Myeongdong

The center of all the action is right here in Myeongdong! Myeongdong is located right across from the Lotteverse area right across the street. If you’re taking transit, particularly from uses, just got off at the Lotte stop, and Myeongdong will be right across the street. It will be easy to spot. If you’re coming from the underground, the entrance to Myeongdong is at exit 15 from the underground at the station “nearby”. Honestly, just take a bus, it’ll drop you off right there.

Meyongdong is a large shopping area, akin to some of the bigger shopping areas in other Asian countries. Very similar to Ximending in Taiwan, or Shinjuku in Japan. There’s an interesting mixture of both regular store brand store fronts, but as the day goes on (usually a bit after noon, perhaps closer to 1pm) all of the street stalls will start making their way out and crowding up the main road area of Myeongdong, mostly offering an abundance of street food options for those who want to walk and snack. I would say compared to Namdaemun, once the food stands come out, there’s way more variety and options to pick from street food wise than there.

There’s also an abundance of random streets and alleys you can walk into in the area, each one packed with their own unique places to choose from, though unique may be a stretch since some of the kinds of stores repeats. But again, some of these alleys are fun, and I would recommend deviating to see what’s there.

If you’re in Seoul, I would strongly recommend dropping by Myeongdong for just the experience alone.

Stay away if you hate crowds and noise When you think of Seoul you probably have a visual in mind, and that visual is probably Myeongdong. It's an exciting shopping experience, particularly for snack foods and beauty products. Three Olive Young stores including the flagship, and big stores for popular skincare brands like TonyMoly, PrettySkin, Mediheal and Holika Holika. Many huge snack food stores that are fun to browse for gifts. Plenty of cheap souvenir stands too. Lots of places to eat, check prices. Street food too, supposedly there are better street food markets but it's fine. All fun to experience once but it's definitely sensory overload.

Frantic but worth a few visits It's frantic and can be overwhelming, but worth a few visits.

During the day, the shops are a little easier to navigate, as the food vendors don't start up until later in the day. There are lots of similar things but in amongst it, a couple of vendors or shops doing their own thing, so it's worth looking through everything.

If you're looking for street food (which mostly is not representative of actual Korean food, but still fun and tasty) then this is the place.

There are heaps of places to buy Korean skin care and beauty products (Olive Young has many stored in the area, with the flagship store currently being renovated) (Olive Young does tax refunds on the spot for any purchases over 30,000 Won) as well as Nature Republic, Tony Moly, and heaps others, which sell the usual Korean face masks (containing snail secretions through to pearls from 200 to 5,000 Won each - cheaper to buy in premade packs of 10 or more). There are a lots of fashion and sports stores (Zara, Spao, Nike, 8Seconds, etc), cheap jewellery places (The Plain, RedEye, etc) markets (7-11, Korea Mart, etc to buy food, drinks, snacks), places to eat, there's a Daiso, a Mixue, a second hand clothes store (sells by the 100g) pretty much anything you need. There are even couple of ca cafes. And if you walk through to the Lotte store side, you can get to Lotte, Lotte Young Plaza, Avenuel via the substations, which themselves are underground malls.

Lots of fun to be had, although absolutely frantically busy as the street food markets start up. And the tourists are not looking where they are going as they're too busy taking photos.

The only word of warning is that there are very few bins (anywhere in Seoul but noticeable in Myeongdong as you usually have a takeaway plate of food) there are bins at the major entrance and exit points but the easiest thing to do if simply stand to the side near the vendor you bought the food from, eat it and ask the vendor to take the rubbish back - they will all do this with no problems. If you are intending on eating while you walk, take a small plastic bag with you and a pack of wet wipes so you can clean yourself up and contain your rubbish as you go.

I didn't find any public toilets in the Myeong streets are, but there are some in the underground malls joining Myeongdong to the Lotte stores.

Bustling street with Expensive Street Food It is indeed a bustling and vibrant district in Seoul, South Korea, very energetic atmosphere, diverse shopping options, and vibrant street life. Here you can experience:

Shopping Paradise, Cosmetic Hub, Street Food Haven: though can be very expensive
Entertainment and Performances: a lot of street performers here including musicians and dancers, add to the lively atmosphere, creating an engaging environment for visitors to enjoy

Accessibility: easily accessible by public transportation, making it a central and convenient location for both locals and tourists exploring the city

My kinda street food market! In the evening at the famous Myeongdong Street Food Market, stallholders sell all kinds of yummy street food. Do try the baked cheese with condensed milk (a weird combination that actually works!); kimchi and pork dumplings (crispy and really addictive); hotteok honey pancakes (so, so good!); chicken/pork/duck skewers (delicious!), beef steak (yummy!) and freshly squeezed pomegranate juice just to name a few. Most food items cost an affordable KRW5,000 per serving, while the hotteok cost only KRW2,000 and the pomegranate juice KRW7,000. The beef steak cost KRW15,000, which was still such a steal. For fun, I also bought a heart-shaped dalgona (honeycomb candy, à la "Squid Game") for KRW5,000.

