Tips on Travelling in Seoul
Seoul is a city where it’s famous for its food, shopping, touristy places, culture, music, kdramas and more! Here are the 15 Tips that I have accumulated and listed down after visiting Seoul in November 2015.
1. Don’t be afraid to ask local Koreans, especially those who are around their teens and 20′s, questions for directions if you don’t know the directions to go to places that you want to go. They most likely will understand English, Mandarin and maybe Japanese (I won’t guarantee that they will understand those three at once though).
2. Use Seoul’s Subway Station for transportation because it is the cheapest transport to go around Seoul. Taxis are cheap in Seoul as well.
3. Here are the places where you can shop for certain things and hang-out:
Myeongdong- Makeup, Skin care and beauty related stuff.
Hongdae- Coffee places, cafes and little restaurants.
Ehwa’s Women University and Dongdaemun- Clothes, clothing items, fashion and accessories.
Gangnam- Clothes, makeup, beauty related stuff, skin care, coffee places (some people claim that it’s Seoul’s ‘hipster’ street)
4. You can only claim your tax refund if you spend 30,000KRW and more in certain beauty stores (mainly in Myeongdong, they provide tax refunds, some shops outside of Myeongdong don’t).
5. You can claim your tax refund in Myeongdong.
6. Sometimes, some cashiers wouldn’t know if you want a tax refund so you’ll have to ask for it if you have spent 30,000KRW or more. Just say ‘Tax Refund’, they’ll understand it. You will receive envelopes (with your receipts) that look like this:
7. You can also claim your tax refund at the Incheon International Airport after checking in. Just hand in your envelopes that contain your receipts in the ‘Tax Refund’ counter that has an orange sign.
8. Instead of staying at a budget hotel in Seoul that costs like $100+ per night, go to airbnb.com (which is a homestay website) and rent a whole apartment or studio for more than one night that can cost less than $90 per night and most of them have washing machines, kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms, heaters, air-conditioners, better Wi-Fi connection, etc. If you’re really on a tight budget and anything above $30 per night is expensive for you, definitely try couchsurfing.com. What’s that? Basically you stay over at someone’s house for free but you’re most likely sleeping on a couch instead of a bed. It’s safe, free and you can interact with them.
9. Keep in mind that not all Korean public toilets have those ‘squatty pots’. They also have the common toilet bowls so don’t be worried.
10. Definitely check out Seoul’s street foods especially in Myeongdong. Seoul is also famous for their chicken skewers that are very cheap in food stalls around the streets. Not only that, try eating their 32cm ice-cream, jipangyi ice-cream, ddeokbokki (spicy rice cakes), egg cakes, fish cakes, goldfish bread with sweet red bean paste, etc. They’re all really delicious.
11. For meals, definitely try out their chim-ddak (chicken and transparent chewy noodles), samgyeopsal (Korean Barbecue), Kimbap (similar to sushi, but all their ingredients are cooked and the size of kimbap is bigger than sushi and more affordable), jjangjjangmyeon (black bean paste noodles), pajeon (Korean savoury pancakes), bibimbap, etc.
12. You can use your debit or credit card in Seoul, but only in those walk-in shops that are air-conditioned (mostly selling clothes, beauty products, electronic devices, stationery, groceries, convenient stores, etc.). Do bring the Korean currency i cash with you because there are some Korean stores that don’t accept cards. Remember to convert your currency to the Korean currency before coming to Seoul.
13. You don’t need to buy a mobile data plan (if you’re just travelling in Seoul) because in Seoul, there’s literally Wi-Fi everywhere and they’re mostly unlocked and don’t require a password to use it.
14. If you want to go to those touristy places, try going to the Gyeongbokgung Palace, Bukchon Hanok Village and if you’re adventurous, try going for a ski. Korea is also famous for skiing during the winter time.
15. When shopping, even if the cashier gives you a ton of free beauty samples, keep asking for more. Some are not even hesitant to give you more free samples because that would make them earn more money if you come back to buy the full-sized version.
That’s all for today! I hope you guys enjoyed this post. :)
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