Hongdae, Seoul

Hongdae is one of Seoul’s busiest and most popular nightlife areas. It’s also had a large tourist attraction over the last ten years as many love it’s bohemian and youthful vibe. One beautiful Spring Sunday, I decided to take my camera and take some pictures of this vibrant area in Seoul.

Hongik University/Hongdae

Hongdae is home to Hongik University. The university if popular for its arts faculty and many come here to study fashion design and art. A few years ago, I was invited to check out a really cool art and design exhibition for graduates at the university. Conceptual art pieces, sculptures and textile designs on apparel were on display.

You can see many international students on the campus as its reputation has grown over the past 10 years. The presence of this university has led the area to become a hot spot for trendy fashion boutiques, markets and parties. Concept stores are frequent and new designers and brands from Korea love launching their businesses in this area.

Nightlife in Hongdae

Hongdae is most popular for its nightlife. This is one of the busiest places in Seoul on a weekend. The area is busy with dance shows, busking singers and various performances during the day and night. The streets all contain various bars and night clubs that offer a wide range of music for all tastes. This also a hot spot for live bands playing in small underground bars from death metal, rock, indie to alternative.

I’ve spent any a weekend in this area and you never get tired of discovering it. There are always new places, restaurants and new clubs to visit. Fun times.

Shopping in Hongdae

Hongdae is an amazing place to shop for all budgets. Keep in mind that they are surrounded by a university, so goods are almost always on sale and offered at amazing discounts to keep students happy every day. The streets are lined with new brands and independent boutiques. There are even big retailers such as Bershka and H&M.

You can find a sale and bargain at almost any store around here. Its frantic on weekends, but its’s def worth a gander. There are also many second-hand stores. These you will have to look for more closely as they are almost always underground. You’ll see the signs between big stores, then you will have to walk downstairs and rummage through them. I found a really cool vintage store just off the main streets.

Keep a look out for hole in the wall shops offering everything for under KRW 20, 000 ($20)!

The Streets

I find the streets of Hongdae rather unique. It’s a mish-mash of people and a place that lacks pretentiousness compared to a lot of party and entertainments areas in Seoul. It’s somewhere you can dress down or up for.

Like most of the urban planning in Seoul, the buildings are packed and full of signs littered all over them. Practically any space can be made into a store or place of business. This only adds to its charm and its amazing how they can decorate any space to suit the theme of the brand. You always feel like you are stumbling upon something unique here. There are just lots of cool spaces, and you can find cool graffiti murals between the alleys.

Eating in Hongdae

Hongdae has lots of cool coffee shops and restaurants on the main streets and some tucked away in alleys. They cater for all budgets and you can find just about anything here. There are also street food vendors offering food for as little as KRW 6,000 ($6). The variety is unlimited too. On my last visit, I found a lamb restaurant. I haven’t had lamb in months. I had a traditional Korean spicy sauce with lamb and vegetables.

Hello Kitty Cafe

Wow, since I last went to this café in 2012 it has changed A LOT! My first experience at this café was at this branch in 2011. It has since had a major upgrade and is now housed on its own little property on a quaint garden. It’s a full-on house and bigger than most Korean apartments.

It has now moved to the other side of Hongdae near the park. The café boasta a cute front garden with benches and photo booths.

It’s still a dessert cafe, so I just had a quick scout about the place and took some pictures. However, it’s definitely a fun place to check out and more spacious.

Check it out

Hongdae is definitely one of the places to check out in Seoul. It has art museums, entertainment, shopping and dining all in one area. Whenever, I had friends visit me in Korea, I would always take them here for the day or evening. Today, it still remains one of my favourite places.