It was Hong Kongers Serena, Shirley and Zoe’s first day in Korea and they chose to spend it at Garosu-gil, the 700-meter promenade in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul.

“The atmosphere is quite good. It’s like Europe,” said Serena.

Garosu-gil reflects current fashion trends combined with a mixture of western and Asian vibes.

Garosu-gil, meaning streets lined with trees, features everything from shopping hotspots to restaurants and coffee shops. 

Walking the whole street takes less than 15 minutes, but visitors will soon find themselves attracted to the unique, sophisticated displays of many shops from small clothing outlets to multi-purpose establishments.

“The displays are really good. It’s good for window shopping here,” said Serena.

The street, known for the galleries set up here in the 1990s, is still keeping its artistic atmosphere in uniquely designed clothing shops and European-style cafes. 

The street is now the best place to hang out among Koreans, beating other places in Seoul such as Apgujeong-dong and Gangnam subway station. And it is being slowly dominated by foreign tourists, most of them from Asia.

“The number of tourists from Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong is increasing,” said Ham Da-young, who runs the flagship store of the Geek Shop featuring shoes and bags of foreign brands.

“Also media people come here to cover the street on their magazines and newspapers, especially from Japan.”

“People here dress very differently, some of them are very high fashion. It’s quite nice watching them,” said Sulin from Singapore while having a cup of tea before exploring the street.

Garosu-gil in depth and recommendations

The streets lined with clothing and accessory shops never fail to draw women’s attention. The stores sport their own distinctive style.

To those tired of shopping, there are quite a few coffee shops that offer them a resting place. From coffee chains like Starbucks to small but unique cafes, coffee shops are ready to refresh visitors with drinks and tasty desserts.

The multi-purpose shops and concept stores are a must-see as they reflect the latest trends in fashion, dining and style.

Fashion & beauty

The Geek Shop features shoes and bags of European brands such as Espadrille and Tretorn. Frequented by tourists during weekdays, the place gets more crowded on weekends by Korean clients looking for some unique style to perfect their outfit.

The street is also full of small clothing shops boasting their own distinctive styles. Visitors are soon captured by their sophisticated window displays and find themselves heading to the shops such as Blau and 103.

The beauty shop Too Cool for School definitely draws the attention of female customers with its own cosmetics designed after stationery products at reasonable prices. The price for lipsticks ranges from 8,000 won to 12,000 won. With many samples prepared, customers can try out different products and change their look. The Face Shop, known for its competitive cosmetics and skin care products, is located near the end of the street. The price tags and product explanations are all in English and Japanese.

Farmer and Dami, located side by side, are accessory shops crowded with young girls in their 20s. Both selling handmade hair accessories, the two shops are also frequented by celebrities. Farmer features cute, girlish hair accessories while Dami offers some chic and sophisticated jewelry. Although the two are in a different style, prices are reasonable compared to popular jewelry brands.

To eat

Coffee Smith can be easily found in the middle of the strip as it has a huge open space. It’s a nice place to take a break and watch people go about their business.

Selected as the most beautiful example of architecture in 2009 by the Gangnam district office, the building itself is a work of art and a nice spot for photographs.

Cork for Turtle and Mug for Rabbit is a cafe combined with dining. The name alone draws people’s attention. On the first floor, it serves coffees and drinks as well as desserts. The second floor is a dining room serving European dishes.

Deux Creme has a variety of tarts served with coffee and tea. The tarts range from traditional chocolate or walnut tarts to others featuring seasonal fruits, such as green grapes for summer.

Disappointed at finding no street food in Garosu-gil? School Food offers Korean snacks such as tteokbokki (spicy rice cake stew) and kimbap (white rice, vegetables and ham rolled in dried laver seaweed).

ELBON on the Table is a chic and contemporary restaurant, located at the end of the street. The multi-purpose space features luxury brand shops on the first floor and a space for private parties on the third floor.

How to get there

From Sinsa Station Exit 8, walk straight about 338 meters to the Industrial Bank of Korea Sinsa branch and turn right.

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)