There are so many sights to see in Seoul, and it can get overwhelming really quickly – especially if you’re here for only a short trip. I stayed right in the middle of the area for over a month and want to share my top tips for what to do in Hyehwa-dong.
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Where is Hyewha-dong?
The area is part of Jongno District, which is located in central Seoul. Hyewha-dong has multiple metro stations and bus stops and is easy to reach.
Your best bet is to take the blue line 4 to Hyewha, or the bus to
1 Cosy Up in Cute Cafes
The SKKU campus is located in Hyehwa and, therefore, there are many fun and affordable places to eat out in the area.
For sweet bread, creamy cupcakes and delicious smoothies, I recommend Alpucca (알프카베이커리 & 카페). A small and quite café with a nice view of the streets below is Merry Grin (메리그린). Their specialty is tiramisu cake.
There’s also a cat café next to the Foreigner Center, called Jipsauiharu Hyehwa.
Pro tip: If you download the Naver app, you can see the menu and prices of all places and also sort to only show establishments that are open at the time of your search.
2 Bite into Street Food
There are a few street stalls along the main street, where you can eat hearty fish cake eomuk (어묵) or sweet carp bread bungeoppang (붕어빵), for instance. It’s typically close to exit 4 of Hyehwa metro station.
If you want to try authentic tteobokki, head over to Nanumi Tteokbokki (나누미떡볶이 성대본점). Some say it’s the best tteobokki. They also serve fish cake.
Across the street and a bit further up, you can grab yourself a Korean sandwich from Isaac Toast (Sungkyunkwan Branch). In particular, I loved the chicken crunch sandwiches there.
3 Have Picture Time in Photobooths
In case you want to try out a Korean photobooth, this is your chance! In Hyehwa, there are a lot of photobooths especially along the main shopping street Daemyeon-gil.
Prices for getting two prints (1-6 photos each) are typically around 5000/6000 WON (3-5 USD). I realized that it’s actually cheaper than in Hongdae, where I found booths for 10,000 WON.
You can easily use the photobooths without speaking Korean and operate them all by yourself. You simply pick one of the stores, grab any of the props you’d like to wear and hang them within reach inside the booth of your choice.
In each booth, there is a machine and a door to the actual photo room. You can pay with credit card, but that often didn’t work for me as foreign cards are not always accepted. Therefore, bring 1000 WON notes (bigger ones aren’t accepted either), so you can pay with ease.
4 Hike the Ancient City Walls
I personally love the Seoul City Wall Hike. It has amazing vistas, it’s nicely challenging and you can collect stamps, too! There might not be a stamp point in Hyewha anymore, but you can see an ancient city gate!
It’s the one after which the area is named: Hyehwamun Gate (Dongsomun, 혜화문(동소문). If you want to connect to more of the trail, you can head up to Sukjeongmun Gate (숙정문)from there. Or go southeast, up Naksan Park in Ihwa-dong and down to Dongdaemun, where there is another gate (and a stamp point).
5 Views
And when you’re already on the City Wall trail, you’ll get to see other view points than the places mentioned in the previous paragraph.
A great view point in Hyehwa-dong is the Malbawi Observatory in Samcheong Park (삼청공원 말바위전망대), just above Gyeongbokgung Palace.
It’s an ideal place to enjoy cherry blossoms in spring and autumnal colors later in the year.
If you don’t want to hike that far up, you can also take the local green bus to the bottom of the park and then walk up the stairs. Then, you’re in Waryong Park (와룡공원).
6 Meditate at Munmyo
Just before the SKKU campus lies the charming Temple of Confucius. It is home to 200-year-old gingko trees that are very impressive in size. In autumn, their yellow foliage is mesmerizing to behold.
The complex of Seonggyungwan and Munmyo (성균관, 문묘) used to be both for educational as well as ritual purposes. It was here that the elite of Joseon was educated and future politicians taught in the ways of Confuscianism. Hence, the gingko trees, which symbolize the deep roots of knowledge.
7 Pack Your Shopping Bags
There are a few high street fashion stores as well as smaller boutiques in Hyehwa-dong. Cute basics and trendy fashion can be gotten at stores along Daemyong-gil, such as Wonder Place or Red Eye. Note that you might not be able to try pieces on.
There is also a Daiso in case you need some affordable beauty items, fashion pieces and all kinds of other handy things. An Olive Young is right next to it for even more beauty brands.
8 Pack Your Shopping Bags
For perfume lovers, there’s a charming little store called Proust (프루스트). Here, you can create your very own signature scent. Makes for a great souvenir, too! You can book a time slot via naver.
9 Watch a Theatre Play
The area is part of Seoul’s “Broadway”, known as Daehangno. No wonder, you can also find small theatres in Ihwa-dong to keep you entertained.
One is Sungkyun Small Theater (성균소극장). It’s a small theatre, which means the shows feel more intimate and you can see rather closely.
Another one is Open Theatre 열린극장 , which is small as well. Last but not least is Seoul Theater Center (서울연극센터).
10 Learn about Korean Crafts
Ihwa-dong has a local museum, too. This secret tip is the Korean Museum of Straw and Life (짚풀생활사박물관), a small museum made up of three rooms.
It’s a very niche subject that gets covered, but the skill and handcraft is impressive. So, it’s no wonder a museum is dedicated to straw objects.
Other interesting sights nearby
When you are in the area as well, you can see many other nearby attractions easily. Many are in walking distance, such as Changgyeonggung Palace (창경궁) or the National Children’s Science Center (국립어린이과학관).
With the city bus and a quick walk, you can also reach the beautiful traditional culture complex Samcheonggak (삼청각). It hosts traditional dance shows every Wednesday and has a café serving traditional tea with a lofty view.
Also in Seongbuk district, you can find the relaxing Gilsangsa Temple (대한불교조계종 길상사) and the small and quiet temple Jeongbeopsa (정법사) with its elephant statues. Next door, you can find the rather unique Korean Stone Art Museum (우리옛돌박물관). All of these are easy to reach by local bus.
Of course, you can walk over to Ihwa-dong, where there are many more things to see. I covered that in its own blog post. Do check that one out as well to more local insights for hidden spots in Seoul.
