Top 4 Traditional Markets in Seoul
Most of the times when travelling, you tend to visit tourist spots. Searching for food and drinks around those areas are not much of a problem, however, the prices might be much higher than usual. In Korea, language barrier is one thing that troubles many travelers, especially when you enter a restaurant with a menu written only in Korean. How about going to the markets you can see what food stall serves, and most importantly, prices are cheaper!
1. Namdaemun Market
Namdaemun Market opens from 11:00pm to 3:00am, and crowded with retailers and tourists most of the times. The This market sells a variety of goods ranging from clothes to kitchenware, fishing equipment to ginseng. And not to be missed, it has loads of restaurants here for you to choose, you need not to worry what is written on the Korean menu, as they even display fake plastic food for foreigners!
2. Gwangjang Market
If you are looking for fabric materials, Gwangjang Market is the place you should be at! The second floor is surrounded by silk, satin, and linen bed-sheet stores, which is said to be the largest and most famous in Seoul. Not only that, many tourists came here for food! Unlike Namdaemun Market, the food stalls here are “open-style”, and you get to see what they are selling and what people are eating when walking pass each of the stalls! You should definitely try their “bindaeddeok”.
3. Tongin Market
Tongin market was a public market for the Japanese residents near the Hyoja-dong neighborhood during the Japanese ruling time. Tongin Market consists of 75 stores, where majority of them are restaurants and grocery stores. It is said that Tongin Market is more popular for their tteokbokki, have you tried any?
4. Gyeongdong Market
When you step into Gyeongdong Market, you will smell Chinese herbs that fills the air, especially the smell of ginseng. If you need some oriental medicines, this will be the place to go for your hunting. And if you are searching for ginseng at a cheaper price, you might wanna give Gyeongdong Market a try too!