Personally, I much preferred this street food market in Myeongdong to Gwangjang Market. (The latter had pigs trotters, blood sausages, etc, lying around, and it somehow made me wanna puke. Seriously.)

Myeongdong Shopping Street is also a must-visit because drum roll Olive Young Myeongdong is located here! One can find all kinds of Korean skincare products here (eg Round Lab, Skin 1004, Biodance, Torriden, Abib, Mediheal, COSRX, Skin Food, Numbuzin, Manyo, Dr G, Isoi, Sungboon Editor, Beauty of Joseon, etc), with some items on sale. Shoppers were grabbing stuff like everything was free. LOL. It’s crazy. South Korea has conquered the world with its beauty products!

Once again, it's genius that there is duty-free shopping at Olive Young. So remember to bring your passport. I saw some shoppers dragging along their cabin bag on wheels to fill and lug their loot away with greater ease. Talk about women on a mission!

High energy shopping area Located in the city hall area, actually right across from the main Lotte Department Store is The Myeongdong shopping area. It is a high energy and busy complex of many criss crossing streets with very many stores both brand name and smaller local stores. You will find a plethora of cosmetic shops sometimes one after the other. You should be able to satisfy all your shopping needs and eating needs also as the area has hundreds of restaurants and coffee and tea shops. Yes, McDonald's and Starbucks are there. The Myeongdong Cathedral also located there.

A Vibrant Mix of Tradition and Trend Myeongdong is the heart of Seoul’s energy. A blend of trendy shops, street food, and a unique cultural vibe, it’s the perfect place to experience the city’s pulse. The streets are lined with beauty stores and fashion boutiques, while the smell of tteokbokki and hotteok fills the air—making it a food lover’s paradise.

Though busy, the crowds give it life, creating a bustling atmosphere that’s both exciting and unforgettable. Whether you’re here to shop, eat, or just soak in the vibrant surroundings, Myeongdong has something for everyone.

Perfect for Souvenirs and Snacking We spent a lot of time in this area looking at souvenirs and snacking. There are quite a few inexpensive shops to get souvenirs at and we found a highlight in the area was the HBAF almonds which even have their own store in the area.

After 5 pm the street really comes alive when lots of food stalls move in to prepare all kinds of food. There was a good variety but some highlights were the coconut shrimp and the candied fruit. You could spend a couple of hours in this area and even more if you find a good restaurant or cafe. Closest metro is Myeondong.

How to buy skincare like a pro at Myeongdong Myeongdong Shopping Street is the Mecca of Korean skincare. However, just the mere intensity of it can be a bit overwhelming. The streets are really crowded and all the shops are trying to sell everything for your skin and body and as much as they can.

How can you make your visit to this street beneficial to yourself ?
- The options of brands and range of products is quite huge, so its best to understand before hand on what exactly are you looking for. A pre-reserach comes in hany. For example : I wanted to snail serum, retinol and lip tints
- The stores offer Tax free receipts to foreigners so dont forget to ask for one. They would need to scan your passport for the same
- Most of the stores are running 1+1 offer so you can find a good value. Alternatively you can buy 1 set for half the price. Also once you have finalised what you want to buy, make sure that you ask for free gift. They usually give you a product
- Dont get sucked into any product that would need you to use with a help of dermatologist, because its better to visit a dermatologist first rather than buying the product on your own
- Be specific about your skin type and be patient with the sales staff here them first and then decide what you want to buy, else they will just listen to you and tell you what you want to hear instead of sharing the real benefits of the product

What else can you do here?
- Try the street food, its delicious

It’s all about the night market I had the luxury of staying two minutes away from this night market. It’s a really good one. Plenty of food. I will say, it’s mostly snacks. A few pieces of chicken or shrimp, meat skewers, ice cream, churros. There’s very few (maybe 3-5) stalls that serve actual meals, these being noodle dishes. That being said, I’d recommend strolling down the night market and trying a little bit of everything! There’s some really unique Korean foods you have to try (like Kimbap). We even bought the famous Squid Game cookies!!