Planning a Seoul itinerary

NeonCookies

Hey all,

So, my bf and I are going to be visiting Seoul next month. We only have a very short stay, and we want to pack in as much as possible (we're young, and don't want a 'holiday' i.e. relaxing, but more to see as much as we can) Not interested in shopping apart from a few small souvenirs as after a year in Tokyo, our baggage limit is tough enough to stick to!

We'll arrive early Saturday evening, have Sunday and Monday completely free, and Tuesday evening free (full day tour to the DMZ booked on Tuesday during the day), before leaving on Wednesday. So we have two evenings, and two full days to fill. We're staying near Hongik University station on Subway Line 2.

IDEALLY these are the things I've found so far that we'd like to visit:

Gyeongbokgung
Bukchon Hanok Village
Changdeokung
Seodaemun prison
Seoul Museum of History
War Memorial and Museum (heard this takes 3 hours to see everything)
One of the markets? Namdaemun Market / Seoul Folk Flea Market

If anyone's been to Seoul is there anything else you'd recommend to see? And how would you organize this itinerary so it 'flows' pretty smoothly (don't want to be doubling back on ourselves during the day etc.)

Any other advice e.g. restaurants (not too expensive) and areas to try good street food would be very much appreciated too. I've also heard of Jjimjilbang - would it be worth visiting one of these (bearing in mind we've tried Japanese hot springs here).

Thank you in advance for any advice - really excited about our trip!

Lexe

Hey!

I hope you guys love Seoul, it's a great city.

Out of your itinerary above, I'd say if you are short of time you could drop one of the palaces. Once you've seen one then I'm sure it's necessary to see another if you're stuck for time.

You're staying in the best area in my opinion. Hongdae (Hongik Uni subway stop) is full of students, really lively, great shopping and the best nightlife. If you're looking for a bit of fun in Hongdae there is a Trick Eye Museum which is a good laugh, get some good pics too. 13,000won. Hongdae would be a good place for you and your bf to go out for a drink as well, make sure you talk to the locals they are super friendly, probably mostly drunk on soju ;-) You can also catch a local band around this area, here's a good website for what's going on: http://chincha.co.uk/

One thing not on your list is Namsan Tower. It might not be everyone's cup of tea but it's basically a tower on top of the mountain overlooking the city, great view at night. I thought it was pretty cool when I was a newbie in Seoul.

Jimjilbangs are pretty cool too, there's one at Yongsan Station called Dragon Spa. Initially it's one of those mad cultural experiences, everyone's in the nip, but I actually go all the time now and don't pass any remarks at all. You can get good massages or scrubs (20,000-40,000w). It's around 10,000 to get into Dragon Spa, a bit more expensive than most but it is really nice.

If you get tired of sightseeing, in the evening you could check out a baseball game, Koreans are mad for baseball and it's an experience going to a game. Great fun and you can bring in your food and booze.

And lastly I'm glad to see the DMZ tour is in there, it's an absolute must see.

If you've any specific questions just ask. Have fun

NeonCookies

Thanks so much for that information Lexe!

Yea, I was thinking that about the palaces - if I were to only choose one, which one would you recommend?

I'm happy you think the area is good to stay in - I wasn't too sure and was afraid we'd chosen a bad area. Going out for a drink and finding a local band sounds like a great plan for the Saturday night when we arrive. Luckily, we're only flying from Tokyo so we won't be too tired! The Trick Eye museum sounds fun - how long did it take you to get around it?

I read about Namsan Tower but left it out purely because of time restraints,and also because we recently went to Tokyo Skytree which was amazing - but thought it'd be more of the same? Do you think it'd be worth it? I read it's open late anyway though, so always an option if we get a bit bored some evening

I loved the hot springs here, so if I get time I'll check out Dragon Spa. It sounds like a lot of fun - and the perfect way to relax after walking around all day!

A baseball game would be great fun! Do you know if there'll be games when we're there (February 23rd-27th) I had a look online and the Doosan Bears aren't playing according to their website. Does this mean the baseball season isn't on?

Finally, do you have any recommendations for food? Any must-trys? Or restaurant recommendations? Looking forward to trying some street food too!

Ohhhh now I'm wishing we had more time in Korea haha. Thanks again for the advice

Lexe

hmm out of the 2 palaces I don't know which one to recommend, I don't remember them too distinctly actually, it's been a while!

The Trick Eye Museum would prob take around 1hr30 mins, we stayed longer because there are some little ornaments you can color in around the coffee area, sounds childish but you may see what I mean if you go there. Check out the directions before hand or use GPS, it's a bit tricky to find.

If you've been to Skytree then yea Namsam Tower is probably more of the same.

The food in Korea is really excellent and the majority of restaurants are really good, there is a huge restaurant culture so I don't know if I'd recommend one in particular plus it can also be really hard to find places, you'll see when you get there. No point walking around for an hour when there's a million good restaurants right beside you. Here's some recommendations:
Samgyupsal (bbq pork) is a real hit with foreigners.
Dakgalbi is delish. It's a spicy stir fried chicken meal. Ask for rice at the end, they'll fry it on the pan for you, so good.
Galbi (another BBQ style restaurant, mostly beef.) Order a bottle of soju for the real experience ;-)

There's a ton of stew/soup type dishes. Galbi-tang, Samgye-tang, Gamja-tang, Daktori tang, they are all really good and warm you up well in the cold.

As for lunch type food/lighter dishes you can try bibimbap. Its a mixed rice and veg dish, another popular dish with foreigners. Mandu (dumplings). Ramyeon (noodles) bulgogi (beef stew). You don't need to order kimchi ever, no matter what you will get some with anything you order!

Yup you're right the baseball season doesn't start until later. Here's a good website for events: http://www.korea4expats.com/Entertainment-event-korea.html
For ex. a kpop concert or there's an ongoing Tim Burton Exhibition until April.

red_bairn

Go to Gyeongbokgung Palace. I think this is the main palace. It's right infront of the American and Korean embassies.

There is also a Tour Bus stop nearby (Dunkin Doughnuts) where you can purchase a day travel pass around a load of major sights. I'd highly recommend buying that to get around to all your sightseeing venues you mentioned above.

Nearby go to the restaurants at Insadong.

"Insadong-gil, a street famous for its traditional attractions, including galleries, souvenir shops, and restaurants, is accessible directly from Jongno (Jongno 3-ga)."

I would also recommend Namsam Tower due to the section for the lovers lock section and the awesome romantic sights...maybe journey up at sunset.

lc180

NeonCookies wrote: »

Hey all,



We'll arrive early Saturday evening, have Sunday and Monday completely free, and Tuesday evening free (full day tour to the DMZ booked on Tuesday during the day), before leaving on Wednesday. So we have two evenings, and two full days to fill. We're staying near Hongik University station on Subway Line 2.

Hi OP, sorry to bump a somewhat old thread but I'm just wondering who you booked your DMZ tour with and would you recommend the company?

Thanks!

NeonCookies

lc180 wrote: »

Hi OP, sorry to bump a somewhat old thread but I'm just wondering who you booked your DMZ tour with and would you recommend the company?

Thanks!

Booked with Seoul City Tour, it cost 270,000 won for both of us and included lunch and they picked us up from our guesthouse! Would recommend them, had a great day and brilliant memories :-)