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 Traveller's Tales: Getting around in Seoul, South Korea
Know the most popular landmarks in Seoul, South Korea. You may read about best transportation, recommended travel itinerary, suggested routes and directions. Also, you might want to read our
Jeju city guide,
and Seoul city guide.
Pages (1 of 9):
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| M Todd |
08 July 2005 |
Stayed at President Seoul, Hotel - Seoul, South Korea.
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We were in Seoul for four days during the week and were surprised at how easy it was to get around by local taxi. There were many around, easily hailed and quite cheap. The dreaded traffic jams were not obvious or they were good at avoiding them. We never did get to go on the subway.
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| A Foo |
28 May 2005 |
Stayed at Hamilton Hotel - Seoul, South Korea.
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Destination to hotel was quite straightforward, abt 80 minutes from the Incheon International Airport, we took the subway to Lotte World and Everland although the latter was a bit of a hassle, having have to take a bus there, wasted abt 1-1/2 hrs. Italian Restaurant at Galleria Shopping Centre was excellent, Hyundai Department Store is a must go. Hard Rock Cafe is a little bit too far away from where we stay so we took the cab there. Most of the time, we got around the city using the subway, very convenient. The system was excellent.
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| C Wong |
29 April 2005 |
Stayed at Hamilton Hotel - Seoul, South Korea.
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Seoul is a sprawling city. But it has a very extensive and efficient subway system that could take one to most places in the city. If you get lost there is always the taxi, which though expensive, offers good and honest service.
Language is a problem as very few Koreans speak English but their helpfulness and honesty put one at ease and more than make up for the inconvenience.
Myeongdong, Namdaemum, Namsan Mountain, Gyongbookgung are the usual places tourist would want to visit but the Korean War Memorial is a must if one wishes to learn about the history of the Japanese colonisation, the second world war and the korean war. Only then would one understand why the Koreans are so united and nationalistic and truly proud of their achievements. For the national servicement, the Memorail also showcases the differnet types of weapons, missiles and war machinery that are used in modern warfare. And the entrance fee is only 3000 won,excellent value for money.
One place that one can miss is the Korean Folk Villlage which survives only because of the free entry given to school children and there are hordes of them around whcih can be quite disturbing with all the noise they make. It showcases the traditional Korean lifestyle and villages of yonders past.
Seoraksan mountain near Sokcho which is 4 hours by bus from Seoul is an interesting place as the cable car ride up to the mountain plus the climb to reach the top is quite refrshing. One can stay at one of the condominiums nearby for US$60 and travel to nearby Sokcho by taxi for food.
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| V Mccormick |
15 April 2005 |
Stayed at Coatel Chereville - Seoul, South Korea.
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Seoul is a safe, interesting city to travel to with many things available to the visitor from cultural sights and museums to sporting events and shopping areas. Public transportation is cheap and easy to follow if you know where you want to go. If not, a city tour can give you an overview about what is available in the city. I've always found the people to be friendly and helpful if you have difficulty. The country of South Korea is a beautiful land with rocky mountains, beautiful seashores and a rich history. I think it is one of the hidden treasures of Asia.
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| C Prosser |
09 April 2005 |
Stayed at Best Western Hotel Dongdaemun - Seoul, South Korea.
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The hotel is in a terrific location and the Airport Limousine Bus 602 will drop you not far from the hotel...just keep walking a look for the gate. The hotel is incredibly accessible to shops, restaurants and the wonderfully efficient and easy to understand subways. We caught a subway (line 1 just across from the hotel) to Gyeongbokgung Palace. The following link shows a brief video, www.seoulsearching.com. Handy Hint: You use the subway underpasses to cross "under" all of the main streets and this is both fun and good for you (interesting shops and loads of stairs).
Second Hint: Wear comfy shoes (and waterproof) shoes if going in Spring/rain - lots of steps abound and puddles.
Third Hint: Look out for cars and motorbikes -They don't want to hit you but the "Seoul" system seems to rely on everyone giving way when necessary.
