If you read my posts frequently, you will know that for me one of the best ways of actually knowing a country is knowing it’s not that famous places. For example, if you come to Seoul, don’t stick only in Hongdae, Itaewon, and Gangnam! There are a lot of new things to discover in different areas of the city. If you are visiting Korea, be an explorer, not a tourist. Well, jokes apart, I know is also not easy to find tips on how to explore new places, especially if you are a foreign person in a country where you don’t speak the language. But worry no more, in this post I will give you some tips on how to enjoy a healthy day while exploring Dongdaemun-gu!
Check out: Gate of Seoul Dongdaemun-gu
Start off – Neighborhood hiking
Most neighborhoods in Korea have hills, and a lot of these hills were urbanized for people to take safe walks upon hills. Some hills are higher than others, and personally I recommend you to try the hill behind KyunghHee University. Really easy to get there (closest subway station: Hankuk University of Foreign Studies – exit 1), and it’s an easy walk with breathtaking landscapes. It’s perfect for those who aren’t physically apt for hikes such as Bukhansan because the path is very easy as you can see in the picture above. Just so you know, the picture above has no filters, and it was taken during summer. That’s the kind of beautiful view you can have just by easily walking.
Is also great for doing daily exercise. As you begin the “hike”, there is a small street gym that was recently renewed, and therefore the equipment works really well and there is always someone cleaning it. If you are into exercising during your trip, that is totally your place to go. Exercising is a great way to start of the day with the right foot! Don’t miss the chance of exercising in such a pretty place.
As you can see, you don’t need to worry much about going up the hill itself, once the path is all covered with stairs. If you look closely at the picture, you will see some benches – there are a bunch of it all along the way, which is around 2km long. Not that hard right? This small and light hiking is great for warming up and setting the mood for a good healthy day schedule.
Cycling and walking
Dongdaemun-gu is one of the neighborhoods where there is an affluent of the Han river. This fact for itself is already amazing, but wait until you hear that Korea built a cycling and walking trail all the way from Dongdaemun-gu to Seoul Forest. Yeah, they did it! If you enjoy walking by the river, this is your chance of a long and pleasant walk. The path goes all the way from Dongdaemun-gu to Uijeongbu (on the blue line). This path is found behind Hankuk of Foreign Studies station, and it has a lot of fun attractions along the way.
Going each side you like you can find basketball quarters, skating rinks, community gardens, pool, and even archery fields. Pretty cool right? And all of that can be found in a length of 11 kilometers. The walk from one side to the other takes around two hours and thirty minutes, but it’s a very easy walk because there is no hills and you can also rent a bike to go cycling all the way. It’s better if you go with friends and a basketball, so you can play with your friends and rest on one of the several benches this cycling path has.
You will not regret it if you go during spring when the flowers are blossoming in the most beautiful way possible. Along the way, is incredibly relaxing to see the pretty Korean flowers while exercising.
Eating
When it comes to eating, Dongdaemun-gu won’t let you down! This neighborhood is known as the Seoul gate for a reason. Jokes aside, this neighborhood is full of traditional restaurants with very healthy and tasty food. You can try all kinds of Korean dishes in Dongdaemun. The range of prices is also nice, with around 8,000 won you will be able to eat enough for the day. But let’s say you exercised a lot and just want to compensate it with some grease food: there are restaurants in Dongdaemun for you as well. You can try the famous Korean fried chicken or any fast food restaurant you like. Mom’s Touch, Lotteria, Burger King, McDonald’s, Subway – Dongdaemun has it all. And there are also other kinds of dishes, such as pizza and stir-fried seafood.
So lose no more time and prepare yourself for a delightful day in this amazing neighborhood. Get to know how locals live and enjoy themselves in their own neighborhoods.
Read more: Korean Barbecue Experience โ Exploring Dongdaemun-gu!
