Summer Travel Notes | Four Days and Three Nights Free Travel in Seoul, South Korea

The decision to make this trip was made on the spur of the moment when I had a dinner party with my sister a month ago. The preliminary strategy only reached 7 points, leaving 3 points for surprises and changes. Because I am traveling, I am very motivated to get up early on weekends. I feel sleepy during the flight, but I am always more excited. Overlooking the Incheon area from the plane, the outline of the islands near the sea appears.

It was noon when we arrived at the hotel, and the sun was blazing. There was a direct bus from the airport to the hotel entrance. The driver spoke Japanese to us, and we could roughly understand it in Chinese. The dedicated line journey from the airport to the city takes about 2 hours, crossing the Han River from Incheon from west to east and from south to north.

The hotel we stayed in is near Dongdaemun History and Culture Park. The 18th floor has a large glass window with good lighting. You can watch the light and dark changes of the city scenery, especially the crimson sunset in the evening when the sky is clear; It is a 20-meter walk from the downstairs. There are three subway transfer stations for Lines 2, 4, and 5. There is a shopping mall next to it. There is a night market and an ATM at the entrance of the mall. There is a gourmet restaurant across the road. The hotel has Chinese services. It is very convenient in all aspects.

About shopping.

The primary goal of many people coming to Seoul is not sightseeing, but shopping. The shopping malls throughout the city, with their dazzling array of products, coupled with the influence of Korean dramas and Korean variety shows, will fully stimulate your shopping desire.

The closest building to the hotel where we are staying is Dongdaemun Mall - APM PLACE. It opens at eight o'clock every night and closes at dawn. It only accepts cash payments. It is similar to Qipu Road in Shanghai, but the mall design is brighter, from the 1st to 8th floors. It is all shops, and the 9th to 10th floors are administrative offices. After walking around, I found almost no repetitive styles of clothes. There are a large number of Chinese girls scanning the goods, and the shopkeepers can communicate in simple Chinese. At 11 o'clock in the evening, this place is packed with people. It is a city that never sleeps for shopping. There are late night snack stalls and vendors selling casual clothing at the door.

There are also Doota Mall and duty-free shops nearby. But the largest duty-free shops are basically around Myeongdong. Myeongdong is basically a must-go place for everyone who comes to Seoul. The Chinese Embassy is also nearby, and there are many currency exchange points with very good exchange rates. The duty-free shop here has a wider range of Korean skin care products and other products than at the airport, and the prices are also more favorable. Local brands can be picked up by yourself, while overseas brands need to be picked up at the airport. But shopping is really physical work. After visiting the duty-free shop, the two of them were almost exhausted, so they must never wear high heels to visit the duty-free shop. It is simply self-inflicted. This is crying. Face(ㄒoㄒ).

Sinsa-dong

Sinsa-dong is located in Gangnam District, a five-minute walk from Sinsa Station. The Sinsa-dong Boulevard between Apgujeong Station and Sinsa Subway Station is a business district with many stores to visit. The stores here usually open after 10am or 11am, so the crowds will gradually increase after 11am. There are many local brand flagship stores and many independent designer stores on both sides of the boulevard. The clothing and accessories are very stylish and the overall price is relatively high.

Hongdae

Stores related to the recent drama "Please enter the search term: WWW"

Samcheong-dong

In comparison, shopping in Hongdae and Samcheong-dong is more affordable. There are business districts around Hongdae, and there are also narrow storefronts facing the street. Jewelry stores and clothing stores are lined up in rows. The styles are relatively repetitive and the prices are affordable. Student style. You need to follow your heart when shopping for small shops in the Samcheongdong area. Prices range from high to low, but the emphasis is on style and features.

About attractions

Gyeongbokgung Palace is the most recommended must-see attraction in Seoul. It is equivalent to the status of the Forbidden City in Beijing. Tickets are about 18 yuan per person.

In the Gwanghwamun Square at the entrance, a bronze statue of King Sejong stands tall on the central axis of the square. At 10 a.m., there is a guard changing ceremony at the gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace, and a tour guide at the tourist center will give free Chinese explanations. Before entering the palace, you can also rent Korean clothes nearby, which includes tickets, and you can take photos inside Gyeongbokgung Palace.

The tour guide who explained to us was surnamed Jin. He was small in stature and wore men's tour guide shoes and a wide-brimmed sun hat. His explanation was professional and humorous. Starting from the history of the changes in Gyeongbokgung Palace, he introduced the changes and needs of each palace in different periods. Features to focus on.

Going out from the north gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace, you can directly see the Blue House. To visit the Blue House, you need to make an online reservation one month in advance.

Walk east along the road between Gyeongbokgung Palace and Blue House and you can reach Samcheong-dong on foot.

Samcheongdong is a street with many unique shops. It is also a good place for local couples to go on dates. It often appears in various Korean variety shows and dramas.

