Scott and Sophie Love to Travel

A Day in Seoul, South Korea

We took an overnight flight from Vientiane to Seoul – one of the few international direct flights out of Laos heading north. Our next flight to Kanazawa, Japan, wasn’t until the next morning so we had the whole day to explore Seoul. Incheon airport is about an hour and a half away from Seoul, so we booked a hotel close to the airport. By the time we dropped our luggage off at the hotel, returned to the airport train station and got into Seoul, it was afternoon. We found ourselves in the heart of an impressive, modern city.

A bustling cityscape in Seoul, South Korea, featuring modern buildings, busy pedestrians, and a clear blue sky.
Exterior view of Seoul Station with people walking in front and a clear blue sky overhead.
A man walking down steps towards a bustling street in Seoul, with modern buildings and vehicles in the background.
Cityscape of Seoul with modern buildings and Namsan Tower in the background, featuring a mix of shops and signs in Korean.
A busy street scene in Seoul, with crowds of people walking past modern buildings and an iconic historic structure in the background, under a cloudy blue sky.
A large mural of a woman in a traditional Korean hanbok, painted on the side of a building against a blue sky, with modern structures and parked cars below.
A busy street scene in Seoul with a large crowd of people, some wearing traditional costumes, near historic architecture.

We switched to a bus and headed to Gyeongbokgung Palace, an impressive royal residence originally built in 1395. The residence is surrounded by walls and gates, attended to by colorfully dressed guards. Pretty mountains sit behind the palace, making an impressive backdrop. The wooden temple behind the main gate was simply massive. Its multi-tiered curved rooflines were painted with bright colors that highlighted the impossibly complex series of wooden beams and joinery that held the roof and rafters in place. It was a marvel!

People walking in a modern city street in Seoul, with some wearing traditional Korean hanbok. Bright blue sky with fluffy clouds in the background.
View of Gyeongbokgung Palace's main gate with visitors dressed in traditional clothing and colorful banners outside.
A busy scene at Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, featuring visitors dressed in traditional hanbok garments against a backdrop of modern skyscrapers and the palace's impressive architecture.
Traditional guards in colorful attire standing in formation outside Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea.
View through an archway at Gyeongbokgung Palace, with ornate traditional architecture in the background and people in colorful attire scattered across the courtyard.
A vibrant scene at Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, featuring traditional architecture and visitors dressed in colorful hanbok. A mountain backdrop enriches the historical ambiance.
Visitors dressed in traditional hanbok attire stroll through the courtyard of Gyeongbokgung Palace under a clear blue sky.
Visitors in traditional hanbok attire walking near the main gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul on a sunny day.
Close-up view of the intricately designed rooftop and façade of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, showcasing colorful decorations and traditional architecture against a clear blue sky.
Close-up view of an intricately designed traditional Korean temple roof, showcasing vibrant colors and complex wooden structures.

There were many low, long buildings, courtyards and temples that made up the palace complex. Blooming cherry trees provided a beautiful accent to this already-picturesque architecture. We lucked out with our timing as the trees appeared to have just started blooming. It was a nice spring day and lots of people dressed up in costumes were enjoying the grounds and posing for pictures.

Gyeongbokgung Palace with traditional Korean architecture and blue sky in the background.
A scenic view of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea, featuring traditional architecture and blooming cherry trees. Visitors in historical costumes stroll through the palace grounds.
A traditional Korean building with a colorful, curved roof and intricate wooden details, set against a blue sky.
A traditional Korean palace building with a multi-tiered curved roof, intricate wooden beams, and colorful decorations, set against a blue sky. People in traditional attire are walking around the steps.
A view of Gyeongbokgung Palace showing its ornate architecture with a curved roof, surrounded by visitors exploring the historic site under a clear blue sky.
Interior view of a traditional Korean palace structure showcasing colorful wooden pillars and intricate ceiling details, with people in traditional clothing walking underneath.
A passageway at Gyeongbokgung Palace, featuring traditional Korean architecture with ornate, colorful beams and walls. Visitors can be seen walking in the background.
Interior view of a traditional Korean palace room featuring ornate wooden beams, a colorful painted backdrop, and traditional red wooden furniture.
Gyeongbokgung Palace with intricate architecture, featuring colorful roofs and a stone courtyard where visitors are seen exploring.
Colorful traditional roof architecture with ornate wooden beams and painted details at Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul.
Traditional Korean architectural detail showcasing vibrant colors and intricate patterns on a palace wall, with decorative windows and a blue and red covered pillar at the base.
A traditional Korean building with a colorful roof and intricate architecture, surrounded by visitors in hanbok (traditional attire) walking through a palace complex under a blue sky with a few clouds.
View of Gyeongbokgung Palace with blooming cherry trees in the foreground against a clear blue sky.
Traditional architecture at Gyeongbokgung Palace featuring colorful roofs, ornate designs, and wooden elements against a blue sky.
A close-up view of a traditional Korean wooden gate with red doors and intricate green roof eaves, set against a stone and brick wall.
Close-up of cherry blossom branches filled with pink flowers against a bright sky.
A woman in traditional Korean clothing stands under a cherry blossom tree in front of a building at Gyeongbokgung Palace, showcasing the beauty of spring with blooming flowers.
Three individuals in traditional hanbok clothing walking through a garden with blooming yellow flowers, with a historic palace building in the background under a cloudy sky.
Gyeongbokgung Palace showcasing a multi-tiered roof against a blue sky, surrounded by trees and visitors.
A serene view of Gyeongbokgung Palace reflected in a pond, surrounded by blooming trees and mountains under a blue sky.
A couple smiling for a selfie in front of a lake near Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea. Cherry trees are blooming, and there's a traditional building in the background with mountains visible.
Two individuals wearing traditional Korean hanbok dresses with cherry blossom trees in bloom in the background, in a vibrant outdoor setting near a historic building.
Cherry blossoms in full bloom frame the traditional architectural structure of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul under a bright blue sky.

