Navigating cities that are built around western tourism, like Phuket or Cancun, are relitively easy. Seoul has tourist districts, but on a whole the city is primarily built around the local population. Which makes it a wonderful place if you want adventure, and to experience a different culture. This culture shock was exactly what we were looking for! Although it does help to have a local teach you about some of the history, culture, and language.
Bring in the walking tour. This is the best way to navigate a new city, visit some sites, and learn some tips and tricks to improve your holiday. Plus it is usually a pretty affordable tour option. We opted to do a walking tour at night, mostly because we are night owls, and early into our trip on the second night. We also decided to do a ghost tour, because, well… why not?
Dark Side of Seoul
We booked our tour with The Dark Side of Seoul, and opted to have the addon 2h walking tour option, it cost $70AUD each. We met at 7:50pm, which was more than enough time to get some dinner beforehand. Our tour group was around 10 people which was the perfect amount to keep up pace, but also to keep it interesting. We wove through side streets, parks, and historical landmarks, and ended up near our hotel in Myeongdong.
Shaun, our tour guide, was simply amazing. Not only did we deep dive into the folklore and myths surrounding Seoul, but he also gave us some tips on where to eat and drink. We also had plenty of opportunity to ask some questions about Seoul, like why are there no bins? I (Mikayla) am a child when it comes to scary experiences, but this was more fun than scary. We would absolutely recommend bringing older kids on this tour. We ended up buying some comic books written by our guide Shaun, as a sentimental souvenir of this amazing tour.
If night tours or ghost tours aren’t your thing, book a walking tour that suits you. If they are your thing, then please book one with the Dark Side of Seoul, it runs all year round, and was one of the most fun things we did while we were there!
Visit their site: https://www.darksideofseoul.com/
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