Top 5 best shopping areas in Korea (Clothings and Souvenirs)
12:35:00 AMI have came back to my home country for about a fortnight. But till now, I still miss Korea very much. This time I'm going to blog about the Top shopping areas in Korea. The post below are based on my personal experience and opinions with reference from my friends and family who have been to Korea too. However, please be note that the places that I'm going to recommend in this blog post are not High-end and super good quality goods that one can usually find it in shopping centre.
Remember: If possible, bargain before buying (they know you are a tourist =D)
Top 1: Area around Ewha Women's University in Seoul 이화여자대학교 (Cheap and Fashionable)
The best place for shopping especially for females!! Areas around Ehwa Woman's University is really a shopping heaven! You could get almost any stuff that you could think of, ranging from beauty products to super cute hair ornaments. AND the price here are incredibly CHEAP! Most important thing is, the things here are very nice and beautiful! I highly recommend you to come here for shopping first before proceed to other places. Girls could gone crazy! By the way, do stop by at the university for a look. It's very majestic! Please be remind that boys are NOT allow to go to indoors, or the guard will stop you. (duh, this is a woman's university!)
How to get there:
Ewha Womans University Station (Seoul subway station line 2)
Top 2: Nampo-Dong Street in Busan 남포동 (Cheapest)
You can easily find lots of shirts and skirts here with very cheap price. Some clothes / T-shirts can be as cheap as around 3000won (appx RM9). Remember to spot some cheap stuff at the underground shopping center in Nampo-Dong. Though it is very cheap, but goods here are not as many choices in areas near Ehwa Woman's University. By the way, if you are interested in cheap second-hand clothing, don't forget to wander around in Nampo-Dong. There is a street that sells lots of second hand clothes which could be as cheap as only 1000won (appx. RM3). But bare in mind that, the cloths are not as nice and you have to squeeze with Ajuma(s) to "find" a suitable one!
How to get there:
Nampo-dong Station (Busan subway Line 1)
Top 3: Underground shopping area in Seoul
a) Express Bus Terminal subway station (underground)
If you are planning to travel intercity by bus, you will surely pass by this subway terminal. Do stop by and hunt for clothes! You would be amaze that things sold here are beautiful and very affordable! I got many of my skirts and shirt here too!
How to get there:
Express Bus Terminal Station (Seoul subway station line 3 and 7)
b) Gangnam subway station (underground)
The legend "gangnam", the most expensive part in Seoul. Gangnam is known for it's heavily concentrated wealth and high standard of living. However, in it's underground shopping area, you will be surprise to see that there are cheap stuff too! If you are going to spend a day in Gangnam, why not stop by to reload some items?
How to get there:
Gangnam Station (Seoul subway station Line 2)
UPDATE on Sept 2016
On my recent trip to Seoul, I notice two more underground shopping area is quite worth to pay a visit.
c) Myeongdong Subway Station
Despite the many shopping stores around myeongdong, don't forget that it has an underground shopping area at myeongdong subway station too! And, you won't believe that the items there are sometimes cheaper than what's selling in myeongdong shopping area! With a handful of cosmetics stores, most of the stores there are selling Korean fashion clothes!
How to get there:
Myeongdong Station (Seoul subway station Line 4)
d) Jonggak Subway Station
If you are planning to go to Insadong (See Top 4), you'll are actually very near to this station- can be reached by just walking distance from Insadong. I spotted this underground shopping area unintentionally while I was walking near Insadong. Surprisingly, the place have lesser crowds BUT the price is cheaper compare to other shopping areas! I even spotted dresses starting from 5000won!! lol!!
How to get there:
Jonggak Station (Seoul subway station Line 1)
Top 4: Insadong in Seoul 인사동 (Best place for souvenirs and Traditional Korean items)
There are abundance of cheap souvenirs and street food in Insadong. Besides, you can easily get traditional Korean items that can represent the true culture of Korea like Korean traditional mirror, korean chopstick and spoon, Korean traditional costume-Hanbok (Not full size)..etc..etc.. There are no better places to shop for souvenirs in Seoul except for Insadong.
How to get there:
Anguk Station (Seoul subway station line 3, Exit 6). Walk 100m straight, then turn left.
