Pathfinder813

Yes, this area is notorious for getting a cab... Even 1-2am is difficult and you'll find that it's hard to get a cab even past 3am. Sometimes it's just easier to walk a bit away from that area to the east to find a cab.

Kat007

Korea was VERY far outside my zone, I totally understand the OP, as I was scared to go there because it would have been so different from everywhere I had been to. BUT - up to today, Korea is my favorite country. From food to people-can`t say enough great things and can`t wait to go back!

I think it`s much better to blend with locals for the best experience, I had a buddy there on a work contract who knew a lot already and had an adventurous nature, we went to local places to eat and sat on a floor (most of the time only two non-Asians), took subway and bus (to East Sokcho and Seorak) like locals do. It was so much fun! But I`d feel awkward to dine alone in a traditional place. So try to meet local people and hung out with them for a while.

Envy you folk who are going to visit Korea!

Ryvyan

I'll be staying in a budget hotel near City Hall station (to the east, near Myeungdong) and thinking of booking a hostel for the other days in the same area, is it actually a convenient spot for history/art museums, shopping and drinking/clubbing in the general sense?

Busy roads in the area? Thinking of getting in a few runs as well.

nme7

I would say it is fairly close to most cultural attractions. Drinking you can do just about anywhere and anytime! Drinking and clubbing areas I am not very familiar with other than Itaewon, Hongdae and Gangnam area.

As for running in the area, I think you can probably stay off the main roads and be fine. I do see quite a few people run along the river.

mosburger

You might want to hike up Mt.Namsan a bit for some of those activities.

There are some rather interesting cultural institutions on it's slopes as well as a few "classic" bars and restaurants with a colourful history and interesting atmosphere. Think Korean hippies as well as some episodes of gangster turf wars etc.

For running, Mt.Namsan is the clear winner. You'd never think of being in the middle of a major metropolis.

And Myeng-dong is full of Korean, Chinese and Japanese shopping tourists. Some of the shops have quality produce, mostly it's depeche mode, fast fashion.

Ryvyan

Thanks all for the information. I'll probably climb Namsan at some point of time, but I'm not good with vertical running May get sick of hills and mountains by the time I'm in Seoul since will be in Busan/Jeju/Gangneung prior.

I'd like more of relatively flat grounds around Hotel Daewon Inn and not stray too far away because I'll be there in November and won't have much in way of warm coverups for post-run walk back to hotel (gets cold easily and running gear more suited for Singapore weather). I just found a mapped run that is along a small river (Cheonggyecheon?) so maybe I'll try that.

Asked about this in other thread as well but might as well take a shot at it here: any day gyms with a treadmill in case it gets too cold for me in Seoul? Or does the Plaza Hotel nearby offer a day rate for their fitness centre?

Thanks all again! I wasn't actually too excited about the trip (main attraction of S. Korea seems to be K.pop and K-dramas, both of which I don't care about, though variety shows are a different story altogether...) but now I'm pumped.

UA1KPHL

Busan is worth a trip.

flipstah

BUMP!

I'm trying to determine my hub within Seoul to travel around in. For a foodie, what are your thoughts on Samcheongdong?

I'm thinking of travel time within the city as well so since I'm dependent on public transportation, I'm also leaning towards Jongno.

Also, how hard is it to get trips to Busan and the DMZ? Is there a KTX pass to purchase for unlimited usage, similar to JR Pass?

nme7

I am not very familiar with Samcheongdong so I don't want to make any assumptions on the area. But it is very close to the Bukchon Hanok Village area. Also the street that goes east from the Gyeongbokgung palace is filled with interesting shops and eateries.

If you want to experience what the locals are eating at night, try popping out of exit #6 of Jongno 3-ga. You will probably smell the bbq going on before coming out the subway exit.

Is there any particular type of food you are looking to try? There are also some nice places around the Gangnam area as well. Garosugil area is also filled with good restaurants and dessert cafes, as well as many many coffee shops. All fun to explore and taste. Deux Cremes in Garosugil is also worth visiting. Found this website that had a review.

As for trip to Busan and DMZ, there is an unlimited pass called KR Pass. More info can be found here.

Some thoughts on the DMZ. Until very recently, the best way to visit the DMZ was to book a tour through various tour group operators. Most of them are able to give you a fairly comprehensive tour of all the different aspects of the DMZ, including the blue meeting room sitting right on the actual border line. However recently, Korail started a train service that goes to the DMZ. It stops at Dorasan station, the last station before entering NK. I found this site that explains more of Korail's DMZ train. Also this site explains how to purchase the "security tour" so you can access the tunnels.

So it appears that with Korail's DMZ train, once you arrive you can catch a bus to the tunnels, but a visit to the blue meeting rooms are not possible yet through Korail's tour. (Someone please correct me if I am wrong.) One of the highlights of my visit to the DMZ was entering the JSA blue meeting room and standing on the NK side.

Lastly, if you are going to take the KTX to Busan, I highly recommend purchasing the first class ticket instead of the regular economy ticket. The different in price is around $20 one-way and it is well worth paying a bit more for a much more spacious and relaxed environment. If traveling alone, you can also specify a single seat so you can have both an window and aisle seat. The downside is that first class seats are not valid using KR Pass. KR Pass also is not valid for the DMZ train. Also the price of a 1-day KR Pass is 66,900 KRW. That is almost the price of a first class KTX ticket Seoul-Busan. First class fares go from 68,900 KRW up to 80,000 depending on the peak time. Weekends cost more typically.

flipstah

Thanks for the great information, nme7!

