitation. The K-Style Hub is the new tourist information center downtown and is really modern and chic inside, a great step up from the previous location. The three floors that make up the hub are split into a floor for all the info a tourist could possibly need from culture and history to medical tourism as well. Not only…
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Ansan Mountain In Seoul Is A Cherry Blossom Best Kept Secret
If you’re looking for a beautiful cherry blossom spot in Seoul you might not have heard about, here it is: Ansan Mountain. When the cherry blossoms begin to bloom in Seoul, the city awakens from the winter and it is gorgeous. There are some really popular cherry blossom hot spots to find like Yeouido Island, Seokchon Lake or Namsan Mountain where Namsan Tower/N Seoul Tower sits, but there are also just cherry blossoms cherry blossoms cherry blossoms everywhere you look. It’s actually really common for people to walk out their front doors only to realize that their street was lined with cherry blossom trees all year but they didn’t realize…
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An Amazing Bamboo Forest on Geoje Island
On a recent trip to Geoje Island in Korea for a business meeting, my host took me to a bamboo theme park or the Maengjongjuk Theme Park (맹종죽테마파크). I was pleasantly surprised when we came upon the natural 90,000 square meter bamboo forest on the side of a hill. If you’re looking to enjoy the beautiful nature of Geoje Island, definitely check out this bamboo forest. Get ready to find this bamboo forest on Geoje Island in Korea: (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking. Thank you for your support.) Basic Info Address: 700 Geojebuk-ro, Geoje-si, Gyeongsangnam-do…
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Scavenging For S(e)oul
Here is an event you won’t want to miss! Come for some fun. With clues in hand, teams will race to find as many locations as possible from cultural hot spots to traditional architecture and even some friendly local eateries too. They’re all in the mix. How much do you know about Seoul? Come test your knowledge with some great people and if you have the stuff, you can even win some fabulous prizes. The event will kick-off in the famous Gwanghwamun Square and will culminate at Beer O’Clock a local expat owned pizza pub in Sinchon where we will tally the points while you sit back and relax to…
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Funny Stories From Dating A Korean Man
When you watch Korean dramas or get into K-pop, you might start to think that Korean men are really romantic. The stories in dramas have made women the world over swoon and it seems now women are literally traveling to Korea to find love. It’s easy to start to believe that Koreans in general are super romantic. Did you know, for example, that there are 15 couple related unofficial holidays in Korea? With pictures that flood the internet of couple dressed in couple’s clothing and the Hallyu Wave that has swept the world, Korean men are now romanticized but should you fall for this storyline? They say Korean men are…
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Every Single Day: Nothing Of It & An Interview
The Korean indie band Every Single Day has released their 6th full length album titled Nothing Of It. Nothing Of It features new songs and also some old favorites that have been re-done or collaborated on. “Tick Tock”, originally from the drama Pasta, the first drama the band wrote and produced music for back in 2010, was reworked with the female vocal styling’s of Lee Sang Yu (이상유) of Rocket Tree (로켓트리). When discussing how they chose the songs to pull from their past, Sung Nam explained that “on the original Pasta OST we thought “Tick Tock” didn’t sound as good as it could so that’s why we chose to give it a make-over on…
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Crazy Multiply Art Collective: Malaise in Seoul
The Crazy Multiply Art Collective was at it again this past weekend with an intriguing show titled Malaise. While I had previously been a curator and worked with the ever impressive Amy Smith for Crazy Multiply, I had decided to take some time off as my schedule has been filled with lots of baby time. The babe wouldn’t stop me from supporting the lovely, now, foursome that has taken the reigns though. Current curators for the collective include Amy Smith, Unmaru, Kaleena Carter, and Miss Baik and boy did they put on a show. (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase…
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Bongeunsa Temple: Seoul’s Most Popular Temple in the Heart of Gangnam
Bongeunsa Temple (봉은사) is one of the most popular Buddhist temples in Seoul, and one of the most surprising. While most of Korea’s great temples are set in mountain forests requiring at least a short hike into the quiet, Bongeunsa sits in the middle of Gangnam, steps from the COEX Mall and surrounded by some of the city’s most expensive real estate. It wasn’t planned this way, the city grew around it, but the contrast between the temple grounds and the urban sprawl visible beyond its walls is part of what makes visiting so striking. With over 1,200 years of history as a center of Korean Seon (Zen) Buddhism, a…
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Korean Temples: Art, Architecture, and History by Dale Quarrington
If you’ve ever wanted more information about some statue, artistic work or just the architecture of a Buddhist temple you passed along the way in Korea, chances are you stumbled upon Dale Quarrington’s website. It’s one of the few sites with such information available in English. Dale Quarrington recently published his second book on the religious sites that have captured his curiosity and intrigue while living in South Korea. Much like his website, the book aims to provide information little known to English speaking foreigners and hopefully will give people the oomph to get up and out and see the religious relics and sites that have caught his attention. For…
