Mid-November is kimjang, when families season dozens of cabbages. Here’s the thing: you can try the UNESCO-listed tradition at Insadong’s museum or a 1–2 hour class (20,000–50,000 won) and carry your kimchi home. Costs, booking and how to pack it—sealed, and in checked baggage.
A sushi omakase on the first basement floor of Le Meilleur in Jongno. Lunch 60,000 won, dinner 110,000 won. Google Maps ★4.7 (103 reviews) clears the recommendation bar.
Seollal (Korean Lunar New Year) 2027 falls on Sunday, February 7. The holiday runs Saturday Feb 6 to Monday Feb 8, plus a substitute day on Tuesday Feb 9 — four days off. Banks stop for all four, so the exchange deadline is Friday Feb 5. What closes (markets, family restaurants, department stores for two days), what stays open (convenience stores, chains, and palaces for free), and the KTX booking and palace dates that get confirmed in January, projected from the 2026 record.
28 Hannam-daero 18-gil, 2nd floor, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 5pm to 10pm only, closed Sunday and Monday. Modern European served plate by plate, like a course.
Seoul’s winter street snacks run from November to February. Bungeoppang (fish-shaped pastries) cost 3 for 2,000 won in residential areas, while Myeongdong’s tourist stalls charge 4,000 won for one egg bread. Hotteok at 2,000 won, fish cake skewers at 1,000–1,500 won, Myeongdong stall hours, the map app that finds neighborhood stalls, and the 2,000-won convenience-store sweet potato as a fallback.
A charcoal grill house called Geobu on Jewon 4-gil, Jeju City. Dombae galbi 38,000 won per person (3 servings minimum), hanwoo boneless short rib 45,000 won, chuck flap tail 65,000 won. Open daily 11:30~23:00.
Gel nails in Seoul run from around 40,000 won for one color and 45,000 to 90,000 with a design. Celebrity salons charge 70,000 to over 300,000. Sessions take 40 to 120 minutes and removal is extra (US$7 to 14). Pro-Beauty in Myeongdong (Google 4.9, 3,212 reviews) and ZIA NAIL (5.0, 1,248 reviews) work in English and get repeated walk-in reviews. Booking, removal and tipping, sorted.
A yakitori specialist on Wausan-ro 3-gil in Mapo. One-person yakitori set 17,000 won, Kushimura set for two 34,000 won, individual skewers 4,500~6,000 won. Open 6pm to 2am.
A blueprint for surviving Seoul’s December (0.2°C average) indoors. The National Museum of Korea is free and open until 9 pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays, Starfield Library is free until 10 pm, the COEX aquarium lists at 35,000 won (up to 20% off online), Seoul Sky is 33,000, Lotte World 67,000, and a jjimjilbang 14,000 by day. Prices, hours and a route, packed into one day.
A noodle specialist on Donggyo-ro 12-gil in Mapo. Perilla oil egg noodles with mortadella 14,000 won, Seogyo egg noodles 13,000 won, fried aubergine with ragu 11,000 won. Closed Tuesdays.