Lotte Christmas Market, Everything You Need to Know

There are three Christmas markets in Seoul that run the full length of December, but the best one in our opinion is the Lotte Christmas Market held just outside the Lotte World Mall in Jamsil.

There’s food, shopping, and a fun carousel ride for everyone to enjoy. But, there are a few things you’ll need to know before you visit so, let’s get started.

What is the Lotte Christmas Market?

The Lotte Christmas Market is a yearly Christmas market held every year from late-November to the first week of January to cover the whole holiday season.

Unlike a traditional Christmas market, the Lotte market is populated mostly with popular brands shops and brands. There’s toys from Playhouse and Lego along with Christmas decorations, chocolates and so much more. It is sincerely worth the effort to get in.

The real star of the show is all the food. There’s traditional European fare like gluhwein, butterbeer and goulash but there’s also tiramisu, tteokbokki and highball cocktails.

How do we get in?

Like any good pop-up in Seoul, there’s a digital queue followed by an actual physical line to get into the Christmas Market.

The digital queue is handled by a small tablet located just outside the market itself. Once you’ve typed in your phone number, you’ll receive a text message with a link that will show your place in line. At this point, you’ll want to purchase your tickets to get inside.

Once your number is called, you’ll be allowed to stand in a physical line to actually get into the market where they’ll check your tickets and allow you entry.

How much does it cost?

The Lotte Christmas Market is the only Christmas market in Seoul that has an entry fee. It’s 2000 KRW per person, but if you purchase entry tickets through the Lotte app, you’ll get one 2000 KRW voucher per person which can be used inside the market.

What is there to do at the Lotte Christmas Market?

The main attraction is definitely the food. There are plenty of food stalls set up with a wide variety of dishes ranging from rotisserie chicken to traditional Korean tteokbokki and holiday highball cocktails. Show up with an appetite because there’s a lot to eat here. For our picks, check out Everything We Ate at the Lotte Christmas Market.

Next up is the shopping. There are toy stores like PlayMobil and Lego for kids but also stores for decoration and holiday clothes. There are only a handful of shops selling goods compared to the food, so it’ll take less than half an hour to see everything in the market.

Along with foods and desserts, there’s plenty to drink! The Suntory booth has highballs including a deliciously sweet and flavorful Christmas highball. There’s also butter beer and eggnog if you want to booze but be festive about it all.

The biggest “attraction” is the carousel located at the back end of the market. It may be on the smaller side, but it’s fully functional and completely free! Of course, you’ll need to register for yet another online queue which will call your number when it’s time. We decided to register right after eating and right before we ordered drinks which was perfect timing for everything!