Dongdaemun Design Plaza

Long before DDP existed, this spot held a section of Seoul's centuries-old city wall, and later, a sports stadium. When the stadium was torn down in 2007, the winning design for what replaced it — a swooping, seamless building with no straight lines, by architect Zaha Hadid — opened in 2014 under the name 'Metonymic Landscape.'

The curved, futuristic exterior is the whole point; Hadid described wanting the building to feel like a landscape wrapping around the old city wall. Sections of that wall, along with lighting towers from the old stadium, were uncovered during construction and are now preserved next door in a small history park — so centuries-old stone sits right beside cutting-edge architecture.

Local tip: walking the building's curves and the adjacent historical park (including the excavated wall) is free; indoor exhibitions usually charge admission depending on what's showing. The LED Rose Garden lights up beautifully right after sunset. Nearby Dongdaemun Market runs brisk overnight wholesale trade, so it pairs naturally with a late-night shopping run.