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As mentioned Myeongdong is safe but kinda boring. The historical city center is in Jongno and I'd always recommend staying there for a first visit.
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Sep 20, 2023 09:21
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I asked this in the airfare thread but maybe some local experts would have additional suggestions too:mobby_6kl posted:What are the cheapest routes between Korea and Japan? I want to visit both on one trip and thought there'd be something on a short flight like between like Busan and let's say Hiroshima but I'm not seeing anything. Are there some secret lowcost airlines that aren't available to the dirty foreigners or something?
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Sep 21, 2023 22:41
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Does it have to be a plane? The Beetle ferry between Fukuoka and Busan is like $50.
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Sep 21, 2023 22:48
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That ferry takes forever, so you need a lot of time to save that money. There are some local low cost airlines like JinAir, T’way, Peach, AirBusan, and a few others. They all show up on google’s flight search. You’ll have the easiest time finding cheap flights to Tokyo or Osaka as there are far more on those routes. As for what price is a good deal… yeah $200-250 is pretty normal recently. I’d consider $150 a really good deal. You used to be able to grab them for under $100 and $300 used to be expensive holiday pricing… I guess since the route is so popular lately (lots of tourism between the two due to the falling yen) airlines can charge a bit more?
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Sep 22, 2023 00:03
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Be careful taking that ferry, you might get off in Fukuoka and have a stark realization how much nicer it is than Seoul and then spend the rest of your life there. I know I did.
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Sep 22, 2023 00:40
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A ferry could work too, 3.5 hours is fine, though it limits the itinerary somewhat. I would've wanted to visit both Busan and Fukuoka anyway though. A return trip is at least 24,000JPY though with fees and taxes so not much better than planes. Not the end of the world, I guess I'm just spoiled by European LCCs.Toxic Mental posted:Be careful taking that ferry, you might get off in Fukuoka and have a stark realization how much nicer it is than Seoul and then spend the rest of your life there. I know I did.
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Sep 22, 2023 14:22
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The ferries can be canceled if seas are too choppy, so it's a little bit of a risk. All in all not worth it IMO.
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Sep 22, 2023 16:36
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superm0nk posted:As mentioned Myeongdong is safe but kinda boring. The historical city center is in Jongno and I'd always recommend staying there for a first visit. drat covid really hosed that place up huh
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Oct 19, 2023 20:13
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Bugblatter posted:The ferries can be canceled if seas are too choppy, so it's a little bit of a risk. All in all not worth it IMO. How many days would you suggest spending in Seoul (including for day trips like DMZ or whatever) on a first trip? As I probably mentioned before, I'd be splitting 3 weeks between Korea and Japan and was planning roughly 7/14 split. I have some vouchers for accomodation that I have to use until EOY so I'd just book something now. E: lol can't book poo poo now because Saudia canceled the flights with no replacement, apparently I have to wait for the new schedule due in January 
mobby_6kl fucked around with this message at 16:47 on Dec 23, 2023 |
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Dec 23, 2023 05:18
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I would simply spend 7 days in Seoul, maybe with a few day trips
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Dec 23, 2023 21:32
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Easier to make suggestions if we know a bit about your interests. What do you want to do/see? Seven days in Seoul would bore me, but be great for others.
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Dec 24, 2023 01:39
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Ehh I don't know  I've spent a week in NYC before (twice, years apart) but I travel to the US semi-regularly so it's easier to justify. I think I'd like to see more of Korea - several cities/town, some nature stuff. For example in Taiwan I visited Taipei, Taichung, Khaosing, Haulien, but also Taroko and Kenting parks, and Green Island. I had more time though so obviously something would have to be sacrificed. If I can extend the trip for free once they publish the new schedule maybe I could just work remotely from Seoul for a week while exploring the city, which would make things a lot easier of course.
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Dec 24, 2023 04:10
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You'd probably like getting out to Seoraksan National Park near Sokcho, visiting the historic areas in Gyeongju, and exploring Busan. Gyeongju can be explored in a day (or maybe even an afternoon) on the way to Busan. There's a lot of neat unique neighborhoods along Busan's coast to see, so a couple days could be nice. Sokcho could be a day trip from Seoul, though it would entail a lot of time in a bus. A lot of the other cities are going to feel kind of similar to Seoul and the other nice natural areas require a bit too much time to reach on a short trip. Maybe 2 days to explore Seoul, a day for the DMZ, a day for Seoraksan, a day to hit Gyeongju on the way to Busan, then two days in Busan? Assuming your next destination is available from Busan (If you do Korea first, it's easy to fly anywhere in Japan from there).
