Namdaemun to Myeongdong
The great south gate, Seoul's biggest market and a 1930 department store
≈2.0 km · ≈30 min walking · Easy · Jung-gu · Start: Hoehyeon station · End: Myeongdong station
Begin at Sungnyemun, the 14th-century south gate, wander the lanes of Namdaemun Market, see the old Mitsukoshi store that became Shinsegae's flagship and climb to Myeongdong Cathedral.
Stops
- Sungnyemun Gate (숭례문)
The main south gate of the Joseon city wall, first built in 1398. Burned by an arsonist in 2008 and rebuilt by traditional methods by 2013. - Namdaemun Market (남대문시장)
Seoul's largest traditional market, trading since the 1400s and today a maze of over 10,000 stalls: kitchenware, ginseng, glasses, clothes and the famous hand-cut noodle and galchi (hairtail) alleys. - Shinsegae Main Store (신세계백화점 본점)
Built in 1930 as the Seoul branch of Japan's Mitsukoshi store, Korea's first department store. The stone-faced original building is still the core of Shinsegae's flagship. - Myeongdong Cathedral (서울 명동성당)
Korea's first Gothic Revival church (1898), in red and grey brick. The plaza underneath has a small food hall and shops.
Best time: A weekday morning, when the market is busiest and before Myeongdong's crowds.
Tips
- Most of Namdaemun Market closes on Sundays.
- Exit 5 of Hoehyeon station leads straight into the market.
Access
The market is level but packed. Myeongdong Cathedral stands on a rise with steps at the front; there is a ramp around the side.