Over the summer, I traveled to Korea with brickly, the startup I was interning at. They were gracious enough to take me along on my second-ever business trip! (first was Chicago with the same team!) The last time I went to Korea was four years ago so this was my first time back to the mother country in a while. It was actually my first time touring around Seoul so I’ve compiled a list of places you have to make sure to visit if you’re in Seoul!

1. Gyeongbokgung Palace

Gyeongbokgung Palace is full of history and survived fires and military occupations. It’s nice to have a place so full of history in the middle of such an urbanized city to bring us back to its roots. On any given day, you’ll find tons of tourists and younger women in hanboks, which is the traditional Korean dress, taking photos.

2. Garosu-gil (가로수 길)

Garosu-gil is a street named after the beautiful trees lining the street. This is the hip place to go to see and to be seen. With elaborate concept stores to familiar K-beauty brands, you could devote a whole day to just touring around. One of my favorite places on Garosugil is this great dessert/ice cream shop called Remicone!

3. Kakao Friends Store

Kakao is the messaging app that Koreans use. This store has everything from Kakao branded tableware to blankets to super cute dolls. Not only that, but the flagship store in Gangnam has a themed cafe as well.

4. Cheonggyecheon

Cheonggyecheon is a stream that runs through downtown Seoul. It was created as a part of an urban renewal project that was completed in 2005! Years of neglect covered the original stream in waste but with the renewal, it’s a tourist attraction and lovely place to stroll.

5. Coex

Coex is a huge underground mall with a plethora of restaurants and shops, complete with an aquarium and a movie theater. While it’s definitely a fun place to walk around and shop, there is also a famous library and SMTown Coex Artium is right next door!