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Dec 24, 2023 06:20
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I was just mentioning in the Japan thread that it's been a very long time since I've been to Asia and I've been aching to go back. A very nice SkyMiles deal opened up a few months ago and I nabbed it - direct round-trip ATL to ICN in Delta One Suites. After air travel is all said and done I will have 5 days in Seoul with one day in Japan. I've been reading up a lot on Korea and I've amassed a pretty large list of things to see and do. The majority are things in and around Seoul, but there are some which, because of time/transportation constraints, aren't likely because of their distance from where I will be - such as Beopjusa Temple. I'm not renting a car or anything like that but I do plan to use Uber's partner thing to get around so I'm not going to be strictly on foot. I'll be staying right near the Seoul Museum of Art so my home base will be pretty centrally located and there seem to be a good amount of sights on my list that are in walking distance from there. I am no stranger to travel (23 countries under my belt so far), but I'm definitely a newbie when it comes to Korea. I've read through the great resources in this thread and much of it has been helpful. I guess what I'm looking for is some additional ideas for the non-touristy things to see, since that's typically where I focus my energies on trips. Other tips would be helpful as well, even though I know that's super vague. I'm already set with a cellular plan with AT&T's international day pass, which is what I always use on trips. And first thing I plan to do is hit an ATM to get some walking around money. I plan to use credit cards as much as possible though from what I've seen you're going to have luck with only the larger establishments accepting AmEx. And since I plan to hit plenty of food stalls, cash will be king there. The main thing I'm worried about is adjusting to the time difference. There were some posts here on dealing with jet lag, but honestly I ain't as young as I used to be and it's been over a decade since I've gone anywhere with this significant a time shift. From what I've seen in the various posts, the secret is being up and out and about because you're going to conk out if you're just sitting in your hotel. This is my list: - Gwangjang Market (I ALWAYS hit the local market when I go somewhere new) - Beopjusa Temple (again, not likely due to distance) - Bukchon Hanok Village - Cafe Onion Anguk - Changdeokgung Palace - Gyeonghuigung Palace - Gyeongbokgung Palace - Deoksugung - N Seoul Tower - National Museum of Korea - Starfield Library - Sungnyemun - Dora Observatory/DMZ (Unless someone can offer a super compelling reason to do this despite the JSA tours being suspended, I might skip the DMZ on this trip) - Imjingak Pyeonghoa-Nuri Park (See previous note) - Hongdae Donburi (I mean, yeah it's Japanese food but there's supposed to be good ramen here) - Meerkat Friends (because I want to have coffee with meerkats) - Namiseom Island (questionable due to time/distance) One thing I'm in search of is a good brewery/brewpub. But I'd love any recommendations of things to add OR remove from this list.
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Jan 9, 2024 13:29
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Seoul Gypsy has a nice selection of beers. Magpie is a classic as well. The Ranch Brewing near Euljiro-3-ga is cool too. I didn't get the chance to visit Art Monster but heard good things.
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Jan 9, 2024 14:15
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The starfield library is just a library that happens to be inside a shopping mall. If you're planning on doing shopping in the mall or have other stuff to see in/around COEX then you might as well walk through it but I wouldn't consider it a must-see thing in Seoul.
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Jan 9, 2024 15:04
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vanity slug posted:Seoul Gypsy has a nice selection of beers. Magpie is a classic as well. I saw Magpie a few times in my searches so I went ahead and added that to my list. Seoul Gypsy isn't on Apple Maps (LOL APPLE MAPS SUX) but I found the location in Google Maps and threw a pin on that in Apple Maps as well. I know about the whole map restriction thing as well and I've already downloaded Kakao Maps in case of anything, but I'm hoping I can get by with Apple and Google for the most part, even if it's just street navigation. I won't know what the limitations look like until I'm on the ground in Seoul but I'm definitely curious - and prepared. astr0man posted:The starfield library is just a library that happens to be inside a shopping mall. If you're planning on doing shopping in the mall or have other stuff to see in/around COEX then you might as well walk through it but I wouldn't consider it a must-see thing in Seoul. Yeah I discovered that not long after I found out about the library in the first place. I figure I might need to grab some things at the mall at some point anyway, so I'd stop and check out the library while there. Like you mentioned.  Thank you both for the notes.
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Jan 9, 2024 15:33
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Go to 7.8 Makgeolli in Euljiro, good bar food, great selection of makgeolli. That whole area is cool and fairly close to Gwangjang. I would only do one palace, I haven't been to them in ages but my memory is they're all pretty much the same since they're modern reconstructions.
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Jan 9, 2024 19:22
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Agreed. The palaces in general are basically "here's a big open space". And then the next one is another big open space. Not a whole lot to see.
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Jan 9, 2024 19:33
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Yeah I remember them being mostly empty but I dunno if they've added exhibits or anything.
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Jan 9, 2024 19:40
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Accipiter posted:Yeah I discovered that not long after I found out about the library in the first place. I figure I might need to grab some things at the mall at some point anyway, so I'd stop and check out the library while there. Like you mentioned. There's also a good place in there for fresh Dutch stroopwafels, called De Koning (The King). If you haven't had them fresh before, it's worth a visit: https://place.map.kakao.com/818469839 Also The Sool Company is cool for all your traditional Korean alcohol needs. If they have a tasting going on while you're in Seoul, I'd recommend it: https://thesoolcompany.com/kr/
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Jan 9, 2024 19:58
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vanity slug posted:There's also a good place in there for fresh Dutch stroopwafels, called De Koning (The King). If you haven't had them fresh before, it's worth a visit: https://place.map.kakao.com/818469839 Nice. Thanks for the tips.