Bukchon Hanok Village, connected to Cheongdong, was once the residence of dignitaries. It retains the style of the original Hanok Village. Since Gyeongbokgung Palace did not have a Hanbok experience, we chose to rent traditional Korean clothes here to take pictures.

The girl in the Hanbok rental shop is from Chengdu, where she studies part-time and has to fly for more than 4 hours each time. We talked about local prices and said that fruits in South Korea are very expensive. A larger watermelon costs about 100 yuan.

Another recommended place to check in is Seoul Tower, also known as Namsan Tower. You can walk 500 meters from Myeongdong Subway Station to the cable car entrance. You can purchase a round-trip cable car ticket at one time. Some people also choose to walk. It is said that it takes about 45 minutes to walk up the mountain. Namsan Tower allows you to climb up and overlook the entire city of Seoul. You can go up to the tower in the evening, find a seat by the window, and watch the changes in the bright city night scene from sunset to night.

The Nanshan Tower Plank Road is covered with couple locks with various characters written on them. Even if you don't climb the tower, it is a good choice to overlook the night on the plank road, so it is also very suitable for couples to go on a date. There are Marvel Figure Museum and HELLO KITTY Exhibition Hall nearby. If you are interested, you can go there.

The biggest disadvantage of Nanshan Tower is that there are too many people. Because it is a tourist check-in place, there is a long queue for the cable car down the mountain. 21: After 30, the number of people going up the mountain begins to decrease.

Hongdae is a place where many young people gather, and the atmosphere of youth is oncoming. There were singers and dancers on the street, and their performances were very professional, and they were surrounded by the audience. The surrounding area is densely packed with shops and cafes, and the barbecue restaurants opened by RM members Kim Jong Kook and Ha Ha are right here in Hongdae. The Chinese boy who works at the FILA store in Hongdae is from the Northeast. He is studying here and working part-time, earning the lowest part-time salary in Korea. According to an approximate calculation, the salary is less than 10,000 RMB. Of course, consumption in Seoul is higher than in Shanghai.

At Hongik University subway station, because we were tired from walking, we sat on the chairs opposite the exit and rested for a long time, watching the people coming and going. There are many beautiful girls and boys in Seoul. Summer attire is mostly T-shirts + jeans + sneakers/canvas shoes/sneakers. The most common ones are black T+denim shorts/skirts and beige suspenders/shorts. Sleeves/skirts; Like to wear hats, mainly peaked caps; Most bags are canvas bags; For business people, shirts + trousers are standard; Dressing is related to self-confidence and body shape It doesn't matter, there are a lot of fat people wearing suspenders, but most of them manage their figures very well and have good makeup, so they are pleasing to the eye.

Insa-dong entrance sculpture

Insadong is another business district in Seoul, not far from Gyeongbokgung Palace and Gwanghwamun. The main road is a traditional commercial street with many galleries, traditional craft shops, teahouses, art shops, etc.

The stairs of a circular shopping mall are connected in series by an upward-growing rose sculpture. You can stroll up the slope without feeling tired. Each small shop has its own characteristics. There are many handicraft shops, such as stamp shops, dream catcher shops, jewelry shops, etc. You can spend time shopping carefully. There is an open-air bar and a hidden restaurant on the top floor. cafes.

There is a fountain in Gwanghwamun Square and there are many foreign companies nearby. The scene where Oh Young-joo appeared in the first episode of Heart Signal 2 was shot here. Next to the bronze statue of King Sejong, Lee Kwang-soo was also punished in RM for wearing clothes full of dolls. Walking on the streets of Seoul, you will find many familiar scenes that you have seen on the screen.

Sculpture at the starting point of Cheonggyecheon Stream

Walking south from the main entrance of Gyeongbokgung Palace, you will come to the starting point of Cheonggyecheon Stream. Cheonggyecheon Stream extends to the east of Gwangjang Market. The water in the stream is clear and cold, and many people enjoy the coolness under the bridge. There is a small painting exhibition under the bridge, displaying various works with the theme of Cheonggyecheon Stream.

About diet

The first meal I had in Seoul was barbecue. The store is located near the hotel in Dongdaemun, and it is also a restaurant with high ratings on Dianping. The store is not big, and after lunch in the afternoon, there are few customers in the store. The clerk will help you grill the meat, and the service is attentive. The juice drinks are also delicious. It is worth recommending. The price is about 150 RMB per person.

When we came to Seoul, in addition to barbecue, we also wanted to experience fried chicken and beer, so even though it was 11 o'clock in the evening, we decided to go to a fried chicken and beer restaurant across the street. Unexpectedly, the number of people in the store gradually increased after 11 o'clock. It is conceivable that the nightlife is still rich. Japanese is spoken across the table, English is spoken in the booths inside, Korean is spoken on the back right, and we speak Chinese. Fried chicken and beer for two people, the meal will make your belly swell. This meal cannot be said to be delicious, but more of an experience.

