With this video we wanted to take you on a tour of one of our favourite cities in Asia.

Seoul (서울) is a place where street food abounds, where cafe culture is taken to a

whole different level, where ancient palaces sit next to towering glass constructions,

and where pockets of art and creativity give the city its pulse.

In short, it’s a place you have to see for yourself!

In this video we’ll be showing you 50 things to do in Seoul.

We realize this is a pretty long travel guide, so we’ve listed all of the sights, attractions,

and foods to try in the description box to make it easy for you to navigate to the places

you’re most interested in.

We’ll hope you enjoy this tour of Seoul; now let’s get started!

Let’s start at Gwanghwamun Square (광화문광장), which is home to two important figures.

First up, you’ll see the statue of Yi Sun-Sin (충무공 이순신 동상).

He was a Korean navy commander responsible for many victories at sea, and it still revered

today.

Then just a few steps north, you’ll come across a seated statue of King Sejong the

Great (세종대왕 동상), who was the fourth king of the Joseon Dynasty.

He is best known for promoting literacy by creating the Korean alphabet, known as hangul.

From there you can continue to Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁 - 景福宮) to watch the

changing of the royal guard, which takes place twice a day and is a pretty cool ceremony

to witness - uniforms, weapons and live music included.

Once the changing of the guard is over, you can then purchase your tickets to Gyeongbokgung

(경복궁 - 景福宮) and tour the grounds.

Gyeongbok Palace (경복궁 - 景福宮) is the largest and most impressive of the 5 Grand

Palaces in Seoul (서울) - yes, there are lot of palaces in this city!

So this morning we're visiting the Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을 - 北村韓屋)

and Hanok (한옥) is a traditional type of house that dates back to the Joseon dynasty.

So it is pretty cool.

You don't really see this type of construction anymore so we're going to be wandering around

the neighborhood checking out these homes.

But wherever you go you see these signs reminding you to keep quiet because families do still

live here and I mean you've got tourists coming around with their cameras.

Ourselves included so let's try to keep quiet.

So we're going to try not to be too annoying.

Yes!

But let's go take pictures.

If this sounds like your kind of thing, you can pick up a free map of Bukchon Hanok Village

(북촌한옥마을 - 北村韓屋) outside of Anguk Station (안국역), and go on your

own self-guided tour from there.

Now let’s talk about food for a second.

We’ll be giving you lots of recommendations throughout this video, but one of our favourites

that we want to mention right away is galbi (갈비).

Let us show you why:

So for today's lunch we're actually first at the restaurant.

This place is empty.

It is about 11 AM but we were super hungry so we are going to be having something called

Galbi (갈비) and that is marinated short ribs.

You can get pork or beef.

We've ordered pork because it is a little bit cheaper and it comes in a really sweet

marinade which we really enjoy so we're going to be cooking those at the table.

And another thing that sets Kalbi (갈비) apart from say Samgyeopsal (삼겹살) or

another meat is that it is cooked over charcoal.

So they're going to be bringing that soon and just putting it right there.

I know.

Super excited.

This is like the ultimate Korean grill barbecue experience.

That smells great.

Like you can already smell the sweetness coming off of the meat.

That is so good.

I know.

I'm like.

We've had this, I have to admit we had this maybe two days ago.

No, I think it was four or five days.

Was it?

But like it was so good and coming back here again and filming it.

Like we know what we're getting.

Oh yes.

Our mouth is watering.

Yeah, I feel like the Pavlovian dog here.

I'm just salivating at the sight of this meat.

This looks incredible.

Okay so Sam is ready to assemble his first piece.

Oh man, you better believe it.

The Galbi (갈비).

I can't believe how kind the people are here.

The service is incredible.

Like they just.

They cooked it for us.

They didn't have to do that and they did.

Which was so nice of them.

I think like I mean we could have done it by ourselves but you know it is always nice

to have a local doing it because they really know the ins and outs of cooking it.

So I am basically.

I've got my piece of Galbi (갈비) and I've dipped it into some Ssamjang (쌈장) sauce

here.

Let me put a little bit more on.

I've got onions, I've got lettuce and look here comes the jiggae (찌개).

More food coming.

Gamsahamnida (감사 합니다).

So it has all been assembled here.

Just time to pop it into my mouth.

You really taste the marinade and then what I love the Ssamjang (쌈장) gives it a bit

of a kick.

That has red pepper paste and also the soy paste.

And then when you combine it with lettuce and onion it just is aww amazing.

The meat is really tender.

Next, we have Namsan (남산) which offers an easy hike in the middle of the city.

So to reach Seoul Tower you basically have two options.

You can take the cable car which is the lazy route.

Or you can hike up Namsan Park.

And that is exactly what we're doing.

That is how it is done.

That is how it is done.

That is how you earn those views of Seoul.

We're going up N Seoul Tower.

We got our tickets.

It was 10,000 Won per person.

The view.

Made it to the top now time to enjoy the views that we've earned.

Yeah.

You know what?

It has gotten a little bit hazy since earlier this morning so it might be a little gray

but we still get to see the whole city.

On top of Namsan (남산), you’ll find N Seoul Tower (N서울타워), which is a major

landmark.

