8 Best Things to Do in Gangnam (Seoul) – Awesome Shopping, Vibrant Nightlife, Lovely Cafes, Delicious Food!

This is our list of eight fun things to do in Gangnam! This is a prime district in Seoul where many wealthy locals reside. It has even been compared to Beverly Hills in California. You may also have heard of this area from the viral song by Psy: “Gangnam Style”. The main popular Gangnam areas are Sinsa-dong, Apgujeong-dong, and Cheongdam-dong. We spent an entire day here shopping, eating and cafe hopping. A good hotel to stay in this area would be the Dormy Inn Premium Seoul Garosugil, which is conveniently located near Sinsa subway station. You can refer to the map below for a rough idea of the respective attractions’ locations. Remember to get the KORAIL Pass if you will be taking multiple train rides around South Korea. This article was last updated on 08 March 2019.

Map of Gangnam

1. Stroll along the Streets of Gangnam (and do the Gangnam Style!)

Gangnam is home to many wealthy South Korean elites so you will see many high-class residences in this area. We enjoyed walking along the streets to admire the classy architecture. And of course, I had to do the mandatory “Gangnam Style” to commemorate my visit here!

And if you’re game for it, you can get on stage outside Gangnam Station Exit 5 and record yourself dancing the “Gangnam Style” while the song plays in the background. Don’t be shy because you will see many other tourists and even locals doing it too!

Directions to Gangnam
Take the subway to Gangnam Station (Green Line 2, Red Sinbundang Line)

2. Gangnam Station Underground Shopping Center

At Gangnam Station, there is a large underground shopping centre called Gangnam Station Underground Shopping Center. There are loads of stalls here selling affordable clothes, shoes, beauty products, and fashion accessories. We enjoyed shopping here and found several bargains.

Directions to Gangnam Station Underground Shopping Center
Take the subway to Gangnam Station (Green Line 2, Red Sinbundang Line).

3. Kyochon Chicken

After dancing the Gangnam style at the train station, shopping at the underground shopping centre, and feeling jealous of all the rich people living in Gangnam, it was time to recharge with some Korean fried chicken from Kyochon Chicken!

We ordered the Wings and Drumettes (KRW 18,000) from the “Kyochon Half & Half Series”, which means it consisted of half “Kyochon Red Series” (spicy) and half “Kyochon Series” (non-spicy).

Our order took really long to arrive (around 20 minutes?), but it was worth the wait. The KFC was fried to perfection, with crispy skin and juicy tender meat. We left the restaurant feeling extremely satisfied. Check out the Kyochon Chicken restaurant menu.

Kyochon Chicken (Gangnam)
Address: 1309-8 Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Operating hours: Daily 3pm to 2am
Website: www.kyochon.com (Korean)

Delivery Option 
Delivery Hours: Daily 11am to 11pm
Delivery Hotline: +822 3203000

Directions to Kyochon Chicken (Gangnam branch)
The restaurant is located between Sinnonhyeon Station and Gangnam Station. Take the subway to Gangnam Station (Green Line 2, Red Sinbundang Line). From Exit 9, walk for about 10 minutes. You can also check out the Google Map directions to Kyochon Chicken.

4. Cheongdam Fashion Street

Cheongdam Fashion Street is a high end district where you will find many luxury brand stores such as Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, etc. There are also many famous trendy stores such as Namu by Namuhana, Biker Starlet, and Mucha.

Walking along the street, we saw many beauty shops and aesthetics clinics offering plastic surgery.

Directions to Cheongdam Fashion Street
Take the subway to Apgujeong Rodeo Station (Yellow Bundang Line), and go out from Exit 3 or 4. Walk for about 10 minutes towards Cheongdam Fashion Street. You can refer to the Google Map directions to Cheongdam Fashion Street.

5. Apgujeong Rodeo Street

Apgujeong Rodeo Street has many luxury stores as well. However, it is also famous for its foreign brand, hip hop, and trendy fashion shops.

The famous Galleria Department Store is located near here too. Inside the shopping mall, you will find many high end boutiques.

Directions to Apgujeong Rodeo Street (Galleria Department Store)
Take the subway to Apgujeong Rodeo Station (Yellow Bundang Line), and go out from Exit 1, 2 (East Wing of Galleria) or Exit 7 (West Wing of Galleria). Apgujeong Rodeo Street is situated across the street from the Galleria, with the entrance marked by a large archway.

6. Garosu-gil

Garosu-gil is one of the BEST areas in Seoul to cafe hop! There are many artisan cafes with beautiful interiors and awesome atmospheres here. We had a great time cafe-hopping here.

Other than cafe-hopping, we also enjoyed strolling along the streets here, which are lined with beautiful Ginkgo trees. In fact, ‘Garosu-gil’ means ‘tree-lined street’ in Korean.

On the whole, this is a great area where you will find an eclectic mix of art galleries, pretty retail stores, and artisan cafes.

If you really love cafes, you can consider staying at the Dormy Inn Premium Seoul Garosugil. This is a nice hotel located just minutes away from Garosu-gil, and is very near Sinsa subway station too.

7. Clubbing

Gangnam, Hongdae and Itaewon are three of the most vibrant nightlife districts in Seoul. However, Gangnam clubs have a reputation of hosting famous and rich partygoers.

8. Bongeunsa Temple

Bongeunsa Temple is a Buddhist temple that was founded in 794, during the reign of King Wonseong. The temple houses 3,479 Buddhist scriptures!

However, the main draw of this temple is its tranquil grounds, which serves as a haven to escape the hustle and bustle of Seoul. It was interesting to stand here and observe the stark contrast between the temple’s traditional architecture and Gangnam’s gleaming skyscrapers.

This article is part of our completely free and fantastic Ultimate Seoul Travel Guide. Why spend days researching when all your holiday information is simply a click away?