Best Things To Do In Myeongdong - Seoul
Myeongdong is perhaps best known for being the shopping capital of Seoul, but it has so much more to offer than that.
It is a lively and vibrant district that offers plenty of culture, excitement and intrigue. It’s also the area we recommend staying in when visiting South Korea’s dynamic capital city.
This article will highlight the best things to do in Myeongdong so you can get the most from your time in the area.
Along the way, we will provide handy Seoul travel tips and general directions for where to head in Myeongdong.
So, let's dive into: Best Things to do in Myeongdong - Seoul
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Myeongdong at a Glance
Closest subway station: Myeongdong or Euljiro 1-ga
Best place to shop: Meongdong-gil
Our favourite experience: NANTA Theatre Performance (It really is superb!)
Hotel with the best location: Royal Hotel Seoul
Best affordable hostel in Myeongdong: Step Inn Myeongdong
How to get to Myeongdong?
Jumping on the Subway or a Bus is probably the easiest way of getting to Myeongdong. Taxis are also a good option but are more expensive and sometimes difficult to track down during busy times.
Subway - you can get Line 4 (Exit 6) and get off at the Myeongdong station or Line 2 (Exit 5 or 6) for the Euljiro 1-ga station. The main shopping streets in Myeongdong are just a short walk from either of these stations.
Bus - several bus routes can get you to Myeongdong that either stop at the Lotte Shopping Centre or the Euljiro 1-ga station.
One of our useful tips for visiting South Korea is to use the Seoul Subway as much as possible - it’s one of the reliable and clean subway systems in the entire world!
Where to stay in Myeongdong?
Myeongdong is the district we recommend staying in when you visit Seoul - its central location is ideal for exploring the entire city in depth. The number of corner shops, restaurants, markets and street food stalls on your doorstep makes it a convenient place to base yourself.
On top of that, there are 2 subway lines within walking distance of anywhere in Myeongdong, making it quick and easy to explore the rest of Seoul.
Here is a quick rundown of our suggestions of where you should stay in Myeongdong, regardless of your budget:
Best for budget travellers: Step Inn Myeongdong (Private, Single or Dorm rooms available; you’ll not find a cheaper hostel in Myeongdong - breakfast is also included in your stay)
Best luxury stay: Royal Hotel Seoul (Found directly on Myeongdong-gil, the main shopping street in the district, the Royal Hotel Seoul is the perfect luxury stay in Seoul)
One of the street food stands in Myeongdong
How long do you need to spend in Myeongdong?
While this is a very subjective question, we would recommend spending at least 2 full days in Myeongdong if you want to see the majority of the sights.
We actually stayed in Myeongdong for an entire week when we visited Seoul, and we feel as though we only scratched the surface of things to do in the area.
You can spend one full day browsing along the famous Myeongdong Shopping Street and then use the second day to experience Myeongdong’s famous cafe culture, sample some traditional street food and watch a show at the world-renowned NANTA Theatre.
Shopping on Myeongdong Shopping Street
Korean Fashion
The Korean fashion industry is world-renowned and when you’re walking around the streets of Myeongdong, you can’t help but be enamoured by the amount of stores and entire malls dedicated to fashion.
While the Lotte Department Store (more on that place later) is the first place many fashion lovers head to in Myeongdong, it certainly isn’t all that the area has to offer. In fact, walking down the main shopping street in Myeongdong, you’ll be overawed by the wealth of options when it comes to Korean fashion.
Koreans are famous for their designer brands and overall consumerism, which is evident in Myeongdong. Flagship designer stores entice you through their doorways with ease - be careful, though; you might find yourself shopping all day long and miss all the other great sights to see in Myeongdong.
Did you know? Myeongdong is a great base for visiting the Korean DMZ as most tour companies offer to pick up directly from the Myeongdong area.
Korean Facial and Beauty Products
Korea has long been synonymous with its multi-billion dollar beauty industry, and nowhere is this quite as apparent as in Myeongdong. Every street is lined with shops and outlets devoted to beauty products.
One of the largest Olive Young stores in Seoul is on the main street in Myeongdong. Olive Young is the perfect place to find regular beauty products for a fraction of the cost anywhere in the West.
Olive Young in Myeongdong - the best place to find affordable Korean beauty products
Watch a performance at the NANTA Theatre
Honestly, if you only have time to do one thing in Myeongdong, please make it this!