I originally wanted to eat at the highest-rated restaurant near Sinsa-dong, Kim Puk Soon Daguo Restaurant, but after finding it, I found that it was closed on Sundays. Many Chinese tourists searched for it one after another, but were disappointed. When we went there, the door was closed. There have been 2-3 waves.

So, we turned around and chose a restaurant we were passing by. We were mainly attracted by the appearance of the main set meal on the poster at the door. The decoration inside the store is bright and exquisite, and the service looks a bit like Huang Zhilie. The cuisine is more Southeast Asian, but the taste is very good. The store only accepts cash payment, about 90RMB per person.

Near Hongdae, we only went to Kim Jong Kook and Haha's barbecue restaurants. Because we didn't want to continue eating barbecue, we chose a bone soup restaurant with high praise rates, and the average consumption per person was around 90 RMB.

The side dishes are not rich, but the portions are still plenty. The sake is sweet, but it will gradually get to your head as you drink it, making you feel tipsy. Two people shared a bottle without finishing it. The shop owner doesn’t seem to speak Chinese or English, but it doesn’t affect ordering and communication. Pointing is enough. All communication in Seoul is about 40% English + 40% Chinese + 20% Korean words and body language. Done.

On the day we visited Gyeongbokgung Palace, we had not left Gyeongbokgung Palace at lunch time, so we chose to order a sandwich and bread from the nearby Folk Museum to satisfy our hunger. Maybe because we were hungry, we thought it was super delicious. At the same time, this also directly led to the fact that when I arrived at Samcheongdong around 2 pm, I couldn't finish the noodle soup and mung bean pancake I ordered.

Samcheongdong Noodle Soup restaurant has a high rating, affordable prices, and a lot of customers. It is recommended for 2 people, one noodle soup + one mung bean cake, the average price per person is around 70RMB. There are many Northeastern ladies in the store, so communication is very convenient.

One night when I was very hungry without having dinner, I couldn't help but go downstairs and order a bowl of egg ramen at the Dongdaemun Night Market at the door. It tasted good, but it really tasted the same as the Shin Ramen I ordered from JD.com a while ago. . It’s a simple late-night snack experience. There are many Chinese girls around, and some of them go to strangers to exchange cash because they don’t have enough cash. You can also directly use UnionPay debit card to exchange currency at the ATM machine next to it. The exchange rate is relatively low. The handling fee for exchanging 50,000 Korean won is about 15 yuan.

The Gwangjang Market we went to on the last day is also a must-check-in place in Seoul. There is a cloth wholesale market, kitchenware market, fruit market, etc. The most famous one is the food market. Many variety shows have been filmed here.

It’s around ten o’clock in the morning, and there are already a lot of people there. The most famous snacks are poison kimbap, fried rice cakes, spicy chicken feet (actually on the sweet side), live octopus, and mung bean pancakes. Every store sells similar items, and the prices are basically the same. The average person eats 60 yuan and is no longer able to eat anymore.

At the door is the restaurant that the Chinese Running Man went to when he went to record the show. Many stores in the market will hang pictures of artists recording shows as a promotion. Chatting with the shop owner, he said that everyone knows about Yoo Jae Suk and that he is really popular in Korea.

In addition, there are so many coffee shops in Seoul, it feels like there is one every 100 meters. We checked in for Americano coffee at the cafe at the exit of Sinnonyan subway station where the RM couple met on Monday. There is a small coffee shop near the entrance of Gwangjang Market. Many locals go there and the walls are covered with photos.

The last meal in Seoul was the samgyetang set meal and Korean kimchi set meal ordered at the airport. They tasted very good and cost about 80 RMB per person. They were no different from the catering standards in the city.

other

The overall consumption level in Seoul is relatively high. Drinks in convenience stores generally cost 3,000 won per bottle, which is about 18 yuan. Travel T-Money cards can be purchased at convenience stores, and the remaining balance can be refunded at the convenience store with a handling fee of 500 won. It can be used to take subways and buses. However, T-Money cards cannot be used for the airport express line, and tickets need to be purchased separately.

Alipay and credit cards are accepted in many stores, but sufficient cash is also required. The entire city has a rich nightlife, and shops open late in the morning. During the trip, someone in the group asked me to go to Itaewon to dance at the disco. Heart Signal 2 Guys 4 Kim Hyun Woo’s restaurant opened near Itaewon. That area is a place I didn’t visit during this trip, so I’ll save it for next time.

Phone cards can be ordered in advance on Taobao, and a conversion plug is usually provided, and hotels usually provide them for free. It will be much cheaper to book flight and wine in advance. The average flight and wine cost for two people on this trip is 2800 + food 600 + transportation 80. The rest is for entertainment and shopping, for your reference.