2017 was one of the best years of my life as it opened lots of doors and offered lots of flights for me. Last July, I had the privilege to visit one of the top tourist destinations in East Asia together with five of my IE friends.
Seoul, South Korea has been our squad's ultimate goal after graduating in college. We wanted to experience Korean's way of life and also the country, as it entails very promising sceneries and culture.
I will be sharing with you my travel experience in the beautiful city of Seoul and also our 6days/5nights itinerary and some tips that might help you plan your visit to Seoul in the near future.
Day 0 - Pre-departure
If you're a tourist, it is important to check the requirements of your destination prior to booking of flights or departure. South Korean embassy requires Visa upon arrival and we applied and got our Visa's approved a month prior to our flight. Tip: Visa application can be done through a 3rd party processor or agent since Korean embassy in the Philippines doesn't require personal appearance from the applicant. For Visa requirements and trusted agency for visa application (thepoortraveler), I have provided a link at the bottom of this post.
Day 1 - Travel and Arrival in South Korea
We arrived at Incheon International Airport (IIA) around 10 in the evening. It was my first time to fly solo on an international flight since my flight is from Cebu while my friend's flight (Janine and Lux) is via Manila (All thanks to Cebu Pacific's Seat Sale - I aced Cagayan de Oro to Incheon Round-Trip tickets with 15kg baggage allowance for just Php9,071.94!!). Tip: Booking your trip months prior to your prefered departure is an advantage. If you are persistent in checking cheap flights during seat sales (like me), you will be getting cheaper domestic and international flights.
From the left: Janine, Me, Lux
After our meet up at the airport, we took a regular train ride since we were not able to catch the last trip of KTX (Korea Train Express - high-speed train) going to Seoul. After that, we transferred from Seoul station to Myeong-dong and checked-in in our accommodation and grabbed late dinner at a nearby fried chicken place (Korean Style!!) - Two two Chicken. Tip: If you want to experience the best of everything in Seoul, try looking for an accommodation near Myeong-dong through Airbnb. Our host, Bosco, has numbers of property in the area for bookings and reservations. I have provided the link to the hostel at the bottom of this post.
Day 2 - Koreanovela Fans On The Loose!
While Andre, Isza, and Junrie are on their way to Seoul, these three koreanovela fanatics made their way to some filming locations of top Korean series. Our Koreaboo hearts pumped a little bit faster as we hopped on bus, train, and walked our way to three filiming spots.
Deoksung Women’s University, Seoul, South Korea.
We went to the famous Bok Chicken restaurant near Kookmin University, Unhyeongung Palace where some of Princess Hours scenes were taken and to the house of my most favorite Koreanovela - Goblin. I can't contain the happiness that I felt while posing for a photo outside the famous house. *Oops!This building is part of the University's Admin. Only the facade and door was used in their scenes"
After satisfying our fanatic hearts, we made our way to Ewha University to check the famous underground library with beautiful stairs and facade. This really is probably one of the books for me! It made me feel like I am really out of the country! Haha!
Day 3 - Everland Resort
Left to Right: Junrie, Lux, Me, Isza, Andre, and Janine (Photo from Andre)
We booked a package in Klook for our Everland Resort Day Tour. Tip: Klook offers you the best and the most affordable activity, transportation, Wi-Fi, and other packages! We have been using Klook every time we go outside the country and it never failed me since 2016. Aside from their package, they are also throwing out discounts from time to time. Easy transaction, fewer worries!
Everland resort is South Korea's Largest Theme Park in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea and is owned and operated by Samsung Everland. Everland is a theme park showcasing Carribean Bay (Wild River, Sea Wave, Aquatic Center, Fotress, Bayslide), Everland Speedway, Home Bridge, Glen Rose Garden, Art Museum, Transport Museum, and its top attraction - Everland (Zoolandia, Global Fair, Magic Land, Roller Coasters).
*Source: Wikipedia
Our first stop in Everland is its T Express ride - World's Fourth Steepest wooden roller coaster! I am not really into rides but I had no choice but to go with them and not miss the chance of falling joke! Haha! It was nerve-wracking and blood draining ride and I swear I will not do it again, ever!
This is probably one of my favourites here in Everland. We toured around its safari world where we saw Bengal Tigers, Exotic birds, Jaguars, Giraffes, and other animals that can be found in Safari. I was amazed when our ride was suddenly crossing the river and it changed its road wheels into floating ones.
We ended the day watching Everland's night show and beautiful performance and pyromusical.
Day 4 - National Museum of Korea
Our day 4 was supposedly intended for our palace hopping and Hanbok wearing but the weather was not good so we decided to visit their local museum instead. Inside this museum are relics of royal families under Joseong Dynasty. One of the highlights of our visit there was a room full of clothes and jewellery used for gift wrapping. Gift wrapping in Joseon Dynasty is a very particular tradition and as what I have read, they have one person in the house where its only job is to prepare and do the gift wrapping. The museum is just inside the Gyeongbokgung Palace.
Day 5 - Nami Island and Petit France
Once again, we booked our Petit France and Nami Island Day Tour Package in Klook. Our first stop was Petit France in Gyeonggi Province, around 2 hours away from Seoul. We experienced this French-style themed park on a cloudy morning but it did not affect the beauty that you will see 360 degrees once you step foot inside the park - from old houses, museums, brick floors, and sloping roofs. We also got to witness a fun puppet show from their local puppeteer.
After that, we travelled around 1 hour to reach the port going to Nami Island and spent around 2 hours walking around the whole Island. Nami Island is famous for their luscious redwood trees. It is best experienced during Winter and Autumn. July 's season is summer and during summer, all leaves turn to color green.
It wasn't that late when we reached our hostel so we decided to go out and visit N-Tower. Our hostel is in between Myeongdong and Namsan so it wasn't difficult for us to go up to the tower after having a long day travelling.
Day 6 - Gyeongbokgung Palace, Bukchon Hanbok Village (Hanbok Experience)
We spent our last day in Seoul by wearing their traditional dress (Hanbok) and roaming around Gyeongbokgung Palace and the nearby Bukchhon Hanbok Village. Tip: There is an entrance fee if you want to visit different palace in Seoul but if you are wearing Hanbok, entrace will be free!! We got our Hanbok in Insa-dong, where lots of Hanbok rental botiques are located. We spent around Php500 for the 4-hours rental.
Bunchok Hanbok Village showcases old traditional houses that were built during Joseon Dynasty. The village is just beside the Gyeongbokgung Palace and many tourists go to this place for some photo ops on their rented Hanbok.
End of Tour
We ended our trip on the rooftop of our hostel. We spent some time catching up and sharing some photos taken during our stay in Korea. We had a great stay in the beautiful country even if it's the least visited season (Summer), and we hope to visit Seoul again soon during Winter or Autumn.
Thank you so much for reading! I hope you got something to take with you when you visit South Korea soon! ♥
- All photos presented in this post are taken by the author, no photos shall be used without the author's permission
- How to Apply Korean Tourist Visa and Accredited Agency: Thepoortraveler
- Cebu Pacific Website: Cebu Pacific
- Namsan Hostel 1: Airbnb
- Everland Package: Klook
- Petit France and Nami Island Package: Klook
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