Insadong

Insadong-gil runs about seven hundred metres between Anguk and Jongno, and for a century it has been where Seoul dealt in art, antiques and calligraphy supplies - dealers moved here when aristocratic households sold off their possessions in the early twentieth century, and the trade stuck. The main street today is largely souvenirs, and the honest advice from anyone who knows the area is to leave it: the shops that matter are in the alleys running off both sides, where you find brush and inkstone makers, hanji paper shops, small commercial galleries, antiquarian booksellers and traditional teahouses serving jujube and omija. Ssamziegil, a spiral-ramped shopping building, sits in the middle. Sunday is pedestrianised. Some of the teahouses have been running for decades and are unmarked from outside, which is part of the pleasure and part of the difficulty.

What you actually see

• The side alleys - brush, paper, ink and antiquarian shops.
• The teahouses - traditional infusions, often hidden and unsigned.
• Ssamziegil - the spiral shopping building mid-street.
• The galleries - small commercial spaces off the main road.

When to go

April to June and September to November. Sunday is car-free and busiest. Weekday mornings are the calm hours; many galleries close on Mondays.

Honest expectations

The main street is a souvenir strip and disappoints people who came for the reputation - the interest is entirely in the alleys. Prices are tourist-level. Crowds are heavy at weekends.

Nearby

Bukchon, Gyeongbokgung, Jongmyo and Ikseondong are all within walking distance.