When traveling to Seoul with a child, I don’t always want to spend the entire day checking off tourist attractions. Sometimes, the best trips are slower.
For this 1-night, 2-day family trip to Seoul, we stayed at The Shilla Seoul and explored the neighborhood around the hotel — jokbal, a Starbucks with a unique local setting, a neighborhood cafe, the hotel itself, Namsan, and Taegeukdang, one of Seoul’s well-known old bakeries. It wasn’t a packed sightseeing itinerary. If you’re looking for a more relaxed Seoul itinerary with kids, this is the route we actually took.
The Shilla Seoul, our home base for this trip
🗺️ Our Seoul Family Trip at a Glance
Day 1: Jangchung-dong Jokbal → Jangchung Starbucks → House Coffee & Dessert → The Shilla Seoul → Indoor Pool → Kids Lounge → Cake in the hotel room
Day 2: Breakfast at The Parkview → Namsan → Taegeukdang Bakery → Home
Day 1: Exploring Jangchung-dong Before Checking In
We started our trip in Jangchung-dong, the neighborhood around The Shilla Seoul. This area may not be on every first-time visitor’s Seoul itinerary, but that was actually part of the appeal — instead of going straight to another major tourist attraction, we wanted to experience a little bit of everyday Seoul before checking into the hotel.
1. Trying Jangchung-dong Jokbal
Our first stop was Jangchung-dong Jokbal — a traditional Korean dish made from braised pig’s feet. For visitors who have never tried it before, it may sound unusual, but Jangchung-dong is particularly well known for jokbal, and the area has a long history of jokbal restaurants. For us, it was a fun way to start the trip with something that felt distinctly Korean.
Jangchung-dong jokbal — braised pig’s feet, a local specialty
2. A Stop at Jangchung Starbucks
After lunch, we stopped at a Starbucks in Jangchung-dong. This wasn’t really a must-see tourist attraction — we simply wanted to take a break before heading to the hotel. But I liked that the stop felt like part of the neighborhood experience rather than another major sightseeing destination. When traveling with a child, small breaks like this can make the entire itinerary much easier.
Jangchung Starbucks
3. Coffee and Dessert at House Coffee & Dessert
We also stopped at House Coffee & Dessert for coffee and dessert. Again, this was a simple stop rather than a destination we planned our entire day around — and that’s what I liked about this itinerary. There was no pressure to see everything. We could have lunch, stop for coffee, and slowly make our way to the hotel. For a family trip, I find this kind of flexible schedule much easier than trying to fit five or six attractions into one day.
House Coffee & Dessert, and Jangchungdan Park nearby
4. Check-In at The Shilla Seoul
After exploring Jangchung-dong, we headed to The Shilla Seoul — the main base for our trip. Rather than checking in late at night after a full day of sightseeing, we arrived with enough time to actually enjoy the hotel. We stayed in a Deluxe Room and spent the rest of the afternoon there. For our family, this was one of the best decisions we made on the trip.
Our Deluxe Room at The Shilla Seoul
5. Swimming and the Kids Lounge
After checking in, we used the indoor pool and later visited the Kids Lounge. This is one of the reasons I think The Shilla Seoul works well for a short family getaway — we didn’t have to find another activity for our child, we could simply stay at the hotel and enjoy the facilities. For families traveling with younger children, this can be much less tiring than moving around Seoul all day.
The indoor pool
The Kids Lounge
6. Cake in Our Hotel Room
After dinner, we picked up a cake from the hotel’s Pastry Boutique and brought it back to our room, where we ate it together. It was a small part of the trip, but this is exactly the kind of moment I enjoy about a hotel stay with a child — we didn’t need to go anywhere, we could simply finish the day in our room.
Cake from the Pastry Boutique, enjoyed in the room
🍳 Day 2: Breakfast at The Parkview
The next morning started with breakfast at The Parkview, the hotel’s buffet restaurant.
Breakfast at The Parkview
🌳 Day 2: Namsan
After breakfast, we headed to Namsan. Namsan is one of the easiest places to add to a Seoul family itinerary because it offers a very different experience from the city streets below — greenery, views of Seoul, walking paths, and N Seoul Tower, all in the same general area. We didn’t try to complete a long hiking route. We simply went up, enjoyed the scenery, took photos, and came back down. That was enough for us.
