Category: Beyond Seoul
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Sungsimdang Traditional Sweets in Daejeon: Yenmatsomssi, the Queue-Free Alternative
Sungsimdang is Daejeon’s most famous bakery, and no trip to the city is complete without it — but the queues are no joke, sometimes stretching for blocks. Here’s a local tip: right across the street from the main branch is Yenmatsomssi (성심당 옛맛솜씨), where you can pick up sungsimdang traditional sweets in daejeon — yakgwa,…
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What to Eat at Gangneung Central Market: A Local’s 5 Picks
If there’s one thing to do first on a Gangneung trip, it’s eat your way through Gangneung Central Market (강릉중앙시장). It’s an easy walk from the station area and a perfect stop at any time of day — just graze straight from the stalls. So here’s what to eat at Gangneung Central Market if you…
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Ocean View Cafe on Anmok Coffee Street: Cafe Albero in Gangneung
Anmok Coffee Street is where Korea’s whole cafe obsession arguably began — a seafront strip in Gangneung packed end to end with cafes. Which is lovely, until you’re standing there trying to pick one. My go-to for the view is Cafe Albero, an ocean-view cafe on Anmok Coffee Street with three floors of glass looking…
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Sky Bike in Gangneung: Riding Aranaby Over the Sea (Prices, Hours & Tips)
Looking at the sea is one thing. Pedaling a bike out over it, on a cable with nothing but blue water below, is another. That’s the sky bike in Gangneung — a spot called Aranaby near Namhangjin Beach, and it’s one of the most memorable little things you can add to a Gangneung day. I…
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Gangneung Day Trip from Seoul: A Local’s Car-Free Guide (Beaches, Coffee & Market)
Here’s a thing about Seoul: for all it has, it doesn’t have the sea. So when I want salt air and an open horizon without a long trip, I do a Gangneung day trip from Seoul — and the best part is you don’t need a car for any of it. A KTX out in…
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Hwangnidan-gil Restaurants: A Local’s Guide to Eating in Gyeongju’s Prettiest Street
Gyeongju’s Hwangnidan-gil is the city’s most charming street — a run of traditional hanok houses converted into restaurants, cafes and shops, right beside the royal tombs. It’s where most visitors end up eating, and for good reason. But the choices can be overwhelming, so here’s a local’s shortlist of the best Hwangnidan-gil restaurants and cafes,…
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Matcha Gelato in Gyeongju: Nok-a, a Hanok Cafe on Hwangnidan-gil
Matcha lovers, this one’s for you. Nok-a is a hanok cafe on Gyeongju’s Hwangnidan-gil built around one thing: green tea gelato, made in four intensity levels from mild to almost jet-black. For matcha gelato in Gyeongju — enjoyed in a beautiful traditional hanok — this is the place, and it’s a perfect dessert stop after…
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Olivee: A Light-Filled Hanok Gyeongju Cafe on Hwangnidan-gil
Gyeongju’s Hwangnidan-gil is as much a cafe street as a food street, and after a morning of tombs and temples, a pretty Gyeongju cafe to rest in is exactly what you want. Olivee is one of the loveliest — a big, light-filled hanok with a garden terrace, Instagram-famous for good reason, and an easy place…
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Galbijjim in Gyeongju: The Original Short-Rib Hanok on Hwangnidan-gil, Sook
These days plenty of restaurants on Gyeongju’s Hwangnidan-gil serve galbijjim (braised short ribs), but Sook is the one that started it — the original, and still the best-loved. For galbijjim in Gyeongju, this is the address: tender, sweet-savory beef short ribs served in a pretty hanok, with a couple of clever sides to round out…
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A Refined Gyeongju Korean Restaurant on Hwangnidan-gil: Sohyangmong
If Gyeongju’s Hwangnidan-gil has a restaurant for a proper, sit-down Korean meal — the kind where the table fills with beautifully plated dishes — it’s Sohyangmong. Where some spots on the street are casual, this Gyeongju Korean restaurant is calm and refined, built around hanwoo (premium Korean beef) and local Gyeongju ingredients. It’s the place…
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Hwangnidan-gil Restaurant in Gyeongju: Hanok Dining at Cheongonchae
Gyeongju’s Hwangnidan-gil is the city’s most charming street — a stretch of traditional hanok houses turned into cafes, shops and restaurants, right by the royal tombs. If you want to eat well here without the food being an afterthought, Cheongonchae is my pick: a lovely hanok restaurant on Hwangnidan-gil doing gentle, well-made Korean food, with…
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Sungsimdang Strawberry Cake: How to Get the Famous Siru Without the Queue
The Sungsimdang strawberry cake — the “strawberry siru” — has become a phenomenon. A cake so loaded with fruit that people take the train to Daejeon just to buy one, then queue for hours to do it. The good news: with a little strategy, you can skip most of that line. Here’s how to actually…
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What to Eat in Daejeon Besides Bread: Byeolnanjip’s Fiery Dubu-Duruchigi
Most people come to Daejeon for one thing: Sungsimdang, the bakery worth a day trip from Seoul. But you can’t live on bread alone, and Daejeon is a city that takes eating seriously. So here’s what to eat in Daejeon once you’ve got your bag of pastries — a bowl of the city’s fiery signature…
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How to Get to Nami Island from Seoul: Every Option, Compared
Nami Island is one of the easiest day trips from Seoul — but the transport confuses a lot of first-time visitors, because there’s no single subway line straight there. In practice there are four good ways to do it, and the right one depends on your budget and how much you value a reserved seat.…
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Nami Island in Autumn: A Day-Trip Guide from Seoul
Half-moon-shaped and covered in trees, Nami Island is one of the most popular day trips from Seoul — famous as a filming location for the K-drama Winter Sonata, and beloved for its long, straight, tree-lined lanes. It’s lovely year-round, but Nami Island in autumn is when those lanes come into their own, as the metasequoia…
