The affluent district full of skyscrapers, corporate headquarters, but also quaint streets of older entertainment with many restaurants and bars that live long into the night, was previously known only in South Korea.

Everything changed in 2012. Since then, the whole world has known Seoul's Gangnam district. It was in 2012 that South Korean rapper PSY's single Gangnam Style saw the light of day, literally breaking the boundaries of the internet and holding many records.

Despite its age, the official music video consistently holds the 10th to 15th most viewed videos on the YouTube platform.

Live Gangnam style

The music video for the song Gangnam Style is practically filmed entirely in the backdrop of the Gangnam district, and the whole thing references the whimsical and somewhat unorthodox local lifestyle. And that's exactly how Gangnam lives today.

While the east and west are lined with wide boulevards lined with modern skyscrapers, banks and luxury shopping malls, the middle of Gangnam is filled with narrow, winding streets where people live until the wee hours of the morning.

To experience Gangnam, you need to spend at least a whole afternoon, evening and ideally all night...

Where to go in Gangnam?

Gangnam can be divided into three main sections.

East Gangnam is dominated by COEX, a huge office, shopping and entertainment centre with an aquarium and lots of shops. The plaza at the eastern entrance to COEX is decorated with the district's most popular attraction - a Gangnam Style statue in the form of a pair of golden hands, under which you can dance to the constant playing of this hit song.

West Gangnam, with one of Seoul's wealthiest streets, Gangnam-daero, is dominated by big businesses, banks and luxury shops.

Central Gangnam is then what makes the district so unique. The upscale, skyscraper-laden avenue transitions into a wild tangle of narrow, steep streets with low-rise buildings that are literally littered with restaurants, bars and clubs. There's no midnight here, and many businesses don't even have official opening hours. They simply close when the last customer leaves.

The liveliest area is north of Gangnam metro station around Tehran-ro 1-gil street.

Gangnam

Accommodation in Gangnam

Gangnam is a popular place for accommodation and you will find many (especially larger) hotels here.

Cheaper hotels (under 80 usd) - Prince Hotel **, Hotel Senne ***, Ocloud Hotel Gangnam ****
Better international hotels - AC by Marriott Seoul Gangnam ****, InterContinental Seoul COEX *****, Four Points by Sheraton Gangnam ****

Transportation to Gangnam

There are several subway lines running through Gangnam. The main metro stations are:

Gangnam - in the western livelier part of the district (Green Line 2 + Shinbundang Line)
Samseong (World Trade Center) - in the eastern part south of the COEX (green line 2)
Bongeunsa - in the eastern part north of COEX (gold line 9)

To get directly to downtown Seoul, it's quite lengthy to just take the green subway line (number 2). However, you can also use several bus lines.

For example, from the area centred around City Hall, buses 470 and 741 run directly to the centre of Gangnam.