Seoul's 8 Top Commercial Areas That the Shopper in You Won't Want to Miss

Myeong-dong is Seoul's busiest shopping street. Renowned as "shopper's paradise," it reflects South Korea's most up-to-date trends. All the Korean women's cosmetic brands can be found there, and there are also department stores and duty-free stores selling a full range of brands, as well as trendy little boutiques with surprises in store.

Myeong-dong is also a foodie's paradise, and is host to numerous chain restaurants, as well as popular local joints hidden away in the surrounding alleys. Myeong-dong's street food is also a major highlight—snacking while you window-shop is the way to go here!

Insa-dong is an old neighborhood in the city with its own unusual features. During the Joseon dynasty, residences were concentrated here for the government offices and the nobility, and the beat of history resounds here to this day.

The alleyways leading off in all directions from the main street are full of traditional craft outlets, antiques dealers, and ceramics stores. 40% of the antiques in South Korea are concentrated in Insa-dong, with ceramics products the most in-demand.

Insa-dong's iconic Ssamziegil Market is a shopping center brimming with artistic atmosphere. The market, which has 4 floors, is an open concept building surrounding a central court, and is ideal for leisurely mooching about.

In close proximity to the downtown historical sites, the neighborhood of Samcheong-dong offers a perfect combination of antiques and independent arts and crafts. Its streets, lined with gingko trees, are dotted with a picturesque assortment of coffee shops, art galleries, and grocery stores in renovated traditional Korean dwellings.

The stores in Samcheong-dong have grown in popularity with locals and tourists alike by keeping their intricate and unique design styles alive.

Sinsa-dong Garosu-gil in Gangnam district is famous for the lush gingko trees that line it. A perfect fusion of art and fashion, clean and tidy and with an air of the exotic, it is known as "the street you want to walk down."

At 700m long, Sinsa-dong Garosu-gil is home to numerous design studios, art galleries, and al fresco cafés that you won't find anywhere else. It's also a well-known hangout for the local good-looking guys and girls, and boasts perhaps the best average looks quotient anywhere in Seoul.

Dongdaemun is South Korea's largest clothes market and the barometer of the country's fashion trends. Its best-known mall is Doota, where you can find costumes from hit Korean TV dramas at low prices, although you need to spend some time searching.

The Dongdaemun area is broadly divided into a retail section and a wholesale section. The majority of stores in the retail section stay open into the wee hours. And when you're not midnight shopping, there's plenty to eat too: the area around Dongdaemun has numerous street food stalls and late-night restaurants to replenish you after your buying spree...

Shopping around Ewha centers around Ewha Women's University Shopping Street, which primarily offers cosmetics, clothes, and accessories. The style is on the "cute and gorgeous" side, aimed at smart young women. The giant pink high-heeled shoe at the head of the street is the hallmark of the Ewha commercial district. Prices are affordable, the quality is seen in the design, and the styles tend to suit young women in the college student mold.

If you like jewelry, you must set aside extra time for the area around Ewha. Although it doesn't look that big, you'll find that as you wander down the street it is in fact one exquisite boutique store after another, filled with cute jewelry items.

The entire Hongdae (Hongik University) commercial district combines an eclectic mix of styles. It not only has international chain brands, but also small indie stores, and the flagship store of the super on-trend local brand Style Nanda is also located here. Of course, you shouldn't miss the Hongdae Saturday free market, where you can find a whole bunch of fun stuff.

Although they are both university-based commercial districts, unlike Ewha, where the target market is 20-year-old women, Hongdae offers a diverse mixture of styles. Whether you're after the latest fashions, whether you want Korean or European or U.S. brands, at Hongdae you can find a store to your taste.

Apgujeong-dong and Cheongdam-dong are on the northernmost side of Gangnam district and constitute the most exclusive part of Seoul, bar none. The area is home to a wealth of world-class high-end luxury brand outlets, high-end bespoke clothes stores, and upscale restaurants. Even if you don't spend a fortune out here, it's fun to window shop.

Apgujeong-dong is also well known in South Korea as "cosmetic surgery street." Cheongdam-dong, on the other hand, is dubbed the "Upper East Side" of Seoul, and is where the private residences of the city's celebrities and rich and powerful are concentrated. Many celebrities' agencies are also based here.