Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea

4Janet1016 5:00 PM Feb 26, 2020

Markets rock!
My husband, son and I visited Seoul, South Korea for the very first time the end of January. Our Hotel, the Tmark Grand Hotel, was within walking distance of the Namdaemun Market and we visited it numerous times over the course of the week we were there. I'm not a big shopper but I am a foodie and we ate in a couple of restaurants in the Market as well as sampling some of the street foods and I also purchased some Honey Butter Almonds, which are a very popular foodie souvenir to buy when in South Korea, at a lower price than if you go to an actual shop that specializes in them (of which there are MANY). :) I love Night Markets. Coming from Canada I can't get enough of them when I visit Asia. Everything looks so FOREIGN! LOL! I saw all manner of fresh fruits for sale, spices, clothing, foodie treats, and much, much more. The Market, which is the largest traditional Market in South Korea, has over 10,000 vendors, retailers and wholesalers. It is a dense maze of stalls and restaurants. One night while we were looking for a spot to get some dinner we came out of a back alley to be faced with a stunning Old City Gate right across the street which turned out to be Sungnyemun Gate, South Korea's #1 National Treasure. You honestly never know what is going to be around the next corner. Merchants have been selling items near this location since 1414 AD!!!!! There is an information booth with people in it that do speak some English which is super helpful. They also have free maps so you can orient yourself. We went to the Information booth one evening for a restaurant recommendation and were pleased. Just go wander.....it's uber fun!

5Carolina 5:00 PM Dec 27, 2022

Perfect place to shop!! Bargains!
I visited twice this market, it has blocks and blocks of all types of merchandise. The prices were so much better than in the malls in Seoul. I found all the items I wanted at much lower price here so I went twice and walked all over.