Six Seoul Shopping Districts Compared: Myeongdong, Hongdae, Garosu-gil, Apgujeong, The Hyundai and Shinsegae

A roof keeps off more than the rain. The same split settles a second question — where do you go on a day when you have not decided what to buy?

On the four streets the thing to do is walk and look, and if you buy nothing what you have is the walking. Each of the two stores holds one destination that is not a shop — Shinsegae's free exhibition hall and The Hyundai's indoor gardens — so leaving empty-handed still leaves you something to have seen.

It does not hold in reverse. Myeongdong and Hongdae lose on weather, not on interest, and on a day when you know what you are buying the streets offer far more choice.

1. The weather — in rain, heat or cold, choose between The Hyundai Seoul and Shinsegae Main Store.

2. What you are going for — on a fine day, choose on purpose. Cosmetics, fashion and tax-refund shopping: Myeongdong. Browsing brand pop-ups: Garosu-gil. Shopping with a meal: Apgujeong Rodeo Street. A walk along shopping streets: Hongdae.

3. What to pair it with — pairing places in the same neighbourhood cuts the travelling.

• Shinsegae Main Store + Myeongdong — both in Jung-gu and linked on foot. See the exhibition at Shinsegae first and cross to Myeongdong after dark, and you get the daytime shopping street and the evening food stalls back to back. Allow about three hours for Shinsegae and two for Myeongdong.
• Garosu-gil + Apgujeong Rodeo Street — both in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu. Browse the pop-ups first and eat on the Apgujeong side.
• The Hyundai Seoul — attach it to a Yeouido day.
• Hongdae — in a different part of the city from the other five, so it is better given its own slot.

Myeongdong gets crowded enough on weekend evenings to slow the walking itself, so if the evening stalls are part of the plan, an early weekday evening is the better time.

• Myeongdong — Myeongdong Station on Line 4 or Euljiro 1-ga Station on Line 2. Which one you use changes where your walk starts.
• Shinsegae Main Store — 63 Sogong-ro, by Exit 7 of Hoehyeon Station on Line 4.
• The Hyundai Seoul — 108 Yeoui-daero, Yeongdeungpo-gu.
• Hongdae Walking Street — along 109–155 Eoulmadang-ro, Mapo-gu.
• Garosu-gil and Apgujeong Rodeo Street — Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu. Check the nearest station and exit in a map app.

The four streets keep no single opening time; each shop sets its own. For The Hyundai Seoul, check the official site.

If somewhere is shut or the weather turns — if Shinsegae is on its closing day, switch to The Hyundai Seoul, which is also indoors, and the other way round. Department-store closing days can change from month to month, so check each store's calendar on its official site before you go. If it starts raining while you are on a street, the simplest fix is to move indoors nearby — from Myeongdong, Shinsegae Main Store is a walk away.

This compares only which shopping district to choose. What to do once you have arrived in a given neighbourhood is a different question, and the area guides answer it.

• What to see in Myeongdong — places to visit in Myeongdong
• Hongdae and Yeonnam-dong — popular places in Hongdae and Yeonnam
• Dongdaemun after dark — Dongdaemun night shopping
• Gangnam and COEX — things to do around Gangnam and COEX

Traditional markets are a different kind of place altogether and are compared separately in Seoul's traditional markets — that list splits on the clock rather than on a roof.