Hongdae
홍대
A youth district around Hongik University, with street performers, indie music, graffiti, and late-night clubs, and K-pop dance covers performed live.
Hongdae refers to the area around the main gate of Hongik University in Mapo-gu. The university's art programs have fostered art, indie music, and street culture, and the district is now the center of Seoul's young nightlife. The core is Hongdae Street, along Hongik-ro. Every evening street singers and K-pop dance cover crews perform, especially on weekends. Nearby are hundreds of cafés, clothing shops, photo studios with Korean four-cut photo booths, escape rooms, burger and fried chicken shops, and clubs and live houses open late at night. On Saturday afternoons, the Hongdae Free Market, a handmade crafts market, is held in front of Hongik University's main gate from March to November. You can extend your visit to Yeonnam-dong, with its small shops and cafés around the Gyeongui Line forest park known as Yeontral Park. Sangsu-dong and Hapjeong are also nearby. Suggested plan: browse Yeonnam-dong in the afternoon, return to Hongdae in the evening for performances and dinner, and experience the nightlife after 10 p.m. If you're interested in K-pop, you can visit YG Entertainment in Hapjeong nearby. Getting there: Subway Line 2, Hongik University Station, Exit 9. The AREX Airport Railroad runs directly to Hongik University Station, the first stop into the city from Incheon Airport, and many people choose to stay here. Notes: nights are crowded and noisy, so keep an eye on your belongings in bar areas. After the subway stops running after midnight, expect a queue for taxis.
Opening hours
Open all day (most shops until 23:00; nightclubs until early morning)
Nearby sights
- Gyeongui Line Forest Park & Yeonnam-dong
- Mangwon Market
- Ewha Womans University & Sinchon
- Yeouido Hangang Park
- The Hyundai Seoul
- Seodaemun Prison History Hall
- 63 Building
- Haneul Park