Seoul is a travel destination where the old and new coexist. Traveling here brings you up close to century-old palaces, traditional cafes, and beautifully preserved natural landscapes. But at the same time, you get also high-tech modern attractions, bustling shopping districts, and all the creature comforts of a cosmopolitan city, which you can easily navigate with the efficient train network.

For those who prefer nature spots and historical sites, I previously shared some classic destinations and experiences in Seoul for first-timers including hanbok rentals at the Gyeongbokgung Palace, Nami Island, Deoksugung Stonewall Walkway, Haneul Sky Park, Cheonggyecheon Stream, as well as traditional Korean cuisine you have to try. The destinations with historical and cultural significance will appeal to the whole family, including seniors.

Below are some of the more modern attractions that families with younger kids and travelers who got hooked on K-dramas and K-culture during the pandemic can also visit during their trip to Seoul.

Starfield COEX Library

If you’re a fan of K-dramas, you might be familiar with the Starfield Library, a massive library with 13-meter-tall bookshelves located within the center of the elegant Starfield COEX Mall.

Popular K-dramas filmed in this Insta-famous library include Record of Youth, Lovestruck in the City, and Kkondae Intern, to name a few. In this public space, which opened in May 2017, anyone can just sit down and read books for free.

The two-storied library has thousands of books in various genres, along with domestic and foreign magazines available for browsing. Alongside traditional books, the library also has iPads that anyone can use to read e-books and tables with electric plugs for those with laptops, who need to catch up on emails.

The complex also houses the COEX Aquarium, movie theaters, modern restaurants, and coffee shops. Outside the building, you can find an interactive sculpture, which pays homage to the 2012 mega-hit song Gangnam Style by PSY. Once you get on the stage below the hands, the song instantly plays, so anyone can dance and take video clips.

N Seoul Tower

For the past four decades, Namsan Seoul Tower or N Seoul Tower has served as one the most iconic landmarks of South Korea. Said to be the first multipurpose tower established in the country, N Seoul Tower incorporates a sightseeing observatory that overlooks the city from the top of Namsan Mountain.

Known primarily as a romantic spot for couples, one area allows visitors to put colorful love locks to seal their romantic promises as made popular by shows like Boys Over Flowers, My Love From Another Star, and Rooftop Prince, to name a few.

While active couples can take a longer scenic route up the tower via stairs, it can be quite tiring for those with young kids. Thankfully, the whole family can easily go up by riding the Namsan Cable Car right up to the observatory.

On top of being a top tourist landmark in the city, the tower offers a spectacular sight to behold at night even from afar. Using the latest in LED technology, the tower is lit up in an array of colors and patterns. The protected area around N Seoul Tower also exemplifies how nature and technology can exist in harmony.

General car traffic is reportedly restricted to keep the surrounding area of Namsan Mountain area clean and green.

Everland

When traveling with kids, amusement parks will inevitably be part of the agenda. And when you’re in Seoul, one of the most popular theme parks to visit is Everland. Known as South Korea’s biggest theme park, Everland receives around 6 million visitors every year and contains many modern amusement park rides alongside wildlife attractions.

This theme park owned and operated by the Samsung Group of companies is made up of five distinct themed zones, namely Global Fair, Zootopia, European Adventure, Magic Land, and American Adventure.

While waiting to get a ride could easily take up the whole day, some of the best attractions here include the T Express, one of the world’s fastest wooden rollercoasters, and Panda World, which is home to a pair of giant pandas gifted to South Korea by Chinese President Xi Jinping as a sign of friendship. Panda World also contains interactive installations where guests can learn more
about the bear species.

To maximize your time, try to book an express ticket ahead of your visit so that you can skip lining up for some of the rides and make use of the theme park’s app to get updated information on queues and attractions. In case you’re in a big group, I’d also suggest that seniors come up with a separate itinerary while families with kids visit the amusement park, to maximize everyone’s enjoyment.

Petite France

If you’re a fan of the book The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry or want a taste of Europe while in South Korea, one site you can visit is Petite France. This French-style cultural village set in the Korean countryside of Gyeonggi Province was constructed in July 2008.

Designed with the theme concept, “Flowers, stars, and the Little Prince,” the village offers experience programs, training facilities, and accommodations with a French flair. It’s a colorful, family-friendly attraction amid the green and blue mountainside.

