[WEEKEND GETAWAY] From media facade to Christmas village, here are 5 spots you should visit for Christmas

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[WEEKEND GETAWAY] From media facade to Christmas village, here are 5 spots you should visit for Christmas

Published: 30 Nov. 2023, 19:20 Updated: 06 Dec. 2023, 13:57

KIM DONG-EUN
[email protected]

Shinsegae Department Store's flagship location in Myeongdong in Jung District, central Seoul, celebrates Christmas with a media facade. [NEWS1]

Cheerful Christmas carols and chirpy crowds streamline the cold street. Exquisite Christmas decorations, jaunty music and shivering yet smiling faces compose the streets of Seoul during the Christmas season.

The Christmas culture in Korea is not as family-oriented and home-based as in other countries, where a Christmas holiday is filled with family rituals. Instead of curling up at home, young Koreans head to the streets to make the most of the holiday.

Korea's major department stores, being aware of this culture, go full-on with their winter installations and Christmas events, and that goes the same for small cafes and shops, trying their best to attract crowds and amuse them with festivities.

This leaves you with a plethora of choices when it comes to where to visit for Christmas this year. So, for you, the Korea JoongAng Daily has come up with a list of five you must check out.

The Hyundai Seoul
더현대 서울

Visitors look around La Boutique d'Harry, a Christmas-themed village at The Hyundai Seoul in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul. [YONHAP]

The Hyundai Seoul in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, is the hub of today's hottest trends in Korea. You can see some of the happiest and most excited couples and families going in and out of the department store, too.

Red teddy bears, named Harry Bear, are the mascot of La Boutique d'Harry, as well as its lore's main character. [THE HYUNDAI]

The Hyundai Seoul, in addition to its massive Christmas tree with jazzy ornaments, runs a special Christmas-themed village, La Boutique d'Harry, on its fifth floor until the last day of the year. The village is inspired by a fictional story of a baby bear named Harry who prepares Christmas festivities for his beloved grandfather, who misses his family.

Velvet teddy bears adorn the Christmas village, adding to the festive vibe of the special town. You can see a wide array of Christmas gifts on display, from teddy bear goodies in different forms to mugs, Christmas cakes and mulled wine.

This makes Sounds Forest, where the village is located, get crowded day and night. You can register for the walk-on entry on the fifth floor with your phone number. The department store lets you know when your turn to enter the village approaches.

If you don't like finding yourself in crowded spaces, try visiting the Hyundai's other two locations, one in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, or one in Pangyo, Gyeonggi. No reservations are needed to visit the village at these branches.

@thehyundaiseoul
108 Yeouidaero, Yeoungdeungpo District, Seoul
(서울특별시 영등포구 여의대로 108)
Business hours: 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
(Sounds Forest on the fifth floor partially runs until 10 p.m. The last admission is 9 p.m.)
Phone number: 02-767-2233

Website:https://www.ehyundai.com/DP/lang/en/DP000014.do?branchCd=B00140000

Myeongdong Shinsegae Department Store
명동 신세계백화점

Shinsegae Department Store's flagship location in Myeongdong in Jung District, central Seoul, celebrates Christmas with a media facade. [NEWS1]

Myeongdong in Jung District, central Seoul, has long been one of the most popular destinations for foreigners visiting Korea and even Koreans from outside Seoul.

Known for its night markets and streets filled with shops, Myeongdong might be too mundane of a choice for Christmas, if not archaic. However, the neighborhood is still worth a visit for the media facade at Shinsegae Department Store's flagship location there.

The display, named "Magical Winter Fantasy," lights up the entire area with some 3.75 million LED lights from 5:30 p.m. every day.

Should you visit the store, make sure to stop by its third floor, where a cozy corridor welcomes visitors with crimson walls and Christmas decorations.

Additionally, Lotte Department Store's nearby Myeongdong Main Store is also running a Christmas-themed display, "My Dearest Wish." Christmas lights at the nearby Myeongdong Cathedral are also one of the things to see in this neighborhood.

63 Sogong-ro, Jung District, Seoul
(서울특별시 중구 소공로 63)
Business hours: 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Monday to Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Fridays and weekends

Lotte World Tower World Park
롯데월드타워 월드파크

"Christmas Market" at the Lotte World Tower World Park in Songpa District, southern Seoul [LOTTE SHOPPING]

If you don't mind walking in the cold for some Christmas fun, Charlotte Garden and the Christmas Market at Lotte World Tower's World Park in Songpa District, southern Seoul, may provide the pinnacle of amusement.

