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 

This article is about Changdeokgung and Secret garden, a must see in Seoul.

Changdeokgung is the last palace of korean royal court. We took a guide with a group of tourists to get valuable information. 
However, we couldn't follow the group as the speech is really long and there's a lot of information and details, ah... and the english pronounciation of the korean guide was quite hard to understand for us.

But what I have enjoyed the most, is the large gardens that sourounds the palace. If you want to escape the noise of Seoul city, you should definetly visit that "Secret garden". This place is amazing, I loved the lotus ponds and the little waterfalls, the large trees in the peaceful alleys, it is serein and the nature is so beautiful and relaxing. 

I recommand to go there in the morning, when it's fresh and not too sunny. You can take wonderful photos of the landscapes it offers to your sight. 

So don't forget to bring with you your camera!

• How to get there: Anguk Station (metro Line 3) Exit n° 3 or Jongno 3- Station (metro Line 1, 3 or 5) Exit n° 7

• Admissions fee:

-Entrance ticket + regular tour of the Palace: Adult 3,000 won (2,6$) / from 7 to 18 years old 1500 won (1,3$) / free for kids below 6 years old
-Secret Garden Tour: Adults 5,000 won (4,4$)/ Youth 7-18 year old 2,500 won (2,2$)/ Free for kids below 6 years old

Picture of title credits: here

Gif Credits: here

Gangnam-gu is the third largest district in Seoul. The name is translated litterally to "The south of the river" because you have to cross the Han River to reach Gangnam. People living in Gangnam are known for their wealth and high living standards. Gangnam is known for its shopping and entertainment areas, and its high concentration of buildings.
What amazed me in Gangnam is that the Gangnam metro station is a huge clothes shopping mall itself! The shopaholic people will stay underground, in its station to seek for great clothes/ accessories that each shop offers to their sight. If you want to buy beautiful dresses, bags or shoes, Gangnam station is your shopping heaven! The prices are kind of high compare to other shopping areas, but the items are at a better quality.

I was also amazed by the originality of each building in Gangnam. Some are curvy, while others contains ornaments, the roads are perfectly clean and organised. Large screens are everywhere, and the view of the buildings at nightime is intimiditating. 

If you go to Gangnam you will notice that everyone is dressed really nicely and fashionably especially at night.  

• How to get there: Gangnam Station (강남역), line 2, exit 10 & exit 11 or Sinnonhyeon Station (신논현역), line 9, exit 5 & exit 6

Gif credits: Here

"Kimchi", "Bibimpap", "Kimbap"... all these are korean well known and basic dishes. Our trip in South Korea was a very good "food experience". We have enjoyed many different dishes, that have a very different taste from what we usually eat as Moroccans. But once you are accustomed, you just enjoy the variety of colors and taste of condiments that every plate offers to your mouth. 

Korean dishes are served with lots of vegetables, that's why it is known that they are healthy. Some are very spicy, but in my opinion, the spicier the food is, the tasty it is ! Korean fish is really delicious, it tastes really fresh and yummy.
Kimchi, which is a side dish, is served at nearly every meal.

Each place in Korea is known of some specific dish. Lots of traditional restaurants offers a cozy atmosphere, with traditional music and space, really enjoyable!

Crab or tuna Kimbap, hot spicy vegetable noodle and seafood noodles, vegetable streetfood cake and vegetable omelett are my favourite plates so far.

We have discovered a great small restaurant near the place we live at. It's called "POMATO" and it serves really good Kimbap and seafood noodles. It is located next to Hoehyeon station.  

You can also enjoy street food especially in Namdeamun Market and MyeongDong main street at night. The prices are really affordable.