The neighborhood of Hongdae in Seoul famous for its vibrant and youthful ambiance during the day and night. From art galleries, to cozy coffee shops, fashionable clothes, karaoke rooms and bars, Hongdae has so much to offer to its visitors. Here is a list of 7 fun things that you will definitely enjoy doing in the streets of Hongdae.
1. Watching Busking Performances
At night, the street of Hongdae is filled of busking performers who sing, dance and sometimes even do magic for the entertainment of its audience. It is such a wonderful thing to watch because you can see so much talent and confidence from the performers. Youโll never know maybe some of them will become Kpop artists that you will idolize in the future.
2. Visiting Kdrama Filming Locations
For Kdrama fans, visiting Hongdae is like visiting a Kdrama land because many Korean dramas have used it as one of their filming locations. One of it is the coffee shop used in the phenomenal Kdrama โCoffee Princeโ starring Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun-hye.
3. Taking Pictures with Hallyu Artistsโ Subway Ads
Another fun and exciting thing to do in Hongdae is hunting the subway ads of your favorite Hallyu artists. The fans usually do this during birthdays and debut anniversary of their idols. You will be surprised on how many Hallyu subway ads are there when you visit the Hongdae station. However, due to the continuous flock of passengers going in and out of the station, it is quite difficult to take decent photos without photo bombers.
4. Going to Gaming Rooms, Karaoke and Bars
In addition, you will certainly feel the youthful vibe of Hongdae with its gaming rooms, noraebang (karaoke room) and bars, especially at night. There are even claw machines in some gaming rooms which will make you feel like having a date in Kdrama-style. It will also be fun to visit and test your singing skills at the noraebangs. While there are also a lot of bars in Hongdae street where you could party all night. Note, however, that some bars who are having special events might require that you speak basic Korean language.
5. Watching Movies
If you just want to sit and relax while watching the latest movies, you can go to CGV building which is actually connected to Hongdae subway station. There are only few seats inside the cinema and they are comfortable. Moreover, the visual and audio quality of their system are great and worth your penny.
6. Shopping
You cannot visit Hongdae and not think about shopping. There are numerous shops in Hongdae that sell variety of items from clothes, to accessories, shoes, glasses, cosmetics and many more. Some of the notable shops there is the SPAO store which sells fashionable clothes and other fashion items.
Also, you can find a large KAKAO Friends Store just across the street. It is famous among Kpop fans especially those who are fans of BTS because it sells official BT21 items. Ready your wallet and cards when you enter this store as you might not exit without a large shopping bag in your hand.
It also has a coffee shop on its basement with designs of cute Kakao Friends characters.
7. Eating
And of course, your visit to Hongdae will not be complete without trying some of the restaurants in the streets! There is a wide selection of food and delicacies that you can eat from restaurants in Hongdae from chicken, to samgyeopsal, pasta, baby back ribs and many more.
Some of these restaurants were even used as filming locations of various Korean drama. Just like this restaurant that proudly displays posters of Kdramas filmed there such as the hit drama โWeightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-jooโ.
There also a lot of unique coffee shops in Hongdae but this Harry Potter-themed coffee shop will surely captivate you especially if you are a Potterhead.
How to get there
Address
20, Hongik-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul
์์ธํน๋ณ์ ๋งํฌ๊ตฌ ํ์ต๋ก 20 (์๊ต๋)
Directions
Ride the Metro subway and get off at Hongik University Station (Seoul Subway Line 2, Gyeongui-Jungang, AREX), Exit 8 or 9.
You will surely have fun times while exploring Hongdae! For more itineraries in Seoul, you can check:
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