Han River Night Ferry, 63 Building & Gwangjang Market Tour Seoul

Gwangjang Market

Gwangjang Market opened in 1905 and is often described as Korea's first permanent traditional market. Today the covered halls in Jongno are best known for food: rows of stalls fry bindaetteok, the crisp mung-bean pancakes ground fresh on the spot, roll bite-sized mayak gimbap, simmer red tteokbokki and serve noodle soups to diners sitting shoulder to shoulder on benches. Upstairs and in the side lanes, traders still sell silk, bedding and fabric for hanbok.

On this tour you spend about an hour here with your guide, who explains the dishes and helps you order like a local. Food is paid directly to the vendors, so you can taste as much or as little as you like. Many travellers ask whether a Gwangjang Market tour is worth it: in the early evening, when the steam rises and the stalls are full, it is one of the most atmospheric places in Seoul to eat.

Apgujeong Han River ferry stop and Han River ramen

From the market the group drives about half an hour south to the Apgujeong pier on the Gangnam side of the Han River. The riverside parks along the Han are where Seoul relaxes after work, with cycling paths, lawns and convenience stores right by the water. Their best-known ritual is Han River ramen: you choose a pack of instant noodles, cook it yourself in a hot-water ramen machine in a foil bowl and eat it looking at the river.

It sounds simple, yet it is one of the things visitors most want to try in Seoul, and doing it at the ferry stop means no detours. Other snacks are also on sale at the stop. Your guide shows you how the machines work, and you have time to eat before boarding. Ramen and snacks are paid on the spot, as they are not part of the ticket.

Han River night ferry and the Banpo Bridge fountain

The highlight of the evening is about eighty minutes on the water. The Han River ferry links piers along the river, and on this tour you ride from Apgujeong west to Yeouido as the city lights come on. From the deck you see Seoul in a way the subway never shows it: the long lit spans of the bridges, apartment towers along both banks, Namsan and its tower on the skyline and the riverside parks full of people.

Between spring and autumn the route passes the Banpo Bridge Moonlight Rainbow Fountain, where jets of water lit in changing colours pour from both sides of the bridge into the river. The fountain is generally off from late autumn to early spring, so in those months the ride is about the skyline alone. If the ferry cannot sail because of weather, an alternative evening route is used and you are told in advance.

63 Building observation deck in Yeouido

The 63 Building, finished in 1985 with a golden glass façade, was for years the tallest building in South Korea and remains one of the city's best-loved landmarks. It stands on Yeouido, the island in the Han River that holds the National Assembly, the financial district and wide riverside parks. Near the top, the observatory is set up as a sky picnic with seating by the windows, so you can sit and look out rather than just stand at the glass.

You spend about an hour here at the end of the tour. The view runs down the river past illuminated bridges towards the mountains and over the towers of Yeouido and Mapo. Access to the rooftop part of the deck can be limited in bad weather. The observatory ticket is included, and it is a calm, often romantic way to end an evening in Seoul.

Myeongdong, the meeting point

The tour starts and ends in Myeongdong, Seoul's busiest shopping district and one of the easiest places in the city to reach by subway. Exit 2 of Myeongdong Station on line 4 puts you right in the neighbourhood of cosmetics shops, street-food carts and hotels, so many travellers can walk to the meeting point from where they are staying. Arrive about ten minutes before 16:40 to meet your guide.

After the 63 Building the group rides back to the meeting area, arriving at around 22:00 depending on traffic. Myeongdong stays lively late in the evening, with food stalls lining the main lanes, so it is easy to continue on foot or catch the subway back to your hotel. Starting here also means the whole evening is planned for you, with no need to work out the transfers between market, pier and observatory yourself.