If you ride the elevator to the top, you can get 360 degree views of the city.

Aside from that, they also have cultural performances on the square directly below the tower, so

be sure to check the schedule while you’re there.

For a taste of where Seoul’s youth hang out, hop over to Hongdae (홍대 - 弘大).

The area gets its name from Hongik Daehakgyo, which is one of the leading art universities.

That translates into an area full of creativity, and it’s also a great area for nightlife…

Which brings us to our next point: noraebang (노래방)!

So if there is one thing you need to try while you're in Seoul (ソウル) it is Noraebang.

And that is a singing room.

Yeah, these Korean singing rooms are awesome.

Like they are so much fun.

We didn't even enjoy singing before we came to Korea and now we're really into it.

So that is how cool it is.

How it works, is that you rent a room with a few friends for an hour, and then you can

sing your heart out complete with tambourines.

It’s a lot of fun and we both got into it.

Another experience not to be missed is visiting a jjimjilbang (찜질방).

This is a sauna, bathhouse, and communal space where you can either crash after a late night

out, or go to relax and pamper yourself a little bit.

Jjjimjilbangs (찜질방) have different spaces where you can sleep, watch movies, read, work

out, eat, play video games, and so much more.

We went to Siloam sauna (실로암사우나) which is one of the best in the city and is

also conveniently located across from Seoul Station (서울역).

So we're heading inside the charcoal room.

It is only twenty two degrees and that is the coldest room we've been able to find.

Aside from the ice room.

The others are like fifty or sixty degrees which is just unbearable for me.

Yeah, that would be bad for the camera.

So let's go in.

Quietly, because people are sleeping.

Come in.

One neighbourhood to tack on to your itinerary is Insadong (인사동 - 仁寺洞).

This area is home to antique stores, art galleries, and souvenir shops where you can pick up traditional

Korean gifts to take back home with you.

If you wander down Insadong’s (인사동 - 仁寺洞) side streets and back alleys,

you’ll also discover lots of cute tea houses, which brings us to our next point:

Insadong’s tea houses (차) offer a quiet escape from the buzz of the main street, and

dropping by for some tea is a great way to unwind in between all the shopping and sightseeing.

Many of the teahouses (찻집) are set in old hanok buildings, where you sit on mats

on the ground.

Have arrived.

Tell us what we're having.

Yeah, so the one that I ordered is called gyepi cha (계피 차) and you can have a

look at it down here.

It comes in a nice like kind of fancy traditional cup.

It is almost like a soup bowl.

Yeah, it really is.

And this is a Korean cinnamon tea (한국어 계피 차) so I'm really excited about this.

I love anything with cinnamon so this should be great.

Okay, so for mine I got the Maesilcha (매실차, 梅實茶) which is a green plum tea and it

has got ice cubes in it.

Much needed today.

Hahaha.

You can actually see behind you there is the air conditioner guys.

That huge air conditioner.

That is so so hot.

And this is so good it is like juice.

It is like a sweet syrupy plum juice.

Refreshing?

Um hum.

So good.

And we also ordered some sweets to go along with the tea.

So what can you tell us?

What are we having there.

Yeah, so this is really exciting.

We've got persimmon slices.

They've been dried and then we have some special tteok (떡) which is the Korean rice cakes

and they appear to have it looks like rice crispies around them.

Yeah they're actually instead of cakes they're more like rice crisps.

And I think we've had these ones before like several years ago and they're really airy.

They're almost like rice puffs but they are sweet.

From Insadong (인사동) it’s only a short walk to another cool neighbourhood called

Samcheong-dong (삼청동 - 三淸洞).

This is a very artistic neighbourhood with lots of indie boutiques, coffee shops, and

galleries, and it’s one of my favourite parts of the city.

So for today's lunch we are going to be having Samgyeopsal (삼겹살) and that is a Korean

pork belly that you cook yourself at the table.

It is like really fatty pork, so it is going to be nice and crisp.

Yeah, it kind of reminds me a little bit of Canadian bacon except more thickly sliced.

Bacon for lunch.

So they came and helped us out a little bit.

And they basically cut the meat into little pieces so that they can cook a little bit

further and get nice and golden.

Also, I should mention this meat isn't seasoned at all and they didn't add any oil to cook

it either.

I think the idea is just that the fat is going to start melting and that will allow it to

cook.

You know cook in its own fat and give it more flavor.

So yeah, we're just waiting now.

Waiting for it to turn golden and crispy.

I like mine really burnt.

Yeah, me too.

Which is kind of strange because like if I'm eating steak or something else like that I

tend to like it a bit more rare.

Yeah, a bit more raw.

But with Samgyeopsal (삼겹살) I find it tastes optimum when it is like charred a bit.

Yeah, it is so fatty that you kind of want it to be golden and crispy.

Otherwise it is just like chewing fat and I'm not a huge fan of that.

Okay, so time to make this happen.

Let's assemble your first bite.

It sure is time.

I can't wait for this.

So I'm grabbing my piece of Samgyeopsal (삼겹살), the Korean pork belly and you know what I

am going for a super one here so I'm putting my garlic, my manul on here, a little bit

of ssamjang put that right like that and a little bit some salad.