Why Insa-dong should be your base in Seoul

This is probably Old Me talking — I could pull all-nighters in college, but now, in my early 30s, I’m finding it more difficult to stay up beyond 10 PM — but I have mentioned before that you should stay in Insa-dong when you are in Seoul.  Why? Let’s recap:

First, many sights are a walking distance away: Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, Unhyeongung, the Jongmyo Shrine, the Gwanghwamun Square, the Bukchon Hanok Village, and (a little farther off) the Cheonggyecheon Stream.

Cheonggyecheon Stream, much like the Haneul Park in the World Cup Park, used to be just a neglected area in Seoul that was restored to a more eco-friendly space. In the 1950s, the place was a slum area; then, it was covered by concrete to create an elevated highway. It was only in 2003 when the Cheonggyecheon Stream was restored in a massive, $900M undertaking. It is now a park that is more than 5 kilometers long.

People were still walking along its banks when we came here one evening, after about 20 minutes of walking south from Insa-dong.

Second, Insa-dong an art street, so you’ll find eclectic stuff in its stores, and musicians playing their instruments here and there.

Ssamzie-gil along Insa-dong functions as an artsy shopping complex. It has cafes, galleries, workshops, and fashion and accessory boutiques.

As you can see, there are many souvenir shops, so you can easily make a pasalubong run without wasting too much time.

Finally, it’s not as crowded as Myeong-dong. There are food stalls at the southern end of Insa-dong. They’re not as ubiquitous as the ones in Myeong-dong, but there are restaurants and other interesting food stuff there. And there’s a really good dumpling stall in one of the alleys branching from Insa-dong. Let me show you a picture again:

Stay in Hongdae if you’re into mingling with crowds and partying, and Myeongdong or Dongdaemun if you want to go shopping all day and all night everyday (Dongdaemun malls are open from 10:30 AM until 5:30 AM!). But if you’re looking for laid-back fun, stay in Insa-dong.