The Streets of Seoul
When to go: early May or the week before Buddha's Birthday (day varies) which is when the Lantern Festival and Parade is held.
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Where to stay: We stayed at the Marriott across from Namdemun market which was very nice, however we would recommend staying closer to the business district and the Lotte Department store which is central to the city sites and easier for walking.
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What to do: 3 Days in Seoul
We landed at 4am without jet lag; since it's a 13 hour flight from Atlanta-there is plenty of time for sleep on the plane! We traveled by train to Seoul City and then walked to Namasol Bukchon Village where they offer free guided tours. The village has historic homes and our guide explained the significance of the colorful stains or paints on the buildings which double as a sealant for the wood.. Our tour along the stream was especially colorful because of the celebrations for Buddha's Birthday. We highly recommend planning your travel to Seoul during these celebrations.
Inchon Airport
Namasol Hanok Village
Cheonggye Stream
(Nighttime)
The city comes alive at night with all of the lanterns hung in a sea of color at the Temple and in the parade .
Lantern Festival
Buddah shrine
Lantern Parade
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We walked to Tagpole Park to meet our guide for the free walking tour which also included Insadong Village and a memorable stop at the end where we got to be a part of the Bosingak-Pavilion-Bell-Ringing-Ceremony which once signaled the gates of the city open and closed.
Tagpole Park
Bonosingak-Pavilion
Insadong Shopping
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One of the most magnificent palaces in the city is Gyeongbokgung. On our walk there we passed by the tents setup for yet more festival activities. You can see in the picture below one where calligraphy was being practiced. Every day we enjoyed sampling the street food; our favorite was steamed rice buns with pork filling!
