Myeongdong

명동 거리 (명동길·명동8길)

Cosmetics shops by day, food stalls lining the street by evening

Hours

Shops mostly 10:00–22:00; food carts from late afternoon into the night (varies)

Address

Around Myeongdong-gil, Jung-gu

Every other doorway is a cosmetics shop, with staff handing out samples in half a dozen languages. Late in the afternoon the food carts roll into the middle of the street: tornado potatoes, egg bread, grilled lobster with cheese. At the top of the hill sits Myeongdong Cathedral, red brick, built in 1898, so five minutes' walk takes you from the shopping din to a quiet courtyard. Plenty of first-timers base themselves around here.