Start in the downtown arty-crafty Insadong district, and pop into Crown Bakery (Insadong St) for decent coffee and just-out-of-the-oven breads, doughnuts and pastries.

BBC: A perfect day in Seoul

Next, wander around Insadong's crooked alleyways, where gigantic menu boards dwarf the traditional sit-on-floor-cushions eateries, which offer at-your-table BBQs and Buddhist temple vegetarian meals.

BBC: A perfect day in Seoul

The decorative rice cakes at Jilsiru (Insadong St) are works of art, and turn down the nearby alley to sip quince tea in Yetchatjip, a hobbit-sized teashop echoing with water features, songbirds and gayageum (zither) music.

BBC: A perfect day in Seoul

Amid the dozens of private art galleries on Insadong street you will find tiny craft shops bursting with creativity (check out the four-storey Ssamzie complex) - look for pale green celadon vases, pen-and-ink drawings and calligraphy, and world-class stitching at Kukjae Embroidery.

BBC: A perfect day in Seoul