Top 10 Places to visit near Seoul

Top 10 Place to visit near Seoul

Suwon

Everland 

Korean Folk Village

Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park and Petite France

Muuido Island

Nami Island

Wolmi Park

Hot Springs in Ansan

Songwol-dong Fairy Tale Village and Sinpo International Market

Ganghwado Island

Seoul is not the only place you can go to South Korea, there are many places to visit that are amazing places to take day trips to on the weekends. You can go visit multiple different islands on the west coast that have beautiful beaches. Many of them are only a few hours away from Seoul and some are right next to Incheon airport. If you want to experience mudflats the fifth-largest mudflat in the world is in this area. You also can visit beautiful spots in nature on these islands. 

Another popular thing to visit is the hot springs. The best area to go is Ansan which is about an hour away from Seoul. These are different from Jjimjilbangs and many people go to heal and recover. There are a variety of different hot spring spots in Ansan and you need to figure out which one is best for your budget. If you want to have a day learning about how people lived before the 20th century you should also visit the Korean Folk Village in Suwon. This is also close to the fortress in Suwon so you can make an awesome day trip out of it.

If you love fairy tales you will love to go see Fairy Tale village in Incheon and its one of the best places to get awesome pictures. There is also a market nearby as well as a theme park and a nature park. You can make a great day out of exploring this area as it is close to Incheon airport. You can do this during the beginning or end of your stay to make the most of your time.

Those who are adventure seekers should go to Everland, this theme park is like Lotte World but is in a very scenic area and is outdoors. You can easily spend all day here and want to return for more. There are also themed villages close to Seoul, the top two to see are the Edelweiss Swiss Theme Park and Petite France. They are also super close to each other so you can make a day trip to go see them. Each offers a different experience and are great for those who are on a budget.

By Marissa Owens, Intern Editor

Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa, USA

mowens3107@outlook.com

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Best 5 Study Cafes in Seoul

Study Cafes in Seoul

Now that you are in Seoul either just travelling or studying, and want a place to relax and be focused, you should consider visiting one of these awesome Cafes in Seoul!! Studying at the same location everyday can get tiring and unmotivated, therefore here is a list of places you can go and sit down to study or read. Since changing environments time to time can improve your style of thinking and spice up your study time.

The 1st Penguin

The 1st cafe in Seoul that is great for those who want a nice and quiet place to study or read, has designed their shop for those purposes. This style of a Cafe is unusual but effective for customers since there are 200 electric outlets, 2 computers, 30 lamps, dozens of pencils and sharpeners. Also they provide free water and books if you don't have anything to study with. You will also find some couches, desks for two with a lamp, blankets and even a chalkboard. That being said, this place is really for those who want to study or read, so not a good idea to go there and have a conversation.

The location of The 1st Penguin is near Korea University, so it's really popular for students who attend the prestigious school. Also the colors of the Cafe are really bright and colorful that help people stay awake!! Another thing about their location, is that there are quite a number of restaurants around that you can go eat when you get hungry, but The 1st Penguin do sell small snacks.

For more information click HERE!



Cafe Meeple

Cafe Meeple first opened back in 2007 and has attracted tens of thousands of students to study there and people to just prepare work or read. The cafe is really spacious and aims to provide comfortable study spaces for people. There you can find various sizes of tables, study rooms, and printing facilities. Also there is a possibility you can get a discount if you go during their early hours!!

If you know Korean, visit their Website for more information!!



Dokdabang Cafe

The Dokdabang Cafe is symbolic in Sinchon, it first opened back in 1971 as a music cafe and it was popular among students in the 70's and 80's for 33 years and closed down in 2005. However it has re-opened thanks to the grand son of the original owner and has been a favorite of locals since then!! and close to Yonsei University!!

The Cafe is not just for study as the other two, it has two separate areas for study and regular common space. The ambiance gives a gracefully library-like feel because of their interior design such as wooden tiles, ceiling-tall wooden shelves, wood patio doors with gold linings and classical music as background music. They also have huge glass windows that you will be able to enjoy the view of Sinchon.

If you need a quiet space to study or read, they have a room for that!! In there you will find tables with study lamps and absolutely no talking. Another great part of this cafe is that they have two private meeting rooms for hourly rent for any purpose you would need, maybe such as study groups. Now for the coffee, any drink you purchase you can have a coffee refill for FREE but only once for every purchased drink.

The cafe also is well known for their seasonal Bingsu, every Summer they sell Melon Bingsu which is a favorite because of the style it's served but also of its delicious taste!!