I'm either considering staying in the Hanok area through AirBnB or going straight for central Seoul in Gangnam or somewhere along that vicinity and getting a chain hotel room. I'm still calculating cost of staying in one spot vs. the externalities of staying in that spot ('cost' of time).

I think I will stop by Jongno at night. I love Korean BBQ.

I'm not a picky eater and my staples are gizzards and intenstines so anju will be my friend. Soju on the other hand, haha. Also a big fan of sweets, so thanks for those recommendations.

The most helpful tip was the KR pass info, Busan, and DMZ. I'll check your links out and research extensively.

My trip is in October and only have 11 days in S. Korea so I'd like to be efficient with my time.

GUN BAE!

Pathfinder813

It's great that you'll be heading to Seoul and spending 11 days in South Korea!

I regularly travel to Korea and these days, I use AirBnb to stay in Seoul. It's a great way to go and saves you a lot of money. Plus, because usually I'm visiting friends and family, I don't really need a hotel.

For food, Samcheongdong has a lot of nice cafes and restaurants. Most of the area, however, is dead before 1 PM. It is however, near all of the palaces, so if your main goal is to do some sightseeing plus some shopping, that might be a good place to stay. It's pretty inaccessible to the subway, however.

Here's how I would do it for Seoul: if you want to sight see, stay north of the Han River, north of Namsan around Jongno or Myeongdong. Staying near Samcheongdong will seriously eat up a lot of your time if you want to go to other parts of Seoul by subway/taxi. There are a lot of buses, and it's getting easier for non-Korean speaking people but it's still a bit dicey I would say. I'm fluent in Korean so I take the buses everywhere but there aren't too many English announcements on the bus (as opposed to the subway where every stop is announced in English), so you really have to know where you're going. Also the destinations posted on the exterior of the bus are all in Korean as well.

If you want to party more and hang with locals, you can stay north of the Han River around Hongdae (Line 2 subway stop) or you can also stay south of the Han River around Gangnam (Line 2 subway stop) or the Garusogil area. Staying near Hongdae might be burdensome on getting to touristy spots though; it'll take probably 30 minutes down Line 2 door to door from where you're staying to a palace.

If you do stay in Gangnam, as others have mentioned, Garusogil has a lot of good places to eat but a lot of it is fusion or Westernized food. This is between the Sinsa and Apgujeong stations on Line 3 (orange). If you want traditional Korean food, there are a lot of places to hit up all over the city. Usually, near subway stations, there are a lot of restaurants so whether you go to Jongno, Gangnam, Apgujeong, Myeongdong, or wherever, you can find some good places to eat.

If you want nightlife, you can just party it up in Hongdae, Shinchon, or various places in Gangnam but the latest trendy spot to go to for Koreans is actually Itaewon. There are a few clubs and swanky lounges now behind the Hamilton Hotel off the Itaewon subways top (Line 6 I think). There are still the dive bars that lots of expats and foreigners go to but now, it's becoming the trendy place for Koreans as well.

As for going to Busan, if you really want to maximize your time, maybe look into flying down to Busan. Air Busan should have cheap flights leaving nearly every hour from Gimpo Airport. You can take the subway via Seoul Station (Airport Line) if your north of the Han River, or the Line 9 subway if you're south of the river. It's really easy to get through security there. You can probably get to the airport 30 minutes before if you aren't checking bags. It's an option to consider. Sometimes one-way fares are as low as 19,000 won and then with taxes and fees it'll be around 30,000 won. Making changes usually is free until 2 or 3 days out and then the fees become something like 5000 won and then 10,000 won. In USD, that's $5.00 or $10.00 change fees (I wish DL would have change fees like that). The most it'll ever be one-way is around 90,000 won and gets to that range about a week to two weeks out for peak times.

Hope this info is helpful and fire away with more questions on the thread if you have any!

flipstah

Thanks, Pathfinder813. If you don't mind, I will pick your brain before my trip starts in October. I did the same thing to a fellow FT'er in the Japan thread and learnt a lot.

From what you stated, it looks like Samcheongdong should be a day trip and not my hub.

I might lean towards Jongno and work my way around. I usually travel to explore and not do touristy things like look at temples all day. No offense but it's not my thing. They're neat though.

Usually I hit one or two touristy things then do my own, let my nose guide my way through and eat away!

Thanks for the heads up on Itaewon and Busan. The KTX is something I'll never do frequently so I'll do that instead of flying. Plus, I like being on a fast train. Flights seem cheap though.

I've been learning the cuisine and pronounciation of dishes like su-oon-dae

relangford

There is good advice in many of the postings above. I don't know if it was answered from the 2012 thread above, but the village near Suwon is the Korea Folk Village and is well worth the day visit. Trips to the DMZ are also interesting for many (I work in the DMZ, so it isn't as exciting for me) - good to see the tensions on the ground as well as the tunnels dug by the north.

Aventine

Noryangjin fish market might be up your alley too. If you like seafood that is.

flipstah

Big fan of seafood. I love where this thread is going!