— Cityscapes

Cityscape: Seoul

Photos Edouard Valette

5 min

Photos Edouard Valette

5 min

We’ve heard people refer to Seoul as being “delightfully tiring” and that truly nails it. Simply put, it’s a dynamic, ever evolving and ever fascinating metropolis, full of contrasts. Encircled by magnificent mountains, it marries dizzying skyscrapers, loud billboards, and busy overhead highways with traditional hanoks, majestic ancient temples and tranquil parks that offer refuge from its fast pace. When our friend and photographer Edouard Valette recently went there, we asked him to come back with tons of incredible pictures. He didn’t fail us.

You won’t catch us saying “no” to either, but Seoul’s obviously more than Korean BBQ and K-Pop. It’s a city that reveals its secrets slowly, yet you’ll never totally grasp it either because of its rapid changes and restless nature. It’s immensely old – with a history of over 2000 years of being settled by different kingdoms – but it’s also very new, with much of its infrastructure and architecture rebuilt in the 1950s after the Korean war. The only constant is change and that’s something you feel wherever and whenever you wander around South Korea’s capital.

From the Hondae district that buzzes with students, young creatives and indie culture, to the quiet Buam Dong area with its art galleries and coffee shops, Seoul is A LOT. With so much to take in, so much to do and so much to see, we figured it could be handy to compile a small list of recommendations by both locals and Edouard. However, just diving in and getting lost in the best possible way is highly recommended too.