Within this village in Gapyeong, you can find souvenir shops, cafes, restaurants, and special galleries all styled after traditional French houses. There’s a memorial hall dedicated to Saint-Exupery, the author of the French novel, Le Petit Prince (1943), an Antique shop, a Doll House, and Orgel House where you can listen to a 200-year-old music box. There’s also a gallery of different puppets and puppet show performances.

Aside from the link to the French novel and IG-worthy backdrops, Petite France is popular with K-drama fans as it’s served as the filming location for some classic Korean dramas including  Beethoven Virus (2008), Secret Garden (2011), and My Love from the Stars (2014).

HiKR Ground

If you’re looking for a place to immerse yourself in the world of modern Korean pop culture and K-dramas, be sure to pass by HiKR Ground. HiKR, which combines “Hi” and “Korea” with the concept of a playground (”Ground”) is a relatively new interactive museum-like exhibition hall in Seoul.

This promotional hall takes a new approach to sharing diverse Korean content, including the areas of Hallyu, arts, and more by integrating Extended Reality (XR) and smart technology aimed at the younger generation.

On the first floor is an extra-large media wall showcasing the Landscape of the New City, including top tourist attractions, places featured in K-pop, K-drama, and more. On the second floor, Hallyu fans can live out their K-Pop dreams by using XR technology to make their own music videos by picking from over 100 different backgrounds, and music, all shareable on social media.

The third floor features a Korean Art Museum where representative Korean content is reinterpreted by Korea’s modern artists. A whole section also provides detailed information on filming locations from Hallyu media content and newer K-dramas like Hometown Cha-Cha and Netflix originals like the historical zombie series Kingdom and All of Us Are Dead.

The fourth floor offers a multi-experience zone where visitors can experience various themed attractions using all five senses, while a lounge on the fifth floor gives visitors a chance to do a travel mission.

Digital Media City

Located in the neighborhood of Sangam-dong, Digital Media City, or DMC was built to house Korea’s media, entertainment, and IT industries to become the new epicenter for Hallyu content and production.

It’s here where you can find the main studios and offices of KBS, MBC, and SBS, three of Korea’s major broadcasting companies. The main MBC building houses Korea’s first Hallyu Broadcasting Theme Park where visitors can live out their K-drama fantasies, experience virtual reality content, learn dance moves from holographic K-pop stars, and more in guided tours.

In front of MBC’s new building is a popular art installation known as “Square M-Communication” which features two standing men in a red frame almost touching fingers. The sculpture was famously featured in Marvel Studios Avengers: The Age of Ultron movie filmed in 2015.

The nearby Star Park contains hand imprints of Korean celebrities, including Kim Woo Bin (Black Knight), Park Shin Hye (#Alive), Ha Ji Won, Hyung Sik Park (Secret Garden), Nam Joo Hyuk (Start Up), as well as international celebrities.

The area is also known for having several great restaurants, so the whole family can enjoy a good meal before or after their digital media tour.

Myeongdong

The bustling Myeongdong district is one of Seoul’s main shopping districts, and it’s where you can find everything from mid-to-high priced retail stores and international brand outlets.

The vibrant neighborhood is a great place to stay and eat. If you’re not into shopping, you can also just enjoy dining, visiting cat cafes, hunting down craft beer spots in this area, and trying different street food.

Some of the best street eats in Myeongdong include:

• Tteokbokki: Spicy stir-fried rice cakes in a sweet and spicy gochujang (red chili pepper paste) sauce.
• Gimbap: Korean-style seaweed rice rolls filled with various ingredients like vegetables, meat, and pickles.
• Mandu: Korean dumplings filled with a mixture of meat and vegetables, usually steamed or fried.
• Bungeoppang: Fish-shaped pastries filled with sweet red bean paste, a popular Korean street dessert.
• Tornado Potatoes: Spiraled potatoes on a stick.
• Octopus Skewers
• Grilled shrimp
• Roasted Lobster topped with cheese
• Grilled scallops with cheese

Myeongdon is also a great place to drink. We tried out a few craft beer bars in the area.

Seoul is a great travel destination to experience an incredible mix of the past and present. While you get a taste of the traditional culture with the temples and palaces throughout the city and beautifully decorated gardens, you can also enjoy modern museums, hi-tech attractions, and immerse yourself in the latest trends in K-entertainment, music, and culture, and enjoy modern food.

NOTE: A version of this article was first published in Enrich Magazine.