South Korea’s longest-running theatrical performance is staged at the NANTA Theatre and is an unmissable event when you find yourself in the Myeongdong region of Seoul.
The performance is an eclectic mix of comedy, traditional Korean music, culinary expertise and a whole lot of energy - it truly is a sight to behold!
Don’t know any Korean? Not to worry, the NANTA show is entirely non-verbal and can be enjoyed by everybody!
The NANTA Theatre Show in Myeongdong was hysterical!
Money-saving tip: tickets to the NANTA Performance are cheaper online. You can buy discounted tickets to the NANTA show online here.
Get a K-Drama inspired hair cut
Yes, you read that right. Myeongdong is the best place in Seoul to visit a salon and get a hair makeover inspired by all those K-dramas you’ve seen on TV.
Get your hair styled at Gaggum Hair Dream Salon, a 5-minute walk from Myeongdong subway station; you can have your hair cut by a professional hair stylist who has helped to style people from around the globe - including famous Seoul celebrity Soprano So Chu-mi!
There is nothing quite as Korean as styling your hair on K-dramas and dressing up in traditional Hanbok as you walk around Myeongdong!
Grab noodles and dumplings at Myeongdong Kyoja
From the outside, you’d be forgiven for thinking the Myeongdong Kyoja restaurant wasn’t all that impressive. You’d be even more surprised why the queue is out of the door and halfway down the street, too.
When you get inside, though, you are greeted by an incredible aroma of kimchi and hearty broths. The signature dish of Kyoja is undoubtedly their Kalguksu, a traditional Korean dish featuring handmade, knife-cut noodles in a steamy broth.
Ironically, Kalguksu is traditionally a summer meal, but we feel as though it’s best to try it during a cold evening in Myeongdong. It’s sure to warm you up pretty quickly!
You always know a restaurant is good when a) there is a long line outside and b) they only serve 4 items on the entire menu. It usually means they’re very good at those set things!
The best combination at Myeongdong Kyoja: we’d recommend ordering 1 bowl of kalguksu (either regular or spicy) and 1 serving of mandu (Korean dumplings). It should cost around 19000 won (£11/$13) and is easily enough food for two people.
Kalguksu from Myeongdong Kyoja - one of favourite meals in Seoul
Sample Seoul’s delicious Street Food
Seoul and street food go together like Wine and Cheese - they are somewhat inseparable. This is especially true in Myeongdong, where you are greeted with a wide array of culinary classics.
Walking around, you are hit with smells and sensations on every street corner. Some of the best street foods in Myeongdong are Gyeran Bbang (Korean Egg Bread), Tteokbokki (Spicy stir-fried rice cakes), Sondae (Korean Sausage) and Bindaetteok (Mung Bean pancake).
Want to learn more about Korean Food? Try this Traditional Korean Cooking Class with Market Tour to learn more about Korea’s most-famous dishes.
Korean Cooking Class
What better way to experience the famous Korean cuisine than learning to cook it yourself? Seoul is well-renowned for being a foodie city, and joining a cooking class while you’re in the city is the perfect way to learn more about the food scene in South Korea.
Myeongdong is brimming with authentic Korean restaurants, street food and cafes, so taking part in a cooking class is the perfect way to immerse yourself further into the rich food culture of Korea.
Want to wear traditional Korean Hanbok Dress while learning to make authentic Kimchi and Tteokbokki? You can do exactly that during this Korean Cooking Class in Myeongdong!
Have a drink in one of Myeongdong’s themed cafes
Seoul has had somewhat of a cafe culture boom in recent years, and nowhere is this more apparent than within the crowded streets of Myeongdong.
Among the many twists Koreans have put on cafe culture is the introduction and ubiquity of uniquely themed cafes.
Fancy sipping away on a coffee while surrounded by cats? How about pouring yourself a tea while a meerkat runs around the floor beneath your feet?
Our tip: the themed cafes are great for an experience and you must visit at least one in Myeongdong. Another great cafe in the area is Metcha - as you can probably guess, it has a lot of different matcha-flavoured drinks. Our favourite by far was the matcha cream iced lattes!
Matcha cream iced lattes from Metcha in Myeongdong
Lotte Department Store (Duty-Free)
We’ve been to plenty of department stores around the world, but none of them quite compare to Lotte's department store in Myeongdong. It is a complete labyrinth of boutique, high-end designer brands, with a cinema and food court thrown into the mix.
