Ssamzigil is the building every Insadong guide uses for its cover photo and almost none of them explain. From the street it looks like a craft mall, which it is. What nobody tells you is that it has no floors in the usual sense. It has one path that starts at street level and keeps … Read more
Jogyesa Temple sits in the middle of Seoul’s office district, and you can walk in off the street, without a ticket, and stand under several thousand paper lanterns. One minute away, on the same block, there is a small building where Korea’s modern postal service began and collapsed inside three weeks. Both are free. Most … Read more
There is a theatre inside the National Museum of Korea, and almost nobody who visits the museum knows it is there. We found it the way most families do — by accident. We had a morning session booked at the Children’s Museum, and while walking back across the plaza we passed a building on the … Read more
The best children’s museum in Seoul costs nothing to enter. That is the good news. The complication is that you cannot simply turn up — there is no ticket desk, no queue you can join, and if you arrive without a booking on your phone you will be turned away at the door with your … Read more
Jeonse deposit protection in Korea does not begin when you sign the lease, and it does not begin when you hand over the money. It begins at midnight after you have done two specific things, in a specific order. Miss the order and your deposit — often 300 million won or more for jeonse, 10 … Read more
The Gyeongchun Line Forest Trail is a 6.8 kilometres in northern Seoul, built on a railway line that no longer runs. The trains once headed out of the city toward Chuncheon; when the line was rerouted, the corridor through Nowon was rebuilt as a walking trail instead of being redeveloped. The reason most people come, … Read more
If the Italy Hall at Nowon Train Village is a place about art and architecture, then the Swiss Hall is unmistakably a place about nature and motion. The official brochure describes Switzerland as “a land of beautiful nature where Heidi sang,” and honestly, that line captures the mood of the entire room. The moment you … Read more
The Italy Hall: Where Kids Race Roman Chariots Looking for an indoor weekend outing for my two daughters, I took them to the Italy Hall inside Nowon Train Village (located in Hwarangdae Railroad Park, Seoul). For me, Italy isn’t just another tourist destination. Seven years ago, my wife and I spent our honeymoon traveling independently … Read more
If your kids love trains — or you just want an easy, meaningful outing away from the usual tourist trail — Hwarangdae Railroad Park in northeastern Seoul is a lovely surprise. It’s built around the beautifully preserved old Hwarangdae Station, and it’s the kind of place where parents come to show their children a piece … Read more
When the weather doesn’t cooperate — whether it’s the summer heat or a rainy afternoon — a big indoor aquarium is exactly the kind of place that saves the day with young kids. That’s how we ended up at Aqua Planet Ilsan, and it turned out to be one of the easiest full-day outings we’ve … Read more