For more information and reviews click HERE!

More pictures and credit click HERE!

Cafe Cita at Soom Island

This cafe near Sogang University is a combination of reading room, cafe and an art gallery. The environment is really peaceful and relaxing!! The combinations mentioned are divided into different spaces around the building, such as where you would find the Book Gallery there is a no-talking policy, then there is the Cafe (CITA) and then an art gallery to enjoy.

Occasionally the Cafe Cita hosts film screenings, book club meetings and lectures. You would also find special meditation and conference rooms available for rent on the seventh floor. However CITA is well known for their beautiful pastries!! The Head Chef studied at Le Cordon Blue in France and one of the popular items are the tarts which people claim are the best ones they ever tried!!

For more information click HERE!


Sahara Cafe

The Sahara Cafe is a hidden gem in Seoul and is really popular among Soongsil University students. Because of the cheap price for coffee and a beautiful and minimalist design. You can go there to study or read, they even have hundreds of books to choose from!!

For seating they have pillowed chairs, long tables with study lamps and just a nice quiet relaxing atmosphere. The nearest subway station to get here is Soongsil University station and they are open Monday to Saturday from 11 am to 11 pm and on Sunday 1 pm to 11 pm, go ahead and check them out!!

Address: 501-2 Beonji Sangdo-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, South Korea
주소: 서울특별시 동작구 사당로 6-1

We hope that you find this information useful and get the chance to visit any of these locations!! Remember to check out our other blog posts about Exploring outside of Seoul!! 

Study Korean, Practice Korean

Language Buddies!!

Hi, I am an intern here at 42SHARE and have studied for a year in a Korean University as an exchange student. The purpose of the program was to learn Korean and immerse myself more into the culture. Therefore I understand how hard it can be to actually practice your Korean as well as intimidating to use it with strangers!! During my stay, I went to a few language circle events where you can meet people who want to help YOU and learn from foreigners living in Seoul!!

Following I will provide a list of places that you should totally go at least once during your time in Seoul!! As well as tips on how to best maintain your learned Korean and your level of Korean does not matter when attending these just try them out :)

Before that, let's learn about an online service which is commonly used by the upcoming organizations we are going to talk about. If you are not familiar with "Meetup" it's a service used to organize online groups to host in-person events for people with similar interests, which in this case Korean language!!

GSM Terrace Language Exchange Cafe and Pub:

Hongdae and Gangnam

This organization is one of the most popular ones and are pretty organized on how to best accommodate those who are wanting to learn and practice a new language. Their focus is really to connect people, besides of having events for language exchange they also host international parties where they're usually over the weekend and meant for fun!!

An awesome part of this organization is that you can also practice other languages such as Japanese, Chinese and Spanish!!

OK, OK, what's the price? well it's pretty cheap and they even have memberships for a cheaper price if you plan to go continuously!! Also each entry includes two drinks from their menu which includes, coffee, tea, juice, craft beer, cocktails and more!

⬕ Drop-in: ₩12,000

⬕ Drop-in Prepay:₩9,000

⸋ Online

Memberships:

⬕8 Entries: ₩60,000

⸋ 25% Discount

⸋ Both locations

⸋ Korean lesson

⬕12 Entries: ₩80,000

⸋ 33% Discount

⸋ Both locations

⸋ Korean lesson

⬕20 Entries: ₩100,000

⸋ 66% Discount

⸋ Both locations

⸋ Korean lesson

As mentioned, they also offer other languages and have an approximate number of how many people go each day of the week, and here it is:

⬕Monday ⬕Thursday

⸋ Time: 7 pm to 11 pm ⸋ Time: 7 pm to 11 pm

⸋ People: 30 to 50 ⸋ People: 50 to 90

⸋ Languages: Korean, English and Japanese ⸋ Languages: Korean, English and Spanish

⬕Tuesday ⬕Saturday

⸋ Time: 7 pm to 11 pm ⸋ Time: 3 pm to 6 pm

⸋ People: 30 to 50 ⸋ People: 70 to 100

⸋ Languages: Korean, English and Chinese ⸋ Languages: Korean, English and Chinese

⬕Wednesday ⬕Sunday

⸋ Time: 7 pm to 11 pm ⸋ Time: 3 pm to 6 pm

⸋ People: 30 to 50 ⸋ People: 30 to 60

⸋ Languages: Korean, English and Chinese ⸋ Languages: Korean, English and Chinese

Also, the Korean lesson is only for one hour, after that it's the exchange part of the event according to the third language of the day, for example on Thursday Spanish. Now for those interested on the International Pub Parties here are the days and times they are hosted:

⬕Friday ⬕Saturday Night ⬕Sunday

⸋ Time: 7 pm to 12 am ⸋ Time: 7 pm to 12 am ⸋ Time: 7 pm to 11 pm

⸋ People: 70 to 110 ⸋ People: 70 to 110 ⸋ People: 30 to 60

⸋ Just mingling ⸋ Just mingling ⸋ Wine and Cheese

Check out their website for more information!!

