Buying gifts while you're travelling is always a hard thing to do. I have for you a list of relativelly cheap gifts you can buy to your loved ones in Seoul and I hope it will give you some ideas:

• Tea gift box:

We have been gifted from Seoul a big beautiful tea box and I recommand this the ones who want to make their parents happy. My mother really enjoyed this tea box.

Where to buy tea boxes:
-Namdeamun and Insadong markets
-Malls

• Korean TOTEMS: 

I personnaly think these Korean Totems funny with their mouth wide open and teeth shown they can make anyone smile.

These totems are available in wood, metal and even plastic.

Where to buy Korean totems:

-Namdeamun Market (really cheap items !)

-Insadong Market

-Coex mall souvenirs shops

• Books:

If you want to buy books, I suggest you KYOBO BOOKSTORE. It's the largest korea's bookstores chain. I was impressed to notice that this bookstore was so huge and you can find not only a large variety of books but also other cute accessories (postcards, material for scratchbooks, albums...etc.) -How to get there: 1) City Hall (Seoul Subway Line 1 & 2), Exit 4. 2) Gwanghwamun Station (Seoul Subway Line 5), Exit 4. Cute socks:    Seoul has got the cutest socks ever! You can buy your favourite characters socks in a really cheap price (1000 Won/ 0,9$ - 2000 won/ 1,7$)!! Many coulours and characters are available: Minions, K-POP singers, K-DRAMA actors, cartoon characters...etc.  -Where to buy cute socks: Mainly at Myeongdong Subway station, Myeongdong main street, Namdeamun Market and Insadong Market. Smartphone cases: Another original gift you can think of is the cute smartphone cases you can find in many subway stations like Myeongdong shopping center, Gangnam and also in Myeongdong main street, Namdeamun Market, Insadong Market, Malls...etc. You will have a huge choice of characters and designs, so stay focused! Korean Mask frames: If you want a typical souvenir from Korea, you have to think of Korean masks. And if you don't want to bother yourself with a big heavy mask, why not buy a small mask frame instead? These frames are a really good ornament for your living room. -Where to buy korean mask frames: Mainly in NAMDEAMUN market and INSADONG market from 10.000 Won to 40.000 Won. You can find them also in Coex mall souvenir shops.     And you? What did you buy when you were in SEOUL ? :)

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Located in the heart of Gangnam District, Coex aquarium is the biggest Aquarium in South Korea. It contains  40,000 sea creatures divided into 16 zones. The place is simply amazing: you will see multipe sharks, bats, huge turtles, colorful fish, and lots of other impressive landscapes.

If you want to visit the whole site, you may need like 4 hours ! But the visit is worth it.

• Address: 513, Yeongdong-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
• Admission fees:
-Individuals: Adults 25,000 won (22$);Teenagers 22,000 won; Children 19,000 won (17$) ;Seniors 18,500 won (16$)
-People with disabilities: Adults 18,500 won (16$); Teenagers 15,500 won (14$); Children 11,000 won (10$); Seniors 18,500 won(16$)

• Operating Hours: 10:00 - 20:00
• How to get there: By Subway --> Samseong Station (Seoul Subway Line 2), Exit 5 & 6.

I recommand you 6 things to do in Seoul when it's raining:

If you are a shopaholic, Seoul is definetly your place. There are a lot of Duty free malls like LOTTE MALL, SHINSEGAE...etc. Almost all malls exceed 8 floors, and each floor has its specific item category. 

Most malls are located at: Myeongdong, Gangnam, and Dongdaemun districts

1. Shinsegae Department Store: Personnaly, I love Shinsegae because on its top there's a wonderful design garden. You can sit there peacefully and enjoy the fresh air and green areas. Notice that the garden is closed in rainy days.

• Opening Hours: [Daily 10:30-20:00 / Extended hours 10:30-20:30] 
• Address: [63, Sogong-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul]

2. Lotte mall : 

• Opening Hours: [Daily 10:30 – 20:00] 
• Address: [81, Namdaemun-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul]

3. Coex mall : This huge underground mall contains many souvenir shops but also an amazing aquarium complex that you can visit on a rainy day. It's known as the biggest underground mall in Asia.

• Opening Hours: Daily 10:30 - 22:00  
• How to get there: Line 2 Samseong Station exit 6 or Line 9 COEX Station

4. D-Cube City Mall : 

• Opening Hours: Mon - Fri 11:00 – 21:30, Sat - Sun 11:00 – 22:00 
• How to get there: Sindorim Station, exit 1 

5. Lotte Young Plaza : 

• Opening Hours: Daily 11:30 - 21:30 
• Address: 15 Sail-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul

6. Times Square Mall : 

• Opening Hours: Daily 10:30 - 22:00 
• Address: 15, Yeongjung-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul

7. Migliore: 

• Opening Hours: Tuesday – Sunday 10:30 – 05:00 
• Address: 18-145 Euljiro 6-ga, Dongdaemun, Seoul

8. IFC mall: IFC mall is one of the newest malls in Seoul.

• Location: Yeouido - Line 5 and 9

Seoul's Metro stations contain many original stairs. One of them is the PIANO STAIRS which is a real piano where you can play music only by walking on it! Namdeamun market contains a clourful stairs as well...

• Where  to find piano stairs : EULJIRO SUBWAY STATION

We booked the DMZ tour (demilitirized zone between South Korea and North Korea) at a hotel  in Hoehyeon (Mido Hotel). If you are in Seoul you should not miss this special experience since Seoul is near the border. We also got inside the 3rd inflitration tunnel and saw North Korea from the observatory deck.

Here are some tips for this tour:

• For DMZ tour, you need to book one day in advance. For JSA tour, you have to book at least 3 days in advance.
• Almost all hotels and guesthouses offer to book both DMZ and JSA, so you really don't have to book online.

• All tours meet at the LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL, where tours can also be booked.

• Don't forget to bring with you your passport, you won't be able to see anything if you don't bring it with you. Your passport will be checked at least once by the military before accessing to the joint area

We had the chance to visit Seoul Skyline, the third highest observation deck in the world, which opened a few days after our arrival to Seoul. The observatory is located on the upper floors (117-123F) and it offers a wonderful view of the city especially at night. 

The deck has a transparent glass FLOOR you can walk on and see what's going under your feet!! isn't that amazing?

It is recommanded to go there on clear days (not foggy) to enjoy the best views of the city. 

• How to get there: Jamsil Station (Seoul Subway Line 2, 8), Exit 2. Walk approx. 5min
• Operating hours: 09:30-23:00
• Admission: Adults 27,000 won (24$)/ Children 24,000 won~(21$)

Banpo Bridge Rainbow Fountain was a splendid experience for me. I call it "the bridge of happiness" since it sends out dancing, rainbow coloured jets of water synchronized with great music. It brings joy to its visitors.

  

Operating Hours: 
[April-June, September-October]
Weekdays: 12:00, 20:00, 20:30, 21:00
Weekends: 12:00, 19:30, 20:00, 20:30, 21:00

[July-August]
Weekdays: 12:00, 19:30, 20:00, 20:30, 21:00
Weekends: 12:00, 19:30, 20:00, 20:30, 21:00, 21:30