Day 5: Hongdae (홍대) : Cats Cafe, Hello Kitty Cafe, Free Markets

Hongdae(홍대) is the term given for the area around Hongik University. There are many interesting shops and cafes such as the hello kitty cafe, cats cafe and dogs cafe.We went Hongdae on a Saturday to check out the free market just opposite Hongik University because it is the only day of the week that is opened (1-6pm). The crowd was huge at the free market!! There were many stalls selling handcrafted craft items such as accessories, bags, jewelry and clothes etc.



The other highlight of going Hongdae was to visit the cats cafe as I am a feline lover. This was our first experience and I was very excited when I saw a cat mascot on the street. It must be promoting the cats cafe!! And true enough when I looked up to the buiding behind, I saw the signage "Toms Cafe".

Before stepping into the cafe, we need to change our shoes to their in-housed slippers. Every visitor has to disinfect his hands before touching the cats. The admission fee is 8,000 Won (SGD 9) inclusive of a drink per pax. Quite cheap! Before ordering our drinks, the staff showed us some guidelines for handling the cats.


My hubby was so tired that he just sat down on the table playing with his iphone games. As for me, I couldn't wait to sayang (pet) those cute and beautiful cats!! There were mostly teenager girls in the cafe. Females loves cats more than males?


Here are the shots of the cats in the cafe:

After leaving the cats cafe, we proceeded to have our dinner nearby. At this point, we noticed the crowd on the streets is getting larger and larger. Even the subway station became the busiest of all that we have been to! We could not believe that the crowd is so HUGE at Hongdae. We reckoned it is due to the free market that is only opened on saturdays and also the vibrant nightlife that so many koreans and tourists flocked to!

How to get there:
Hongik University Station line 2, exit 5