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Jan 10, 2024 19:19
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So I finally got to use a Korean word that I've known for a very long time, and it was the first thing I said to a Korean person in Korea.  
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Jan 18, 2024 07:07
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개새끼?
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Jan 18, 2024 11:16
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vanity slug posted:개새끼? I've not had cause to use that. No, my word is 안녕. Right now I'm still in the process of wrestling with the time change. It's a little after 2am and I slept for a lot of the day yesterday.
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Jan 18, 2024 18:18
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Accipiter posted:I've not had cause to use that. Don't 안녕 strangers, you're being rude. 안녕하세요
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Jan 18, 2024 18:23
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Ojjeorago posted:Don't 안녕 strangers, you're being rude. 안녕하세요 It was in response to them saying 안녕 to me. I knew the word so I said it back. 🤷🏻♂️ I've also picked up 감사합니다. Accipiter fucked around with this message at 18:34 on Jan 18, 2024 |
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Jan 18, 2024 18:28
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berate them for being rude to you
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Jan 18, 2024 18:39
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It's fine to say 안녕 to strangers, no one will care
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Jan 18, 2024 19:02
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if you say 안녕 to me i will put you in the loving ground, don't you know i'm older than you and have a crippling soju addiction
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Jan 18, 2024 19:24
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growing out a long rear end beard and dying it white so I only have to learn 반말
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Jan 18, 2024 19:28
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Pentecoastal Elites posted:growing out a long rear end beard and dying it white so I only have to learn 반말 Brilliant
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Jan 19, 2024 01:07
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Grand Fromage posted:Yeah I remember them being mostly empty but I dunno if they've added exhibits or anything. Gyeongbokgung has the palace museum attached so you can get some more context before walking in. It also has the changing of the guard a couple of times a day which is kinda fun, and there are occasional events (last time I went there was a palace-style dining thing where you get served by people in court lady attire) but not nearly as much as there could be. The government's poured tons of money into rebuilding it -- Gwanghwamun gate just got a facelift this year -- but not really doing anything with what they've rebuilt. Changdeokgung is imo the prettier palace though and especially if you hit it during a nice season the tour of the secret garden is very nice. It's also got some original buildings; the colonial Japanese pretty systematically leveled Gyeongbokgung, whereas parts of Changdeokgung were left intact. A royal princess actually kept living there throughout occupation so there are some Joseon buildings with early 20th century fittings, a garage electric lights etc. I'd probably recommend it if you're going to just pick one.
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Jan 19, 2024 05:40
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Koramei posted:Gwanghwamun gate just got a facelift this year -- but not really doing anything with what they've rebuilt. I mean it's essentially a film set that is open to the public sometimes
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Jan 19, 2024 05:58
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Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung are the best palaces imo. They’re also right next to each other (and share the secret garden). Gyeongbokgung I like a lot less.
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Jan 19, 2024 07:56
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Pentecoastal Elites posted:I mean it's essentially a film set that is open to the public sometimes Do they actually shoot on-site at Gyeongbokgung? I thought there were a couple of "Joseon palace" specially-built sets that they use. Maybe there are some that do but I know for the sageuks I've seen in recent years the layouts are a bit different to any of the actual palaces.
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Jan 19, 2024 08:42
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Koramei posted:Do they actually shoot on-site at Gyeongbokgung? I thought there were a couple of "Joseon palace" specially-built sets that they use. My wife worked in the film industry before we met so this info is 10+ years old and might be outdated, but from what I know about it a lot of filming is split between different palace complexes and places like the Mungyeongsaejae set, but if you need a shot of the actual grounds you'll still have to shoot at Gyeongbokgung because there aren't extensive enough replicas. Maybe now it's different with better CGI and composting, but in a lot of the older shows and movies any scene on the Gyeongbokgung grounds in daylight has the same early morning lighting because they needed to film before the complex opened to the public.
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Jan 19, 2024 15:36
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There are a lot of really huge palace sets out in the countryside that serve as tourist theme parks in between shoots and that’s where most filming takes place. But as far as I know, it’s still true that there are still none on the scale (or have certain specific features) of Gyeongbokgung, so even that’s called for it still serves as a filming location. I’ve definitely passed it on the way to early morning hikes and seen film gear trucks with light kit being taken in and out.
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Jan 20, 2024 03:13
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I just saw Korea requires their own stupid K-ETA thing. Is everyone going to require this poo poo now? It's basically a visa that's only a bit less anoying to get 
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Jan 20, 2024 16:12
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It was announced that from April 2023 until Dec 2024, k-eta isn't required for 22 lucky lucky countries announcement here
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Jan 20, 2024 16:32
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