The food court is particularly impressive - it takes up the majority of the bottom floor of the department store. It is home to sweet treats, matcha ice cream, high-quality kimchi and as many noodles as you could possibly handle.
We’re not even joking when we say you could spend an entire day in the Lotte Department store in Myeongdong, and you wouldn’t even be able to scratch the surface of what is inside.
Meander around Myeongdong Night Market
Myeongdong is a hive of activity at any time of day, but this particularly rings true during the hours or darkness when the street vendors come out in full force and line the streets of Myeongdong.
Whether you’re looking for a local bite to eat or a great deal on Seoul’s famous beauty and fashion items, the Myeongdong Night Market is undoubtedly the place to find a bargain or two.
We had heard rumours that before 2020, the street night market was even more significant than it is today. We find this quite hard to imagine as you can barely walk on the main shopping street nowadays when the night market is in full force.
The busy Myeongdong night market
Chicken and Beer at night-time
While Seoul is well-known for being a melting pot of flavour and culinary treats, one local ‘delicacy’ can be seen on almost every street corner in Myeongdong.
Korean Fried Chicken and Beer is a combination that the residents of Myeongdong can’t get enough of - walk down any street in the district and you’ll be spoiled for choice when it comes to both.
For the best experience, wait until late at night when the streets are lit by the famous neon lights and the atmosphere is at its most buzzing.
Korean-fried chicken and beer - a classic combination in Myeongdong
Try the Korean National Drink - Soju
Koreans love to drink. They enjoy a glass with pretty much every evening meal and while they love their beer and other spirits, there is one drink in South Korea that tops them all - Soju!
The colourless spirit is often served in a famous green bottle (you’ll see them everywhere in Myeongdong), and while many locals prefer to drink it straight, we would recommend mixing it into a beer.
It’s often described by Westerners as similar to vodka, but we found it was much more manageable than vodka and certainly not as strong.
If you want to give it a quick try, you can find soju in any convenience store in Myeongdong, but for the most authentic experience, you should try and combine it with a fried chicken and beer experience at night-time.
See the Myeongdong Cathedral
Found at the Eastern end of Myeongdong’s main shopping street, the Myeongdong Cathedral is a lovely place to visit when you want to escape the hustle and bustle - and all the people!
In the late 1800s, Emperor Gojong of Korea was vehemently against the construction of the Cathedral and even tried reaching out to governments of several nations around the world (including the USA and Russia) to stop them funding the building of the cathedral. It is believed his biggest gripe against the construction was that it was going to be a taller building than his palace.
As is evident today, however, the Myeongdong Cathedral was eventually built and is a brilliant place to take a fresh gimbap and relax while you’re in Seoul.
Myeongdong Cathedral
Note: a ‘foreigners mass’ service takes place in English every Sunday morning at 9am at Myeongdong Cathedral.
Visit Myeongdong’s Museums
Myeongdong is home to some of Seoul's more creative and unique museums. While not as famous or as extravagant as some of the larger and more significant museums in the capital, they are still worth paying a visit to if you have some spare time in Myeongdong.
The Bank of Korea Museum offers a fascinating, unbiased insight into money in Korea, including interactive money-based video games and exhibitions. Another fabulous museum in Myeongdong is the 3D Black Art Museum, which provides exactly what you’d expect - a number of charming art exhibits entirely in 3D.
Money-saving tip: if you plan on visiting many museums in Seoul, then we’d recommend buying a Discounted Discover Seoul Pass online. The pass gives you access to many major attractions, including visiting Gyeongbokgung Palace or Changdeokgung Palace.
Try Korean BBQ
It’s impossible to escape Korean BBQ when you’re in Seoul, and this is particularly evident in Myeongdong. Every street is filled with that delicious aroma of freshly grilled meat wafting through the air.
Korean BBQ, for those that haven’t heard of it before, is a traditional way of grilling meat in Korea - typically, you are served a hot plate of raw meat and tasked with grilling it yourself at the table. The tables have built-in grills in the middle and a copper extractor fan coming down from the ceiling to remove fumes while eating.
Some of the best places to try Korean BBQ in Myeongdong are Raon Korean BBQ House, Owooga and Yeonnam Seo Seo Restaurant.
Korean BBQ - a culinary experience that can’t be missed when you’re in Myeongdong
There we have it folks, our conclusive round-up of the best things to do in Myeongdong. The district is one of the liveliest in Seoul and it is certainly an area you will want to spend a number of days exploring when you visit South Korea.
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