Top 5: Myeongdong in Seoul 명동 (Best place to shop for Skin Care products)
Although Myeongdong is not the cheapest shopping area (my own opinion), but it has the most choices of products out of all of the shopping areas mentioned. To me, this is also the best place to shop for skin care products, cause you can easily get lots of samples in Myeongdong. Korean skin care brands like TheFaceShop, Missha, TonyMoly, Nature Republic, Innisfree, Aritaum are easily found here. Each of these brand have at least 3 to 5 outlets in Myeongdong! CRAZY!! If you want more superior skin care products (International Brand), you could go to a nearby Lotte Duty Free Departmental Store which is only by walking distance. Besides that, you can even spot some stalls and shops that sells K-pop merchandise like EverySing by SM Town here. K-pop fans would definitely love it!!
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How to get there:
Myeongdong Station (Seoul Subway Line 4), Exit 5, 6, 7, or 8.
Euljiro Il-ga Station (Seoul Subway Line 2), Exit 5.
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Besides that 5 places I mentioned above, there are also other shopping areas in Korea, especially Seoul. Below are some other popular suggestions of shopping areas in Seoul.
1) Hongdae (Hongik University) 홍대
Some people love shopping at Hongdae too. Some say things here are cheap. But, I think it's not as cheap as those near Ehwa Womans University. Yes, this is also one of the most popular shopping areas in Seoul. Even at night, Hongdae is still a very good place to hangout! There are still lots of stalls during the night and lots of clubs around! Hongdae is only 2 subway station from Ewha Woman's University. Day or Night, do stop by and SHOP!
How to get there:
Hongik University (Seoul Subway Line 2 and Airport Railway AREX)
2) Namdaemun 남대문
One of the famous shopping area for wholesale clothings. Go there earlier to grab your stuff. Stalls in Namdaemun start closing at 2pm. By 3pm, most of the stalls have stop their business.
Namdaemun Operating Hours:
-11pm to 3pm (closed on sundays)
Hoehyeon Station (Seoul subway line 4, exit 5)
3) Dongdaemun 동대문 (Night)
Another popular night shopping area in Seoul. Come after 11pm, and this is a shopping heaven! To me, this place is not as cheap as other shopping areas, but it provides various designs of shoes and cloths. Some say it's famous for shoes. BUT!! The sizes is all ASIAN SIZES... My shoe size is slightly bigger and I can't find one for myself! =( However, if your shoe size is a normal average Asian Size (woman: 5-8 | Men: 7-10), then you might find this a heaven for shoes because the shoes are fashionable and cheap!! Besides, you can even find fake branded goods here. Also, spot some street food here.
How to get there:
Dongdaemun Station (Seoul subway station line 1 and 4)
Hope this will help some of you that are planning to Korea to plan your itinerary. =D
Erica
3.35pm (Malaysia Time)
18/7/2013
28 comments
MY GF WILL GO CRAZY AT THESE PLACES! XD
ReplyDeleteEvery girl will go Crazy!!! Coz it's really heaven for Girls!!
Deletehighly agree with u that area around ewha women uni is cheap and nice ^^
ReplyDeleteGreat!!! ♥♥♥♥♥
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wow ..but, can I ask some question... is it expensive if I wanna buy shoos there??
ReplyDeletesorry for the late reply... NO.. it's not.. but the size are quite small.. usually only limit for normal asian sizes... Best place for shoes is Dongdaemun.. =D can be as cheap as about 10,000 won.. (RM30) for a sneakers..
DeleteHi....nice info. If we want to buy souvenir and cloth, which one is cheaper? Myeongdong underground center, insadong, or namdaemun? Many thanx
ReplyDeleteHi, for cheaper:
Delete1) Clothes: If you want to buy female clothes, go to Ehwa Womans University nearby. Else, go for underground shopping center.
2) Souvenir: Insadong might not be the cheapest, but they have a lot of varieties of traditional korean souvenir that represent korean true culture. (eg, korean traditional pencil case, mirror, etc)
Myeongdong is also a good place to shop especially for skin care products, but they do not have much clothing stalls. If they have, it might not be the cheapest.
Hope this info helps. Enjoy your shopping. =D
Thank you for your information:)
DeleteHi Erica,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Martha, I'm from Brazil but live in NYC. I'm planning to travel to Busan in the first week of January for two weeks. Your blog looks great and I just wanted to ask, what are some of the places that you recommend for food and cheap souvenirs too?
Thank you! Your pictures are great too :)
Hi. Your article is very helpful! Will be recommending it to my friends!
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Hi sweety, thank you for your info... 😙😊 now i know where the right place i can go for shopping in korea.. Yeah!!.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting such a nice and informative blog.This blog is helpful for those who are searching best shops for shopping in Korea.I like the stuff specially the dresses.
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