Their Meetup page!!

Language Exchange Cafe

This organization is quite big as well since they have more locations compared to the one above. However the difference is that the events hosted by this group are more for meeting people from various nationalities and exchange language but they do not regulate on how the meetings would go, is more of a mingling party with a friendly atmosphere!!

 

For the meetings they book whole cafes or pubs so only the ones who are participating are there and feel free to move around and enjoy their time. Another thing is that you do not have to sign up or come at the assigned time and/or stay for the whole time!!

The common languages to exchange are Korean, English, Japanese, French, Spanish, Chinese, Russian and more!! All languages are welcome as well!!  

⬕Monday ⬕Friday

⸋ Hongdae: 7 pm to 12 am ⸋ Hongdae: 7 pm to 12 am

⸋ FREE entrance ⸋ Free entrance

⸋ Come anytime ⸋ Come anytime

⬕Tuesday ⬕ Saturday

⸋ Hongdae: 7 pm to 12 am ⸋ Hongdae: 3 pm to 6 pm

⸋ FREE entrance ⸋ Gangnam: 3 pm to 6 pm

⸋ Come anytime ⸋ FREE entrance, in Gangnam only for Foreigners

⬕Wednesday ⬕Sunday

⸋ Hongdae: 7 pm to 12 am ⸋ Hongdae: 3 pm to 6 pm

⸋ Gangnam: 7 pm to 10 pm ⸋ Gangnam: 3 pm to 6 pm

⸋ FREE entrance, in Gangnam only for Foreigners ⸋ FREE entrance, in Gangnam only for Foreigners

⸋ Hyehwa: 7 pm to 10 pm (₩5,000)

⬕Thursday

⸋ Hongdae: 7 pm to 12 am

⸋ FREE entrance

⸋ Come anytime

Check out their Facebook pages of each location for more information:

Meetup Hongdae Gangnam Hyehwa

Outside of Seoul

If you are learning Korean or want to practice it with locals but are not in Seoul, don't worry there are events like these as well in other big cities!! Such as Busan or Daegu!! 

There is a website you should look into and will have more information about time, price and exact locations for these other cities!! The name of the website is Friends in Korea which is the #1 for Koreans and Expats in Korea!! 

Most likely than not they will run their events as Langauge Exchange Cafe group we learned about above, since they are linked and use Meetup a lot as well. 

Just for an example, let's see how's Busan's language exchange events: 

⬕International Parties

⸋ Twice a Month

⸋ Gwangalli and Haeunde

⸋ Entrance fee: ₩5,000

⸋ Time: 7:30 pm to 11:00 pm

⸋ Come anytime!!

Online

If you feel you may not have enough time to go to one of the events in either organizations, check out this blog post about top 5 Korean language Exchange sites to practice your Korean!! Some of them would be as having a pen pal and others sort of like a Facebook community.

Apps

Some good language exchange apps that are great and I even use them myself are HelloTalk and HiNative!!

These apps are great when doing your homework and you find yourself stuck in a question!!

HelloTalk

Was created to learn a language by chatting with native speakers around the world. In the app you can use voice recordings, voice calls, video calls, upload pictures and even doodles!! Another thing that I noticed about this one is that most people kind of use it as Instagram, where they would upload pictures about their day, such as food, animals and/or views (nature) with a caption and asking to be corrected. I love seeing those kind of posts because allows me to see the person's style of taking pictures and how they live in their country.

Download for: iOS

Download for: Android

HiNative

Is a global Q&A community for language learners and people that are curious about the world!! This app I personally find it a lot more helpful when doing your homework because you can ask a question and get a response pretty quick!! Also if you are want to learn about the culture but not sure what questions to ask, this app has templates for you to use and pose to the community, pretty helpful!!

Download for: iOS

Download for: Android

Of course there are the ups and downs for using apps like these but try them out to see if they workout for you!!

We hope the information we provided are of great help and that you get to improve your Korean a lot more!! Please drink responsibly and have fun!! Remember to check out our other blog posts about living in Seoul