One of my favourite places in Seoul is Insadong (인사동) and Ssamziegil (쌈지길), which is an area inside Insadong.
This part of Seoul can be quite busy at times because it's a well-known tourist location. However, you definitely have to drop by before leaving Seoul.
This is a place that is rich in culture where the old and the new of Korea co-exist. It's one of those places that makes you stop and think about Korea, not only in the context of the 21st century, but also through its long historical past. It will be an especially meaningful experience, especially for people who initially became interested in Korea through Hallyu (K-pop or dramas), or those who are more familiar with Korea as an economic miracle in Asia.
For me Ssamziegil & Insadong reminds me of Granville Island (Vancouver, Canada) in a way. Granville Island's focus is more on fresh produce and restaurants, while Insadong does not have an open marketplace. But, what these two places, across the Pacific, share is that they both showcase artwork (paintings, jewellery, etc.) and clothing by local artisans.
In addition, Insadong also has some great places to eat with cafes, tea houses, restaurants, and street food.
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| 별다방 미스리 |
The cafe pictured here, which is called Byul-da-bang Miss Lee (haha it's really interesting trying to translate Korean into English sometimes!) specializes in Korean old-school lunch boxes (the lunch boxes are nothing special though. Just rice w/ fried egg + kimchi + spam in a tin lunch box. But, I think you can get different toppings), traditional tea, and other treats like red bean ice dessert.
I ate at the Byul-da-bang Miss Lee cafe once before. Although I would recommend it to people who want a light meal, if you are looking to eat a more filling meal at a restaurant, try exploring the other restaurants in the area.
But, don't worry if you're not hungry when you go to Ssamziegil & Insadong because it's worth it to go just for the cultural experience.
As you could probably sense from the two pictures above, there is a great diversity of artwork that you can explore at Insadong.
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| honey tea anyone? |
Most of the things, especially within the Ssamziegil area, are not edible (unfortunately, haha), but on the first level, there are some stores that offer some things you can nibble on and drink while you are there.
For instance, there's a tea shop in the open area on the first level and you can order tea here and even bring some home if you liked it.
But, as you can see, even the edible things in Ssamziegil are works of art :)
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| 인사동 쌈지길 |
There's three floors of the Ssamziegil area--and of course the rest of Insadong that you can see ever so slightly where the sun is shining in the picture above.
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| Resting area on top of Ssamziegil |
There are so many shops inside and around Ssamziegil that it is easy to miss the small displays in the alleyways in Insadong, like the one here in this picture.
So, make sure to go to Insadong when you have at least 1-3 hours to thoroughly explore the whole area. Ssamziegil is great because it brings many artists together in one place, but this isn't everything this place has to offer.
To make the most of your day, I would recommend going there for lunch at one of the restaurants or cafes and then walking around for about 1-2 hours.
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| You're going to come right? We're waiting for you :) |
For more information on Ssamziegil, check out the Visit Korea site
Two ways to get to the place (provided by the site):
| * Anguk Station, Seoul Subway line 3, Exit #6 (towards Jongno Police Station); enter the Insa-dong one-way street of Crown Bakery & GS25, and go staright 100m * Jonggak Station, Seoul Subway line 1, Exit #3 : go towards Jogyesagil (pass 2 signals) and enter the alley next to the 7th Day Sabbath Church |
Yours truly,
Sunflowerchocolate
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