Three Awesome Markets in Seoul, South Korea

Seoul has some amazing places to shop but three of the best places I found were Hwanghakdong Flea Market, Janghanpyeong Antique Market and Gyeongdong Oriental Medicine Market. These are a little way out of central Seoul so it's probably better to take a full day and see all three on the same day. The best way to get there is the subway. Traffic can be really bad in Seoul, so why bother with taxis or buses when all you want to do is get to the market and shop.

Hwanghakdong Flea Market. This is the most amazing place. You can buy just about anything here and, even if you don't want to buy much, just browsing through all these amazing market stalls is fascinating. A great place for taking photos too.

Prices at Hwanghakdong Flea Market range from low to very high if you're looking at hundreds-of-years-old antiques. But there is everything here. You can find cutlery, old household items, clothing, books, china, antiques, Buddha statues, old wheels, plant pots, bookshelves, stamps, paintings, shoes and just about anything else you might want. There's also lots of stalls selling DVDs and CDs, both Korean and Western. They have new things and used, but even the new things are about 20% cheaper than in the stores. Also look at the shops around Hwanghakdong Flea Market as some of them are just as interesting as the market stalls. Get here when it opens at 8am as you'll get the best bargains and there will be fewer tourists.

Easiest way to get there is to take the subway, either lines 2 or 6 and get off at Sindang Station. It's also open every day.

Janghanpyeong Antique Market. There are a few buildings that house tiny antiques shops; all together they make up the Janghanpyeong Antique Market. These little antique shops are absolutely stuffed to the gills with stuff. Some things are very old and some are just antiqued so they look old, but so many things are unusual here. Most of the things they sell, I had never seen before. Old Korean teapots, guitars, ancient swords and other fighting implements, statues everywhere, old rice containers, bowls, china, vases, jewelry, and even traditional ceramic pillows.