The university district and the city's creative, youthful heart — indie music, street performers, cheap eats, thrift shops and the wildest nightlife in Seoul, going till dawn. Fun, buzzy and great value, well-connected to the airport line; the base for travellers who want to be where the energy and the clubs are, if you don't mind the noise.
A look around
What you’ll be living next to. Swipe through.
₩120,000–250,000
typical per night in South Korea
The sensible middle
Typical prices for Seoul — neither steal nor splurge.
Where it sits
The circle is Hongdae and roughly a 10-minute walk around it.
How far is everything?
From the middle of this area to the city's headline sights — pick your own on the city page and these become your list.
- Cheonggyecheon stream15 min taxi5.1 km
- Myeongdong shopping & street food16 min taxi5.3 km
- Gyeongbokgung Palace16 min taxi5.4 km
- N Seoul Tower & Namsan17 min taxi5.7 km
- Bukchon Hanok Village18 min taxi6.0 km
- Changdeokgung & the Secret Garden19 min taxi6.5 km
- Dongdaemun Design Plaza23 min taxi7.7 km
- The Han River parks24 min taxi8.0 km
On your doorstep
What you’re living next to if you stay here.
- 4.Korean barbecue — Seoul's great edible ritual — marbled pork belly or beef grilled at your own table, wrapped in lettuce with garlic, kimchi and ssamjang, washed down with soju. Noisy, smoky and communal, it's the meal you'll remember; find a busy back-street joint where the locals eat, and let the staff show you how it's done.
- 6.Gwangjang Market street food — The city's most famous old market and a street-food paradise — sizzling mung-bean pancakes (bindaetteok), knife-cut noodles, gimbap rolls and the raw beef tartare that made it a TV star, all eaten elbow-to-elbow at packed stalls. Cheap, chaotic and delicious; come hungry, point at what looks good, and squeeze onto a stool.
- 8.A night out in Hongdae — The university district that is the engine of Seoul's youth culture — buskers on every corner, indie live-music clubs, cheap bars, and dance clubs that pound till sunrise. Younger and grittier than Gangnam's glossy scene; start with street food and a hof (beer hall), catch a band, and see where the night takes you. Seoul at its most alive.
When are you staying?
Booking.com & Airbnb open searched to Hongdae; flights via Google Flights.