Travel spots and food finds across Korea
What to eat in Ikseon-dong, set out from official sources: the published prices at the hanok cafes, a 3,000-won hangover soup one street away, the fact that not a single officially certified restaurant sits inside Ikseon-dong itself, and the four promises Jongno-gu asks visitors to keep.
A first-visit overview of Ikseon-dong, set out from official records: the urban hanok built for Korean residents in the 1930s, how the redevelopment zone was lifted in 2018 with three preservation measures attached the same day, why the alleys are narrow because the law says so, and the fact that people still live here.
Accommodation around Ikseon-dong, set out from official sources: 100 of Seoul's 133 hanok stays are in Jongno-gu, what the hanok-stay registration standard really requires and what it does not, the fact that a third of the rooms within walking distance are in old-style inns, and the airport bus 6002 that stops at Jongno 3-ga.
What there is to see in Ikseon-dong, set out from official sources: fire-service figures showing 62 of the 75 hanok are shops with only 13 dwellings left, the gentrification the city admits in its own magazine, the pork-skirt alley that began with jewellery craftsmen, and Nakwon Arcade and Donhwamun Gate within walking distance.
A first-timer's guide to Seongsu-dong: the airport bus that actually stops in the neighbourhood, the three different districts behind the three Seongsu Station exits, the weekend car-free window, and why even shops on the district office's own official course disappear.
Seongsu-dong has no registered tourist hotel at all, and 186 of its 299 rooms are old-style inns. That leaves the foreign-tourist homestay scheme, which is also where unlicensed lodging turns up. Which kinds of home the law allows, what to check before you book, and the airport bus that stops in Seongsu.
What there is to see in Seongsu-dong besides cafes, compiled from official sources: a free museum on a 1908 filtration plant site, opening hours and Monday closures facility by facility at Seoul Forest, why you cannot feed the deer, and what lies behind each Seongsu Station exit.
On 22 September 2026 the Korea Forest Service published its 2026 foliage peak prediction map. Here are the official peak dates mountain by mountain, where the dates that were circulating before that came from, how to work out your own timing from the rule that foliage starts at Seoraksan and moves south 20–25 km a day, and which national park trails need a reservation in foliage season.
Wearing hanbok gets you into Seoul's palaces free, but only certain garments qualify. Here are the two requirements, the styles that get refused at the gate, why Changdeokgung's Huwon is the single exclusion, and how hanbok lets you into Gyeongbokgung's night viewing without a booking.
Seongsu-dong is supposed to be expensive, yet an official government list has cafes there selling an americano for 3,000 won. The Seongdong-gu restaurant selection, official prices then and now, the ordinance and sticker holding rents down, and which station exit to use.
How to see autumn colour without leaving Seoul, using only official sources. Changdeokgung's Huwon booking opens at 10am six days ahead, the city deliberately leaves fallen leaves unswept for three weeks, a 400-year-old Natural Monument ginkgo stands in the centre of town, and Bukhansan National Park is a subway ride away.
The 21st Busan Fireworks Festival runs on Saturday 7 November 2026 at Gwangalli Beach. Here are the R and S seat prices, every booking window and its deadline, the 18:00 rule that voids your ticket with no refund, and what is known about watching for free.
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