The 24-hour shopping and market district east of the centre — the futuristic Design Plaza, vast wholesale fashion malls open through the night, and some of the city's best street food. Lively, cheap and never closed, well-connected on the metro; the base for night owls and shoppers who want the markets on their doorstep.
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 Dongdaemun 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.
- Gwangjang Market street food9 min walk789 m
- Changdeokgung & the Secret Garden22 min walk1.8 km
- Myeongdong shopping & street food8 min taxi2.5 km
- Bukchon Hanok Village8 min taxi2.6 km
- N Seoul Tower & Namsan9 min taxi2.9 km
- Gyeongbokgung Palace9 min taxi3.0 km
- A night out in Hongdae23 min taxi7.7 km
- Korean barbecue23 min taxi7.8 km
On your doorstep
What you’re living next to if you stay here.
- 10.Dongdaemun Design Plaza — Zaha Hadid's swooping silver spaceship of a building, the icon of modern Seoul — a curving landmark of exhibition halls and design shops, spectacular when lit at night and often surrounded by an LED sea of roses. Wander its flowing forms, then dive into the 24-hour fashion markets and street food all around. Old-and-new Seoul in one spot.
- 15.National Museum of Korea — One of Asia's great museums, and free — a vast, beautifully laid-out collection tracing Korea's history from prehistory to the Joseon court, its treasure a gilt-bronze pensive Buddha and a soaring ten-storey stone pagoda in the central hall. A cool, calm and rewarding half-day that gives real depth to everything else you'll see in the city.
When are you staying?
Booking.com & Airbnb open searched to Dongdaemun; flights via Google Flights.