Things to Do in Myeongdong: Food, Skincare and Korean Astrology

Saju is Korean astrology: a birth chart read from the year, month, day and hour you were born. The best things to do in Myeongdong are eating your way through the evening street food stalls, shopping for Korean skincare, visiting Myeongdong Cathedral and riding the Namsan cable car up to N Seoul Tower. Namdaemun Market is one subway stop away, and Myeongdong Station on Line 4 puts you in the middle of it all.

Myeongdong is also one of the easiest places in Seoul to try something most visitors miss: a saju reading, also known as the Four Pillars. If you are new to it, start with what saju is. This guide covers the travel side first, then how to fit a saju cafe into your evening.

What are the best things to do in Myeongdong?

The top things to do in Myeongdong are street food, skincare shopping, the cathedral, Namsan and Namdaemun Market. Most of them fit into one afternoon and evening on foot.

• Street food stalls. Snack stalls line the main shopping streets in the evening.
• Skincare and cosmetics. Myeongdong has one of the densest clusters of Korean beauty shops in Seoul.
• Myeongdong Cathedral. A red-brick Gothic Revival church completed in 1898, on a small hill.
• Namsan and N Seoul Tower. The cable car to the top of Namsan starts a short uphill walk from Myeongdong.
• Namdaemun Market. A huge traditional market next to Sungnyemun Gate, one stop away on Line 4.
• A saju reading. Several saju cafes sit right inside the shopping streets.

How do you get to Myeongdong by subway?

Take Line 4 to Myeongdong Station, which opens straight onto the shopping streets. Euljiro 1-ga Station on Line 2 serves the northern edge of the area.

From Seoul Station, Myeongdong is two stops on Line 4, passing Hoehyeon Station on the way. Hoehyeon is the stop for Namdaemun Market, so the market and Myeongdong are easy to combine. Buy a T-money card at a convenience store or a station machine, top it up with cash, and tap it when you enter and leave the gates. The same card works on Seoul buses.

When is the best time to visit Myeongdong for street food?

Go in the evening. The stalls usually set up from late afternoon, and the streets are busiest after dark.

Common things to try:

• Tteokbokki. Chewy rice cakes in a sweet and spicy red sauce.
• Hotteok. A pan-fried pancake filled with brown sugar and nuts.
• Gyeranppang. Egg bread, a small loaf with a whole egg baked on top.
• Skewers. Grilled meat, fish cakes or cheese on a stick.
• Fruit sweets. Strawberries and other fruit in a crisp sugar coating.

A few tips: carry some cash for small stalls, eat standing next to the stall, and hand your stick or cup back to the vendor, since public bins are rare. Weekday evenings are calmer than weekends.

Is Myeongdong good for skincare shopping?

Yes. Myeongdong is one of the best places in Seoul for Korean skincare and cosmetics, with many brand shops packed into a few streets.

• Compare a few shops. The same brands appear in several stores, so look around before you buy.
• Ask for samples. Shops often add small samples to a purchase.
• Bring your passport. Many shops offer a tax refund for tourists, and you need the passport to claim it.
• Pack light gifts. Sheet masks are small, light and easy to carry home.

Staff in Myeongdong are used to visitors, and many speak some English, Japanese or Chinese.

What is there to see near Myeongdong?

Myeongdong Cathedral, Namsan with N Seoul Tower, and Namdaemun Market are all within walking distance or one subway stop. The Cheonggyecheon stream is a short walk north.

• Myeongdong Cathedral. Completed in 1898, it is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul. Visitors are welcome, but keep quiet inside during services.
• Namsan cable car and N Seoul Tower. Walk uphill from Myeongdong to the lower cable car station and ride to the top. The view over Seoul is best around sunset and after dark.
• Namdaemun Market. One of the oldest and largest traditional markets in Korea, good for snacks, kitchenware, clothing and souvenirs. It is busiest in the daytime.
• Cheonggyecheon. A restored stream with a walking path below street level, north of Euljiro.

Can you get a saju reading in Myeongdong?

Yes. The PAL:JA saju cafe map lists 6 saju cafes in the Myeongdong and Euljiro area: 5 offer saju and tarot, and 1 offers saju only.

A saju cafe is a small cafe or consultation room where a reader turns your birth date and time into a chart and talks you through it at the table. It is a casual outing for many Koreans, a bit like going to a karaoke room with friends. Our saju cafe guide explains what happens during a reading and what to say.

The saju cafe map covers Myeongdong, Hongdae, Seongsu, Gangnam, Ikseon-dong and Busan. It only shows cafes confirmed open on Naver Map or Kakao Map, with the address, phone number and listed hours for each. Several of the Myeongdong cafes list hours into the evening, so a reading fits well after street food. Hours can change, so check the listing on the day.

How do you book a saju cafe in Myeongdong as a foreigner?

Send a booking request from the cafe's page on the PAL:JA map, and we call the cafe in Korean for you. You hear back by WhatsApp or text message when your time is confirmed.

• Sign in. Booking requests need a Google or Apple sign-in.
• Book ahead. Requests need at least 3 days' notice, so send one before you fly.
• Pay the cafe. PAL:JA charges nothing for the booking. You pay the cafe directly.
• Confirm or cancel. Tap "I'm coming" or cancel in My bookings at least 24 hours before, or the booking is cancelled automatically.
• Some cafes skip requests. If a cafe does not take requests through PAL:JA, call or drop by instead.

Most readers speak only Korean. The Cafe Translator is a two-way interpreter built for saju readings, and the reader's half of the screen flips so they can read it across the table. It is a paid feature, charged per one-hour session.

What should you know before your saju reading?

Know your birth date, birth time and birth city, and find your saju type before the trip. Your saju type, which saju experts call your Day Master, is the heavenly stem of your day pillar and one of ten.

The ten saju types are Big Tree (甲), Wildflower (乙), Sun (丙), Candlelight (丁), Mountain (戊), Garden Soil (己), Sword (庚), Jewel (辛), Ocean (壬) and Morning Dew (癸). Knowing yours makes the reader's terms much easier to follow. Get it free, with no sign-up, on the saju type page, or right here.

PAL:JA builds your chart with fixed saju rules and true solar time for your birth city, not just the clock time. In Seoul, the sun runs about 32 minutes behind the clock, which can shift your hour pillar if you were born close to the change of an hour. The guide to the ten saju types explains what each one tends to be like.

What is a good evening plan for Myeongdong?

Start at the cathedral in the late afternoon, ride up Namsan around sunset, then come back down for street food, a saju reading and skincare shopping. Save Namdaemun Market for the next morning, when it is in full swing.

A typical saju reading runs about 30 minutes, so the plan leaves room for a slow dinner or a queue at the cable car.

Is Myeongdong worth visiting at night?

Yes. Evening is when the street food stalls are out, the shops are lit up and the view from N Seoul Tower is at its best.

How long do you need in Myeongdong?

One evening covers the shopping streets, street food and a saju reading. Give it a full day if you add Namsan and Namdaemun Market.

Do saju readers in Myeongdong speak English?

Most readers speak only Korean, so plan for a Korean reading. Bring a Korean-speaking friend or use the PAL:JA Cafe Translator, and remember that tipping is not expected in Korea.