Things to do in Seoul: Yeongdeungpo-gu
[Editor’s note: For any of the recommendations, South Korea Travels was not paid to endorse the services or activities. We did get to try out the different activities at no charge but had no editorial say in this article. We get no compensation if you use the services and the purpose of the article is to share different activities that you can do in Seoul.]
Located on Seoul’s southwest side, Yeongdeungpo-gu is home to many financial and investment-related companies. For those that love shopping, the area has three spacious malls including Times Square, the IFC Mall, and the recently opened Hyundai Seoul. It’s also a place where you can relax along the Han River, explore the hidden alleyways of an art village, and learn more about Korean culture. If you have a day or weekend to explore Yeongdeungpo-gu, I highly recommend it, and here are some of my favorite spots from my visit:
Relaxing aromatherapy bath salts
During my weekend trip, I got to learn about the different uses of aromatherapy oils as we chose which ones we’d use in the bath salts. La Soeur, a local business came in and guided us through making the bath salts; explaining each of the oils, and having us smell each of them. I ended up choosing Ylang Ylang, sweet orange, and lavender for a more relaxing aroma.
In addition to aromatherapy, La Soeur also runs workshops for making soap and candles. These workshops tend to take between one to two hours and even though the workshop was in Korean, the directions were fairly straightforward.
Seoul Marina Yacht Tour
Located near the National Assembly Building, the Seoul Marina Yacht and Club provides yacht tours on the Han River. When I went it was a nice day out and the fine dust levels were pretty low.
The tour took about an hour and I was able to sit up front and get some cool shots. The captain allowed the other people on the tour to pilot the yacht and overall it was a fun experience. While I was waiting for my group, I went inside Cafe Bella Venezia. The cafe has seeing inside and out and you can get a great view of the marina and look out at all the different yachts.
In addition to the different pastries and coffee, they also serve brick oven-baked pizza as well. I only tried the coffee due to the time, but definitely want to go back and see how the pizza tastes. I think it would be really cool to go on the Han River near sunset as well.
You can find out more information about the Seoul Marina at their Instagram and website below:
https://www.instagram.com/seoulmarina/
Things to do in Seoul: Yeongdeungpo-gu – Mullae Arts Village
In the 80s, Yeongdeongpo was home to a large number of metalworking facilities as Korea was going through a period of economic boom. In the 2000s, competition from other countries drove down demand, and many of the factories started to find themselves empty. Around the same time, rental prices in Hongdae and other parts of Seoul started to price out many of the artists who then came to the Mullae area and started converting the spaces into workshops.
Today you can see a mix of old and new. The area still has the industrial vibe from the 80s but you can see the artistic touch interwoven into the neighborhood. During the mornings and mid-day, the various metalworking shops are in full swing, and by late afternoon, the various cafes and restaurants start opening up.
When I went, I mostly focused on the industrial side of the art village, but definitely want to go back and try out the different cafes and restaurants.
For more information about the Mullae Arts Village, you can check out Yeongdeungpo’s website:
https://www.ydp.go.kr/english/contents.do?key=4326&
These are just a few of the places that you can visit in Yeongdeongpo-gu and in a future post I’ll write about the different shopping and other activities that you can do in the area.
Which of these places would you visit during your trip to Seoul? Let me know in the comments below!
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