We spent some time in the National Palace Museum and saw some beautiful kimonos, samurai outfits and classic cars that once belonged to the royal family. Behind the museum were palace gardens and an area that had examples of historic houses and stone statues.

A traditional Korean royal costume on display at the National Palace Museum, featuring a rich blue fabric adorned with intricate patterns of phoenixes and floral designs, along with vibrant red accents.
Display of traditional Korean clothing and accessories in a museum, including a dark hanbok, decorative tassels, and colored ribbons.
A beautifully embroidered fabric artwork featuring colorful flowers and a butterfly on a dark blue background.
A detailed traditional Korean crown with intricate decorations including gold accents, pearls, and colorful embellishments, displayed in a museum setting.
A vintage maroon car displayed in a museum setting, showcasing its classic design and features, including large round headlights and ornate details.
A person posing behind a stone statue of a pig dressed in traditional attire in a public area with trees and other sculptures in the background.
Traditional Korean house with a tiled roof, surrounded by trees and a distant pagoda against a cloudy sky.
A person standing at the entrance of a traditional Korean house with wooden beams and a stone pathway.
Interior of a traditional Korean house featuring wooden beams and minimal furnishings, including a low wooden table and storage chests.
Two wooden totem poles with carvings and inscriptions, set against a backdrop of a stone wall and trees under a blue sky.
A stone guardian statue with a serene expression standing in a grassy area, accompanied by a sign describing the statue.
A stone statue with a smiling face and traditional hat, standing in a park with a stone wall and trees in the background.

We exited the palace near there and walked through some of the historic streets. We found a busy place still serving lunch (or maybe it was early supper). They whisked us in and sat us in a lively room with Koreans all around us slurping soups and shoveling kimchi into their mouths. We blindly pointed to some items on the menu and were quickly served some tasty bowls of soup with tea and spicy cabbage (kimchi) on the side.

We kind of watched what the others around us were doing and tried to mimic how they were eating everything. I have never been a big fan of kimchi at home, and I have to report that eating the real thing in Korea didn’t really change my mind. We were hungry, though, so we happily ate everything in front of us.

A person sitting at a wooden table in a restaurant, smiling while holding a spoon with noodles and a bowl of soup in front of them. Several side dishes, including kimchi and dumplings, are on the table.
A man and a woman enjoying a meal at a table in a restaurant, with bowls of soup, kimchi, and pickled vegetables in front of them.

Back outside, we made our way to the Bukchon Hanok Village, an historic neighborhood with traditional houses. The historic houses were really impressive and very ornate, and we enjoyed discovering each one. They were kind of sprinkled amongst newer homes, not quite like we were expecting.

A picturesque scene of blooming cherry trees in a park with people enjoying the outdoors, showcasing the beauty of spring in Seoul.
Two people stand on a pathway lined with blooming cherry trees, under a blue sky with scattered clouds. One person wears a black dress while the other is dressed in denim and takes a photo.
A person standing on a cobblestone path in Bukchon Hanok Village, surrounded by traditional Korean houses with tiled roofs and wooden doors.
A narrow street in Bukchon Hanok Village, lined with traditional Korean houses, with a view of distant mountains under a partly cloudy sky.
A narrow street in Bukchon Hanok Village featuring traditional Korean houses with tiled roofs and decorative wooden elements. Flower pots are placed along the walkway, adding greenery to the historic neighborhood.
A view of traditional Hanok houses in Bukchon Hanok Village, featuring a wooden door and potted plants in the foreground, with electrical wires visible above.
View of traditional Korean hanok houses with curved roofs in Bukchon Hanok Village, contrasting with the modern city skyline in the background.
A person walking past a traditional Korean house with a wooden door and tiled roof in Bukchon Hanok Village, Seoul.
A traditional Korean hanok house with a tiled roof, featuring blooming pink cherry blossoms in the foreground and a person walking by.
Traditional Korean hanok houses with distinctive tiled roofs and stone walls in Bukchon Hanok Village.
Close-up view of a traditional Hanok house in Bukchon Hanok Village, showcasing its intricate wooden eaves, stone walls, and decorative window lattice.
A narrow street lined with traditional Korean houses with tiled roofs, surrounded by greenery and utility poles against a blue sky.

We got a little lost in the winding, climbing village streets, but finally got to a bus stop to start making our long way back to the airport. We know we did not do Seoul “justice” in our limited hours there. We were running on little sleep from our redeye flight and a little low on energy. Maybe we will be back one day to see more of the city and country.

The next morning, we would fly to Kanazawa, Japan, for the last leg of our trip.

,

Leave a Reply

Discover more from Scott and Sophie Love to Travel

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading