2 Days in Seoul Made Us Love South Korea!

It's our first time in Seoul, and to be honest, we almost didn't come here. We always kept it in the back of our minds, one of those places we figured we would get to eventually. But as we were staring down a brutal 27-hour travel day over some Korean fried chicken in Tokyo, it hit us. Why not stop in Seoul? People online told us it has no Seoul, or that it's only good for Instagram photos. Egregious puns aside, we figured Seoul had to be more than just crazy bookstores, K-pop bear statues, whatever this thing is, and a giant golden statue dedicated to the first thing we as Americans ever actually learned about South Korea. So we decided to do what we do best, find out for ourselves. Is Seoul worth visiting? I think Seoul might be my favorite city in Asia. And more importantly, does Korean fried chicken actually taste better in Korea? Welcome to Seoul! Immigration and baggage claim was a breeze, but before we head out, we've got a couple of side quests we need to complete. We've already got data thanks to our eSIMs. For this trip, we went with SimLocal, and they work great here in Seoul. There's a link in our description if you're in the market for an eSIM for your trip. We've got to grab some cash, and now we need a T-money card. This is basically your key to public transportation in Seoul. You'll use it in metros and buses all over the city. You can typically buy them at these convenience stores, but they were out, so we picked up ours from the machines on the bottom floor. You can pick the standard ones, or for a little extra, you can get a fun one. We were boring and just went with the standard ones. Once you've got your T-money card, you have to go to another machine to load them. Seems like a lot, I know. I promise, though. You're almost done. We suggest loading about 10,000 won to start, and see how far that gets you. Okay, here's where we made our first mistake. There's two train options to get from the airport into Seoul. We figured we would save a few bucks, skip the fancy express train, and just take the all-stop train. They both go to the same place, right? First off, there are machines everywhere. One to buy your T-money card, one to load it, one to get your deposit back, one for the all-stop train, and one for the express train. It feels like a wild goose chase, and after a long flight, that's the last thing you want. After fumbling around with the machine, we booked our train, paid our deposit and fare, and got our cards. Sure, it's less expensive, but it takes twice as long, and the seats are subway style. First come, first serve. By that point in the day, we really just wanted to sit down and get into the city without thinking about it. If we could do it all over again, we would book the Aerex Express train on Klook before even leaving for the airport. You choose your date, pick a departure time, and your seat is assigned automatically. Once you activate the voucher in the app, a QR code appears, and that's your ticket. All you have to do is walk up, scan it, and you are on your way to Seoul Station in about 43 minutes. No ticket machines, no deposits, no hunting for a refund kiosk at the next station to return your card. If you've never used Klook before, we use it all the time, for things like train tickets, activities, and day passes. You can book ahead with competitive pricing, and in most cases, you skip the long lines, which is always a win. Our favorite part is that everything sits inside one app. You can pull up your bookings, vouchers, and QR codes without scrambling through emails while juggling your luggage. So, if you're flying into Incheon, learn from our mistake. The all-stop train is cheaper, but the express train is faster. And when you book it through Klook, it's easier, too, and nothing beats easy. So check out Klook for your next trip by scanning this QR code or heading to the link in the description of the video. Don't forget to use our code, MIKEANDNATIONALKOOK at checkout to save up to 10% off your experiences. And with Klook's Black Friday sale now live until December 7th, it's the perfect time to save even more for your 2026 trips. Two grueling hours later, and we've finally arrived. We're staying in the Myeongdong area, which is one of Seoul's busiest shopping districts, known for skincare shops, fashion stalls, and street food that runs all night. We couldn't think of a better home base for the next couple of days. We are completely drained, though. So, we're going to get checked into our hotel, and we'll see you tomorrow. Good morning. It is our first full day here in Seoul, and we are here at the Namdaemun-Namdang-Nam Market. This looks like a really cool market. It's got a good mix of tourists, local tourists, and locals. So, we're just going to grab a snack and go see what we can see for the day. We were walking down this kind of main alleyway, and we saw a huge line of people at this little stall. We're not really sure what they're selling, but they kind of look like little bao buns. So, we got one bulgogi and one kimchi, and I think this is the bulgogi one. So, let's give it a try. Mmm. It's really good. So, this is amazing. It's got some glass noodles in it. What I imagine, there's some leeks. This is the bulgogi meat, and it's seasoned so perfectly. I love seasoned meat in dumplings. I'm fortunate enough to be able to try the first bite of the kimchi little bun thing. It's a different texture than bao. It's not as bready. It almost kind of reminds me of a burrito, which is amazing. That one's better. Is it really? I think so. So, it's like the same concept. There's some kind of meat, some glass noodles, but it's got that very distinctive kimchi flavor. A little bit spicy, a little bit, I guess, acidic, fermented. Oh, man. I like this one better. The other one was really good. The kimchi kicks it up a notch. That was a great start to this market, but now I'm thirsty, and I already see something that I want to drink. So, let's go grab a cup and see how much it is. Okay. Thank you. Gamsahamnida. Yum. Oh, that's good. Very sweet. Oh, wow. This is very sweet and fizzy, and it's got, like, chunks of lemon in the bottom. Yeah. Chunks of lemon and sugar. That's amazing. So far, out of all the countries we've been to recently, I feel like Korea is going to be the first one that really makes me feel, because it's, like, fried chicken and beer and fried food and dumplings and donuts and noodles, and I'm having a hard time saying no to any of them. I feel like we've got to go there. Anywhere that's popular and has a line, right? Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. We have to go here. Not, yeah, absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. All right, I have no idea what these are. It seems like we can eat them. Those I think are mandu. I think she just said it. Oh, did she? Yeah. Okay. Same filling as the other place? And the little buns? I think better egg soup we did here. Really? Tastes like they have a little bit more flavor. Maybe, just because they're fried and crispy. But, very, very delicious. If we didn't make an effort, we'd honestly spend all day in markets like this. Between the energy of everything happening around us and all of the wild sights that we've never seen before, like a whole black anglerfish. This is so cool. I've never seen that before. Or a dried up ray for sale. It looks like an alien. It does. It's pretty wild. There's no shortage of things to spark your curiosity. But, we just got some good news regarding somewhere we've been wanting to go, so we're going to head there now. We're actually here at the bus stop right now. We're waiting on the bus to go to the palace, I believe. Because, surprisingly, the palace is open on Monday. So, while a couple of the other cultural attractions aren't, the palace is. So, that's going to be our next stop. And, riding the bus in South Korea is super, super easy. I would argue that it's probably been the easiest experience out of all the countries that we've been to. With a T-money card, you just tap on, tap off. Sounds pretty self-explanatory, which I guess is like every bus, but it's always a little bit overwhelming and kind of confusing at first in different countries. If you don't know the language, you don't know where you're supposed to go. And, for whatever reason, South Korea just makes it super, super simple. So, we're going to catch the bus and then go explore the palace. So, this is the Gyeongbokgung Palace, which is absolutely breathtaking. It was established in 1395 by the Joseon Dynasty. You can get in for free admission if you're wearing traditional hanbok dress. But, because we're short on time, we're not going to go get fitted and try that on. So, we just paid 3,000 won per person for a ticket. This place is absolutely massive. Way bigger than it looks from the outside. We've got this beautiful garden we're walking through right now. And, honestly, it's just the perfect location nestled right in between the mountains and the modern skyline of Seoul. This might be one of the most impressive palaces I think we've been to in our travels so far. One of our favorite things about Seoul is that there is art everywhere. More specifically, tons of statues and sculptures. From impressionist stuff to cartoon characters and pop culture, it's just one thing that makes this city so unique. But, we're getting hungry and it's about that time, so we're going to go get some food. There is only one thing we have on our minds right now, and that's barbecue. Ashley does all the research on the restaurants we go to and she's found a place in Jongno District that is supposed to be great. Okay, well, it may be amazing, but it's empty. And just across the street is another place that's absolutely packed with locals. So, we're going to change it up and go here. This place had all the right vibes. It was tight, unpolished, loud, and filled with locals having a great time. We had no idea what we were ordering, but the staff was friendly and gave us some recommendations. And honestly, that's always the best way to go. On top of the pork and brisket, they brought us out a ton of other items called banchan, which roughly translates to side dishes. We had no idea what anything was, but it was all delicious. Even this weird cream soup that was simple, but really tasty. And if anyone can explain to us why chopsticks in Korea are flat and metal, let us know in the comments. Everyone here was amazing. They saw us looking obviously lost and came to the rescue to explain the whole process to us. I'm so glad she's telling us what to do. How to cook it, what goes with what, and by the end of it, we felt like barbecue pros. I love killing people. This was hands down the best first proper meal we could have asked for in Seoul. Friendly people, incredible food, and good vibes all around. Korea, you know how to do some barbecue. Now that we're almost too full to move, we figure we should walk it off and see where the night takes us. This guy gets it. This area comes alive at night, with tons of restaurants and bars setting up right on the street. Seoul is known for having a one-of-a-kind nightlife, and as soon as the city lights come on, you can really see it in action. Multi-level arcade? Don't mind if we do. Ashley's all about the budget until there's a cute plushie in the claw machines. We never seem to find much success with these things, but after losing more won than we'd like to count, one of the sweetest things happened that made us fall in love with the city even more. That was so nice! It was, it was just this older gentleman, he was playing this thing and he won it, and I clapped for him and he just immediately handed it to me. That was so sweet. That's adorable. I love Korea. I really do. I wish we had longer here. He's so cute! It's a little face changer. It's terrifying. It is a little terrifying. But I'm gonna love it forever. How's this work? That's very cute. Oh, I love him. As enticing as the nightlife is, I think we better tap out, because we have a lot planned tomorrow. So, we'll see you in the morning. Now that we've had coffee, we can start the day. We're on our way to a place we've been dying to check out. To get there, we've got to hop on the metro and then take a bus. The best part is, the bus ride is free if you transfer from the metro within 30 minutes. One thing to note, Google Maps doesn't really work in South Korea. Something to do with national security. But they have their own app called Naver. You definitely want to get this before your trip. We had it, but I don't think we really understood how to use it. And that became very evident on this bus ride. The Naver app is very, very difficult to use. For us. I'm sure that it's a fantastic app if you're familiar with how it works. Haven't quite gotten it yet. Never had problems with a navigation app before. But, always learn something new. Just maybe, maybe watch a tutorial on YouTube. You know, from someone who's a pro. Before you just assume you'll be able to figure it out like Google Maps. Because it is not the same. Well, on the bright side, at least we have seats this time. And it didn't charge us a second time, which is awesome. It just was like, no, no, no. You've already paid. You must have done the wrong thing. And just let us, let us get on. So, that's good. Bukchon Hanok Village is a 19th century hillside neighborhood packed with traditional hanok homes. It's a quiet way to start the morning and a nice break from the busier parts of the city. We got here around 11 and it was still quiet. It's free to wander, but a few sections have time limits. So, visiting between 10 and 5 is your best bet. We are in the hanok village right now in the little bit more of a touristy area. They've got lots of really, really cute cafes, souvenir shops. We just came from the more residential area. And just a friendly reminder that people do live there. So, there is signage. And there's even a guardian saying, hey, please be quiet. He very politely reminded a couple of people to mind their volume. So, just something to be aware of. But this part of the village, it seems like it's a little bit more commercial. So, it's not as big of a deal here. But it is really beautiful. I can't say I knew much, if anything, about Korean architecture. And it has already shot up to one of my favorite styles. I think the buildings with the white and the wood is just absolutely gorgeous. I told Mike it reminded me of an Asian log cabin, but way, way prettier. We spent a couple minutes checking out the area, exploring some more traditional buildings, and reading our fortunes from this little vending machine. We've never seen them predicted using the Myers-Briggs before. So, that was interesting. Mike is definitely a mediator, which is an INFP. And I am definitely an advocate, which is an INFJ. That was super fun. Let us know in the comments what you are. I'd be curious to know. And if you think it matches your personality. I think mine matches, like, pretty dead on. As it does, hunger started to set in. So, we decided to check out this awesome little 24-hour self-service ramen cafe for some good old-fashioned instant noodles. You've been just ordering it from me. This is the end of our talk. Yeah, they cooked it perfectly. It's literally cooked perfectly. Those are amazing. Very spicy. Like, they were made by a ramen master. This is such a cool concept, this little 24-hour serve-yourself ramen bar. There's just people watching on this incredibly picturesque little street. And it's such a beautiful day. Now, we are at the Ixian Dong. I think it's going to be a little bit smaller than the last one. So, we'll probably just run through here. We're going to search for food because we're both getting pretty hungry. Ooh, we're nicely Korean. Pancakes and some mandu. And I don't know what the rest is, but that looks pretty delicious. So, we might come back here. Oh, we can just eat there? Yeah, I could eat there. You want to eat for real? Yeah. Okay. We're going to eat here. It looks really cool inside. This is one of those true hidden gems you come across. The interior was homey and quaint. The whole place smelled amazing, and it felt like we were sitting down to have our family cook us our favorites. If you know anything about us, you know that dumplings are life. And how could we resist that crispy, golden-fried pancake? This is Korean comfort food at its finest, served up by the sweetest lady in all of Ixian Dong. The lady said that this is very spicy. I think that's what she said. And that's pork. This thing looks amazing. I don't know if this is how I'm supposed to eat this, but it's perfectly cooked. A little crispy, a little doughy. That is amazing. And it's great. That sauce is a little kimchi-y, a little spicy, but mostly it's just salty. I'm not going to lie. Korean food is creeping up in my new favorite cuisine category. I'm pretty sure if we passed this restaurant by, it would have just disappeared into a pocket dimension because we couldn't find any information on it. So, hopefully you'll be lucky enough to find it when you're in Seoul. I have no idea what that place was called, but it was absolutely delicious. It's right as soon as you walk into this little area, so if you're checking it out, gotta stop there. 10 out of 10 recommends. So this is nothing like the Hanok Village from earlier. Sure, it's got some super aesthetic traditional architecture and picturesque narrow little alleyways that you could get lost in for days. But it's way more touristy with trendy cafes, street art, souvenirs, and vending machines. It's worth checking out, but we didn't stick around for long. Oh, it's 3K! She's addicted. It's so fun. I've never been a gambler, but... It's just turned into a full-on little handicrafts market. I'm not sure what it is, but it's really cute. It's like a keychain. I love South Korea. We're winding our way through the Insadong area right now, and it's a cool mix of traditional architecture and modern buildings and shops. It's definitely a hub for tourism and food and drinks and cafes, and it's just really, really cool. There's a lot of development going on, so it's kind of been hard to navigate, but I think we found our way back out to the main area. After falling in love with all of the Korean food we've had so far, we figured it was only right to learn a bit more about the one thing that shows up at pretty much every meal, kimchi. And what's this? A whole museum dedicated to kimchi? We're here at the Museum Kimchi Con, which is a museum dedicated to kimchi. So we figured, what a perfect way to spend an afternoon in Korea. Sadly, it's our last afternoon, but that's okay. Let's go learn about kimchi. If you're looking to understand Korea through food, this feels like a good place to start. There are multiple levels full of interactive exhibits that teach you everything you could possibly want to know about the staple Korean food, from the cultural significance to the science and all the different varieties. There's even a movie where someone makes tiny kimchi, which was mesmerizing. And best of all, at the end of the museum, there's a tasting room. Ashley was so excited to come here ever since we arrived in Seoul. And I'm not gonna lie, I was a bit apprehensive because so often I just find museums a little boring. But not Museum Kimchi Con. This place is a 10 out of 10. How can we not be a little hungry after visiting a kimchi museum? Come on, we know just the place. This is the famous Gwangjang Market, featured in some show from Netflix and visited by people from all over the world. If you want to get right in the mix of the Seoul food scene, this is the place. As soon as you walk in, you're blasted in the face with a mixture of sweet and spicy. Honestly, I wasn't too hungry when we first arrived, but that's about to change. There's just so many things that I feel like I have to try here, like these little pancake-y things. We do have to try hotteok before we leave, for sure. It says peanut, brown sugar, and cinnamon. And there's a line. So this is hotteok. And apparently they have sweet and savory. This one is peanut, brown sugar, and other things. I forgot what it said on the sign. But it looks delicious. It was really fun watching them make it. Still very hot. Just smells too good to not try right now. Oh man, that's just the pick-me-up I needed. It's chewy and doughy, like a crepe. But it's got that just amazing cinnamon sugar, brown sugar kind of vibe. It is so, so good. I don't really get a lot of the peanut, which is kind of a bummer. But either way, it's absolutely delicious. It's got like all that gooey caramelized sugar. Oh, so good. I could eat a lot of these. If you're not familiar with it, it's a chewy rice cake tossed in kind of a rich, sweet, but spicy sauce. And it's like a beer-drinking food with such a strange texture. If you only have the chance to stop by one market, I would definitely recommend this one. We went to the Myeongdong Night Market. And it's really, really cool, but it's totally a different vibe. This one feels a little bit more like a traditional market. And the prices are a little bit lower. They seem to be about 2,000 won cheaper than everything that I saw at Myeongdong. So this would be my recommendation. We're going to finish this tteokbokki and these beers and get out of here so these ladies can have more seat area to sell more delicious food. Most of the markets like this in town close around 5 or 6. And this one says online that it's open until 10. We came to the market around 5.30. And while there are a fair number of stalls still open, you can definitely feel it slowing down for the night. So keep that in mind if you want that full-tilt market experience. So we're getting ready to leave the market because we're still not super hungry from lunch. And we have a very important last dinner here in Seoul. But we couldn't pass by this little stall called Garlic Boy. And the owner is so, so friendly. She gave us a little sample of their peanut butter crumble garlic toast, which is amazing. And then we got the garlic cream, which apparently is like a mixture of cream cheese and yogurt. So I'm very curious about that. I'm so not hungry though. That's amazing. Good call? Oh yeah. Oh man. That is so insanely good. Like I'm not even being like YouTube dramatic. It is so insanely good. Literally, I don't even want to share it. It's like so good. Garlic Boy broke Ashley. Mm-hmm. It's like a garlicky bagel slash croissant slash like, I don't know. I don't even know where to start with this thing. That is crazy good. You did a great job of describing it. This is beyond incredible. With the sun starting to go down on our last full day in Seoul, we're headed somewhere for a walk, some people watching, and a little reflection. So this is Cheonggyecheon, which is a 11-kilometer stream that runs through the city. It apparently used to be a natural stream. And then they covered it up with like a road. And then in 2000s, they were like, no, we're going to renovate this. And they built it and turned it into this beautiful scenic walking path. And we're here right at sunset, which I feel like is the perfect time because you just got beautiful soft lighting everywhere. And everyone's just out enjoying time with their family and loved ones and friends. And it's nice hearing the water trickling through the stream. And because we're down under the roads, you don't really hear as much of the city noise. So it's just a nice peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of Seoul. This is a great way to spend the golden hours into twilight. I agree. Yeah. I like it here. This is our last night in Seoul. And while we've got one thing left to do on our itinerary, we definitely didn't even touch half of the things we wanted to do during our time here. It was such a short little layover, but I think it's exactly what we needed. I think so too. It was short and sweet, and it leaves me wanting more. It's easy to write a place off when you only hear about it through other people's opinions. But once you're here, the noise fades and the real city shows up. Looking back, it's funny that we almost skipped Seoul. Walking along the stream at sunset, watching all the people just living in the moment, listening to live music echo off the walls, it felt like Seoul finally introduced itself. We came here to answer the question, is Seoul really worth visiting? But we're leaving with a better one. When are we coming back? But we still have one last question to answer. We asked some of our friends who've been here for their recommendations for the best fried chicken in Seoul. We got a ton of answers, but one just kept standing out to us. We had no idea what we were in for. From the first step in the door, the energy in the room was alive with everyone having an absolute blast with friends and co-workers. When the staff brought us our beers and Pyrex half-liter measuring cups, we knew we'd come to the right place. I don't even know what we ordered. We just pointed at something on the menu and asked if it was good. And oh man, look at this. How could this not be the best fried chicken? If you made it this far, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We had an absolute blast in Seoul making this video, and we hope you enjoyed it. If you did, it would mean the world to us if you'd hit the like button to tell the YouTube gods we're doing a good job. If there's something we missed, let us know in the comments because although it's the end of this trip in Seoul, it certainly won't be our last time in this incredible city. Plus, we've got to come back because there's so much more of South Korea to explore. If you're new here, subscribe to follow along, and we'll see you next time.