Less than 48 hours to visit Seoul, capital of the “Land of the Morning Calm”.
Activities#
Exploring around the neighbourhoods we’d already scoped out:
- Insa-dong
- Samseong-dong
- Cheonggyecheon Stream
- Jongmyo Temple
- Jogye Temple
- Gwanghwamun
- Namdemun
- Dongdaemun
- Gwangjang Market
Other standout spots:
- Myeong-dong, basically a shopping area
- Yeoudi-do, a park on a small island in the river, right inside a business district
- Jamsil, for its little lake near a theme park, the country’s tallest tower for a panoramic sweep over Seoul, the shopping strips, and the Olympic Park a bit further away
- Itaewon, the foreigners’ neighbourhood. Loads of international restaurants you won’t find elsewhere.
- Leeum Museum nearby
- Seoul Forest, a park when you need a break from the city
- Gangnam, business hub with tons of restaurants
- Bongeunsa Temple
- COEX, halfway between a shopping mall and a business complex
- Seodaemun Prison, a blunt reminder of Japanese occupation and how far it went
Korean dishes#
- Bibimbap
- Samgyetang
- Dakgalbi
- Jjimdak
- Bulgogi
- Kimbap
- Sushi / sashimi (hwae)
- Barbecue eats like samgyeopsal
Craft beers#
- Neighbourhood: Yongsan-dong / Itaewon-dong border (subway: Noksapyeong)
- Neighbourhood: Nogosan-dong (subway: Sinchon)
- Neighbourhood: Banpo-dong (subway: Sinbanpo)
- Neighbourhood: near Changdeokgung
- Seoul Gipsy Hannam Taproom (neighbourhood: Itaewon-dong, subway: Hangangjin)
- Neighbourhood: Yongsan-dong / Itaewon-dong border (subway: Noksapyeong)
Other breweries:
- Art Monster (Seoul, near Changdeokgung)
- Ggeek Beer Company (Seoul, Euljiro subway)
- Playground Brewery (Incheon)
- Gorilla Brewing (Busan)
The trip#
- Brussels–Warsaw and Warsaw–Seoul flights operated by LOT
- Land in Seoul around 6:30 a.m.
- If you’re exempt from K-ETA you still need to fill in the traveller arrival card
- Skip it if you have K-ETA or a residence card
- Immigration checks
- You can swap a bit of cash right after customs for buying a T-Money card
- Follow the Airport Railroad signs down to level B1
- T-Money top-ups need cash
- You can buy a loaded T-Money card on the express train to Seoul (AREX)
- Plenty of machines to grab an express ticket into Seoul
- Or catch a non-direct train—way cheaper
- Arrival at Seoul Station. Bought a T-Money card (₩4,000)
- Seoullo 7017 is Seoul’s answer to Paris’s Coulée verte or New York’s High Line
- Swapped won back to euros at Money Box
- Loaded the T-Money card with ₩20,000
- ₩1,400 each ride
- Tap in and tap out at the subway gates
- Hotel 28 in Myeong-dong
