Pandemic Travel Update: After two years of being largely closed to foreign nationals, South Korea finally has reopened to vaccinated and even unvaccinated travelers. However, pre-departure and arrival testing as well as other conditions apply. If you are not in Seoul already, be sure to check this helpful guide from Korean Air for up-to-the-minute details related to your specific departure location. Double check to make sure that specific attractions of interest are open for the dates of your visit, too.
Seoul, South Korea (Republic of Korea) — commonly regarded across Asia as the capital of cool — is a city known for establishing new trends. Following decades of heavy government investment in cultural exports; Asian trends in clothing, hair and makeup, music, movies, and television, in particular; often start in Seoul and are bound to hit the streets elsewhere in the region.
Largely because of its status as a trendsetter, Seoul is one of the most popular destinations for Asian tourists, but it tends to be less popular among Westerners than some other Asian hotspots like Bangkok, Tokyo, and Hong Kong. However, this may change should the "Korean Wave" (한류) of pop culture continue to grow stronger outside Asia.
In terms of its built environment, Seoul was damaged heavily by Imperial Japan and years of war — which technically has yet to end — as well as sometimes questionable development during extremely fast population growth in the 1960s and 1970s. In recent years, though, development and redevelopment largely both have been improving. Consequently, across a cityscape that often can seem monotonous and gray, there are lively and colorful pockets of both well-planned historical redevelopment and new construction that are enjoyable to explore via Seoul's massive and spotlessly clean Metropolitan Subway (Metro).
Although Seoul is not an inexpensive city, travelgasm.com has found that seemingly neverending geopolitical uncertainty and the relative decline in the value of the South Korean won can make a visit to Seoul more affordable now than in past years. Read on to make the most of your adventure...
Want to visit more of Seoul than most tourists? Read on.
From the French ethnic enclave of Seorae (서래) and the industrial-art neighborhood of Mullae (문래) to the "New Brutalist" development of Seun Sangga (세운상가) and the attractive transit-oriented satellite town of Seohyeon (서현), Seoul has many things to do outside of the areas where tourists routinely visit. Among overlooked Seoul experiences, travelgasm.com’s favorite seven are…
A travelgasm® experience is a feeling of excitement achieved only by exploring a new destination. travelgasm.com ventures not only to excite you to travel the world and to learn more about places, peoples, and foods, but also to inspire you to live with the mind of a traveler whether at home or abroad.