Fourth Hint: Do take a small umbrella or rainjacket in April.
Fifth Hint: Do try the wonderful Korean food. Everything we had was excellent and spicy.
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| J Witt |
09 March 2005 |
Stayed at Olympia, Hotel - Seoul, South Korea.
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The new Incheon airport is very easy to get around. The KAL limosine bus is 12,00 won but the airport shuttle is only 7,00 won. KAL has better seats. Itaewon can be a good place to get suits made. I have had many made there. Myeong Dong is a very good place for ties. It is connected to the Lotte hotel/department tour.
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| A Finkel |
09 March 2005 |
Stayed at Queen Incheon Airport, Hotel - Seoul, South Korea.
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This is my 7th trip to Korea. Unfortunately, I'm working, sleeping and eating mostly on US military compounds, so I don't get around much.
The Queen hotel where I stayed this trip is in Incheon approx a 10 minute ride from the airport. Nice place in the city, but I was only there overnight prior to another flight to my final destination.
The Seoul Hilton is an awesome 5 star hotel with an incredible buffet. Nice pool and gym on the 2nd floor.
In Seoul the Korean War Museum outside of Yongsan Army base (near Itaewon) is a great place to spend a day or two if you're into history. A DMZ tour and the tunnel trip is a must. Can book through the USO (just off Yongsan Army base).
My favorite bar in Itaewon is Gecko's. Good mix of people from around the world. Good food, nice atmosphere, and pool tables. Nashville, another bar just down the street is okay also. Chinhae is the place to be at the end of March for the Cherry Blossom Festival. Beautiful port town (home of the S. Korean Navy). There's Cherry trees everywhere, and if the weather hits right the entire town is just gorgeous.
Hope this helps.
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| L Chung |
19 February 2005 |
Stayed at Uljiro Co-Op Residence - Seoul, South Korea.
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I recommend that if you are 4 travellers, it is better to take a cab to some popular destination such as Myuedong, Insadong, Itaewon and others. It cost about 3,000 - 4000 won from co-op Residence hotel. If you take subway the ticket is a minimum of 900 won per person. It is also better to take a white cab because it's cheaper starting from 1,600 won however, you have to well prepared to write the destination in Korean words for the cab driver to read because they only understand Korean language. You can get the assistance from the hotel's staff because they are very helpful.
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| C Lu |
29 January 2005 |
Stayed at Uljiro Co-Op Residence - Seoul, South Korea.
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Subway is the best mode of transportation, beat the crowd and cheap. Silver or white taxis are cheaper than the black taxis however unfortunately you always see the black ones near your hotel, so go down main streets to flag the white cabs. Do get hotel receptions to write down your destination/hotels in Korean as most drivers don't understand English, make sure that they on the meters. Do try out the sweet potato ice cream or sweet potato cakes in cafes. There are lots of nice and cozy boutique cafes in Myeong-dong and a good and nicely furnished Italian restaurant below Dunkin Donuts. Items at Major dept stores in downtown Seoul are much more expensive than stalls in Namdaemun and Dongdaemun, however usually these are cash payments only. Alternatively you can try the carrefour dept store at the Seoul world cup stadium at Line 6 world cup station. Items at incheon are much more expensive so be sure to get them at Seoul. Best gifts to buy Kimchi and wallets
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| L Lim |
16 January 2005 |
Stayed at Uljiro Co-Op Residence - Seoul, South Korea.
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We took subway from Dongdaemun stadium station to most areas like Insadong, Itaewon, Namdaemun, COEX. Very easy. Taxis also readily available outside the hotel. Winter temperatures bitterly cold, do not recommend going unless you enjoy subzero temperatures at the outdoor markets, go in summer it will be more relaxing. We had to scurry indoors and plan excursions because it was just way too cold for comfort. Most people only spoke little english, make sure you have hotel names and destinations written down for taxi driver, ditto on food names or bring a phrasebook otherwise you will not be able to order at restaurants without picture menus. Lonely planet is useful.
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