Search “Seoul” on Google images, and you’ll find lit-up skyscrapers and hanoks, or traditional Korean houses, framed by picturesque mountains and cherry blossoms. What it doesn’t show, though, is poo-shaped bread, camera illusion museums, and meerkat cafes. If you only have a short while in Seoul, make sure you fit in some of these unusual things to do along with your traditional sightseeing.
1. Eat “poo food”
Korea isn’t just indifferent about poop. In fact, Korea thinks poop is pretty adorable. Perhaps you’ll agree after visiting one of Seoul’s “ddong,” or poop cafes. But, don’t worry. No real excrement is served at the cafes, only delicious treats. In Ssamzigil in Insadong, you’ll find poo bread on the bottom floor. On the top floor, there’s an entire restaurant dedicated to poo that serves dishes, such as pasta, in miniature toilet bowls. If you’re too grossed out to try one of the poo foods, you can still enjoy the ambiance by enjoying one of their refreshing fruit juices.
2. Go to an animal cafe
Seoul has plenty of cat and dog cafes to go to if you want to pet something cute while you sip coffee or tea. Not a cat or dog person? That’s OK. Seoul is home to sheep, meerkat, and raccoon cafes, too. Keep in mind that some of these animals are bought from mills. If that makes you uncomfortable, consider checking out a cat cafe full of rescues, only: Earth Cat Cafe near Ewha Womans University.
3. Visit Trickeye Museum
I hope you brought your selfie stick to Seoul because you’re going to need it. At Trickeye Museum in Hongdae, you’ll wander a maze of illusory backdrops perfect for taking pictures that’ll make your friends jealous. Become a mermaid, ride a unicorn, or climb bamboo with pandas—it’s up to you. Tickets are only about $15 per person, and less if you go with a group. Plus, attached to Trickeye are more unusual things to do, like playing at the mini-game “carnival street” and exploring the ice museum. These zones are free to enter with the purchase of Trickeye tickets.
Guidebooks are helpful, but they often only showcase some of Seoul’s most popular sites, like N Seoul Tower. But when’s the last time you heard about a museum of illusions, a sheep cafe, or spaghetti in a toilet bowl? Whether you’re coming to Seoul for a month or a day, you have to try at least one of Seoul’s most unusual things to do.
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