N Seoul Tower
The view from Namsan
📌 Namsan practical info (this comes up a lot for foreign readers, so a quick summary):
- 🎟️ N Seoul Tower observatory: Adults (13–64) ₩23,400 / Children (3–12) ₩18,000 (full price; online booking is usually discounted)
- 🕒 Hours: Weekdays 10:00–22:30, weekends 10:00–23:00, open year-round
- 🚡 Cable car: Round-trip ₩15,000 (adult) / ₩11,500 (child), one-way ₩12,000 / ₩9,000 — runs 10:00–23:00 daily from near Myeong-dong Station Exit 4
- 🚌 Circular bus (01A/01B): ₩1,500 flat fare, runs 06:30–23:00, about every 9 minutes (01A) or 14 minutes (01B)
Since we were staying at The Shilla Seoul, we didn’t need to go all the way to Myeong-dong — we caught a circular bus right from the “Shilla Hotel · Jangchungdan Park” stop near the hotel, which loops through downtown, the old palaces, and Namsan. If you’re staying in Jangchung-dong, this is worth knowing.
7. Taegeukdang: A Taste of Old Seoul
After coming down from Namsan, we stopped at Taegeukdang Bakery — one of my favorite stops because it felt different from the modern cafes and restaurants we usually see in Seoul. Taegeukdang is known as one of Seoul’s old bakeries, and stopping here gave us a small glimpse of a different side of the city. For travelers interested in old Seoul, Korean food, and local culture, I think places like this can be more memorable than simply visiting another modern cafe. We bought some bakery items and headed home.
Taegeukdang — one of Seoul’s old bakeries
Why I Like This Seoul Itinerary for Families
This wasn’t the kind of Seoul itinerary where we tried to visit as many places as possible — and that’s exactly why I liked it. With a child, I think a good Seoul itinerary needs some breathing room. This trip gave us a little bit of everything:
- 🏨 A luxury hotel: The Shilla Seoul
- 🍽 Korean food: Jangchung-dong jokbal
- ☕ A neighborhood coffee stop: Jangchung Starbucks & House Coffee & Dessert
- 👨👩👧 Family time: Indoor pool & Kids Lounge
- 🌳 Nature and city views: Namsan
- 🥐 Old Seoul: Taegeukdang Bakery
It felt like a good balance between seeing Seoul and actually enjoying our time there.
Is Jangchung-dong Worth Visiting?
If you’re wondering whether Jangchung-dong itself is a must-see destination in Seoul, I’d say probably not — I wouldn’t recommend traveling across Seoul just to visit it. But if you’re already staying near The Shilla Seoul, visiting Namsan, or looking for a more local food experience, it makes a lot of sense to include it. Jangchung-dong is especially interesting because you can combine it with Namsan, Jangchung-dong Jokbal Street, and The Shilla Seoul without making a complicated detour. For us, it worked as part of a larger Seoul itinerary rather than as a destination by itself — and honestly, I think that makes it more useful for travelers.
Our Recommended Route
Jangchung-dong Jokbal → Coffee → The Shilla Seoul → Indoor Pool & Kids Lounge → Overnight Stay → The Parkview Breakfast → Namsan → Taegeukdang Bakery
You could also reverse the order depending on your hotel check-in time. The important part isn’t following the itinerary exactly — it’s leaving enough time to slow down.
Final Thoughts
For our family, this was a very comfortable way to experience Seoul with a child. We didn’t try to see everything. Instead, we stayed somewhere nice, ate a traditional Korean dish, explored a neighborhood, spent time at the hotel, visited Namsan, and finished with an old Seoul bakery. If you’re planning a family trip to Seoul and prefer a relaxed pace, I think this combination is worth considering — and if you’re staying at The Shilla Seoul, Jangchung-dong and Namsan are two easy ways to add more local experiences to your hotel stay.
The Shilla Seoul, with Namsan Tower in the background
🏨 Where to Stay
We stayed at The Shilla Seoul for one night. If you’re considering staying here, check the latest room types, dates, and prices before booking.
🗺️ Location Map
Here’s where everything sits relative to the hotel. Tap the hotel marker to check rates on Agoda, or any other marker to open it in Google Maps.
📖 Related Guides
The Shilla Seoul Family Hotel Review — our full review of the room, indoor pool, Kids Lounge, and The Parkview breakfast.
Namsan with Kids — a closer look at visiting Namsan with a child. (coming soon)
Jangchung-dong Jokbal — what it’s like to try this traditional Korean dish. (coming soon)
Taegeukdang Bakery — a closer look at one of Seoul’s old bakeries. (coming soon)