Explore every episode of the podcast ZenKimchi Korean Food & Travel
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Title
Pub. Date
Duration
Where to Stay in Seoul
06 Oct 2026
00:40:09
Every week outside Anguk Station, somebody is dragging a big rolling suitcase uphill with both hands. They booked a hanok off the photos, and nobody mentioned the hill or the walk from the subway.
Where you sleep in Seoul decides which Seoul you get. I've run travel experiences here for over 13 years, and I ask every guest where they're staying and how it's going. This episode is what they've told me.
I go neighborhood by neighborhood through Myeongdong, Gangnam, Bukchon, Insa-dong, Jongno, Euljiro, Dongdaemun, Itaewon and Hongdae, with who each one suits and who should book somewhere else. Then come the places the guidebooks and TikTok ignore, like Gongdeok in Mapo, the west side of Gyeongbokgung, Buam-dong, and Yeongdeungpo, my pick for Seoul's next hot neighborhood.
You'll also hear why Line 9 is the worst subway line in town, where to stay if jet lag has you wide awake at 3 a.m., and the case for booking a love motel. (I've put my own family in one. They loved it.)
Chapters 00:00 The suitcase on the hill 01:22 Why people book the wrong neighborhood 03:26 Myeongdong 07:03 Gangnam 10:43 Bukchon 13:48 Insa-dong 15:51 Jongno and Euljiro 18:58 Dongdaemun 21:09 Itaewon 23:33 Hongdae 25:43 Mapo and Gongdeok 27:41 West of Gyeongbokgung and Buam-dong 29:53 Yeongdeungpo 31:56 Yeouido, Seoul Station and Walkerhill 34:15 Gimpo, Magok-naru, Incheon and Ilsan 36:54 What my guests said they'd book again 37:39 Love motels
Hotel picks by neighborhood: https://zenkimchi.com/tour-tips/where-to-stay-seoul-neighborhoods/ More food and travel tips, and our experiences: https://zenkimchi.com
Jongno 3-ga: The Insiderâs Guide to the Worldâs Coolest Neighborhood
23 Sep 2026
00:34:17
Time Out named Jongno 3-ga the worldâs coolest neighborhood. But the neighborhood is much more than the photogenic hanok cafĂŠs of Ikseon-dong.
Joe McPherson takes you through the many layers of Jongno 3-ga, including Pimatgol, postwar nightlife, Seoulâs former cinema district, its queer sanctuary, oyster bossam, pojangmacha tents, galmaegisal alleys and the musical world around Nagwon Arcade.
Learn how real-estate developer and independence activist Jeong Se-gwon created Ikseon-dong, why the neighborhood was nearly demolished and how an economic crisis helped preserve it.
This is Jongno 3-ga beyond the social-media version: complicated, atmospheric and unmistakably Seoul.