Located between Lotte World Mall and Lotte World Tower, they lure a number of locals and tourists despite the freezing weather.

This year, Charlotte Garden features various photo zones and attractions in red and gold shades. With the luminous gigantic Christmas tree towering over the garden, gleaming miniature lights embroider everything from the surrounding trees and trimmed bushes to, more than anything, a real-life merry-go-round. The ride is open for anyone who spends more than 30,000 won ($23) at one of the Lotte-affiliated stores or venues.

On the other side of the Christmas tree, a large glass house beams with gift shops specially curated for the winter holiday season. To enter the glass house that is 1,983 square meters (0.5 acres) in size, you can either purchase one of the 100 online tickets on the Lotte Department Stores app or wait in a queue at the site. A sizable nutcracker decoration from a German decorations brand, Käthe Wohlfahrt, welcomes those entering the Christmas Market, along with other stores selling Christmas-themed knick-knacks and eateries selling wine, desserts and Korean winter snacks.

Another sightseeing spot to visit is Seokchon Lake, which is connected to Charlotte Garden and the Christmas Market by a path. You can also enjoy a view of the Lotte World Adventure theme park against the backdrop of the lake.

@lotte_worldtower
300 Olympic-ro, Songpa District, Seoul
(서울 송파구 올림픽로 300)
Business hours: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. for Charlotte Garden, 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. for Christmas Market

Manhole Coffee
맨홀커피

Manhole Coffee in Dangsan, Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul [MANHOLE COFFEE]

Away from the spectacles put together by conglomerates, non-franchise cafes offer coziness and comfort fitting for the winter holiday season. Manhole Coffee in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, is one such location with its rare vintage-style interiors with a touch of British taste. It is often referred to as "Harry Potter" cafe or "Kingsman" cafe.

The cafe has wooden furniture and vintage items that together create a tawny ambiance. A mock fireplace, dark brown walls and old-style counters provide a cozy yet posh atmosphere. One can even enjoy the spirit of the holiday season as the venue now has Christmas decorations on display.

The best time to visit, if you want to lounge for an entire afternoon with good coffee, is the weekdays since it gets packed on the weekends.

Jinsim Design, a prop shop fifteen minutes away from the cafe on foot, is also an apt next top when you are in the neighborhood. Various Christmas displays and decorations items await the visitors.

There is also a second branch of the cafe with a different name, Manhole Coffee Western, which, as its name suggests, is American Western-themed. It's decorated with cowboy props here and there. If you happen to get overwhelmed by the long queue in front of the main branch, try hitting up this location instead for a different and less busy atmosphere, just like the old American West. It also, of course, has Christmas decorations.

@manhole_coffee
25 Dangsan-ro 42-gil, Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul
(당산제2동 당산로42길 25)
Business hours: noon to 10:30 p.m., closed on Mondays

Positive Space 566
김포 포지티브스페이스566

Christmas decorations at Gimpo Positive Space 566, the world's largest cafe in Gimpo, Gyeonggi, are pictured. [POSITIVESPACE566]

All the formerly mentioned spots share a downside — as much as they are fancy spots in Seoul, they tend to get overly crowded on the weekends. Gimpo Positive Space 566 is the place for you this weekend if you prefer a weekend away from the hecticness of the city.

Positive Space 566 in Gimpo, Gyeonggi, is not just an ordinary coffee shop. It is the Guinness World Records-verified world's largest cafe, covering 11,900 square meters (2.9 acres) in area.

It consists of five stories and can accommodate up to 2,190 people at once. The venue has set up Christmas decorations to prepare for the end-of-the-year merriment.

The extensive view you see once you enter the building may remind you of a shopping mall. It even has elevators and escalators connecting the floors. Each floor has a special feature, some with grand pianos, chandeliers and picturesque light installments that look like contemporary art pieces.

Although the venue is more known as a cafe, it also has a bakery, a restaurant, a cafeteria, private meeting rooms and even an art exhibition space on the fifth floor of the building. Drinks here can be expensive, but considering the venue offers hours of entertainment, they may be worth the price.

@positivespace566
910 Geomdan-ro, Gimpo, Gyeonggi
(경기도 김포시 검단로 910)
Business hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Each floor, however, has different closing hours.
Phone number: 0507-1377-9921

Learn more about Korean university life on K-campus .

BY KIM DONG-EUN [[email protected]]