I supposed to join my husband on his business trip to Seoul
last Autumn but something came up. When he told me that he’s
going to Seoul again this Summer… alright, no more excuses, Az! Just book your ticket, pack your bag and let’s go! We make it happen this
time #semangatnakberjalan although I am fully aware.. it’s Summer!
Actually last June, my husband went to many places. All around the world. So it’s either
Istanbul or Jakarta or Seoul. And of course, I choose Seoul for #seoulsearching
Since I’ve been to Seoul before, this time around I decided
to make my own plan. There’s no proper itinerary, no tour guide, just Free
& Easy and whenever with my husband – we play by ear. As long as we are
covering the main attractions i.e Namsan Tower, Nami Island, Gyeongbokgung
Palace and few shopping places.
Few highlights of the trip…
- The ticket price for the NANTA show at Myeongdong starts from 50,000 won but we took the VIP ticket at 70,000 won per ticket for better seating. The 1.5hrs show is totally worth-watching. The performers are very entertaining, funny, energetic and well-engaging. It was pack with live-action and humor from the beginning. With simple storyline, yet they are super multi-talented.
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Seems like Summer season is more greenery and
aesthetic in Nami Island. Better than my previous visit during end
winter/early spring. The ticketing machine is available at Nami Island Immigration
Ticket Office. The ‘entry visa’ and the return boat ride is at 16,000 per adult.
Apparently, there’s no couple rate as mentioned on the internet.
- Last time I took a bus ride to Namsan Tower or also known as N-Seoul TV Tower. This time, I decided to experience the Namsan Cable Car. Bear in mind that there’s lot of walking uphill (from Myeongdong Station to the tram station) and climbing the staircase. Make sure you are physically prepared! The 1-min tram is FREE. But the 5-mins cable car ride is at 15,000 won per adult for 2-ways. We went there around 4-5pm. We didn't stay long, but I do believe that the night view from the peak must be magnificent. We didn’t take the elevator up to the Observatory and I think the rate is around 15,000 won per pax.
- Entering Gyeongbokgung Palace with Hanbok is FREE! Seriously, you can save 3,000 won of the entrance ticket if you are wearing the full-set of Hanbok. Just go to any rental shops outside the palace (across the street around 30m away), and the Hanbok is available for you to rent around 15,000 won per person up for 2hrs. And luckily, they have a big size of Hanbok for my husband. We went there close to 9am and apparently, we were the 1st person who entered the palace. I'm so blessed we did that because we managed to have good pictures and selfies with less people around and no queue.
And this time, I managed to watch the morning session of Palace Royal Guard Changing Ceremony. The ceremony starts at 10am.
Then, we walked a bit to King Sejong statue and Museum in front of the palace – The Story of King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sunshin. And it’s FREE! If you are K-drama fan and you watched “The Great King, Sejong”, you can understand more on the Creation of Hangeul. The museum is very big, cozy, and pack with interactive games & simulation. And there’s a replica of Turtle Ship too.
- Near to Seoul City Hall, there’s Deoksugung Palace. I was so lucky; it was FREE admission due to Culture Day (last Wednesday of every month) on the day I came. If I’m not mistaken, the admission is around 1,000 won only. The palace is not as big as Gyeongbokgung, but the palace has 9 areas in total. My favorite area is the Junghwajeon area. When I was there, I can feel like I am in Iljimae; my favourite historical K-Drama TV series. Unfortunately, I've missed the guard changing ceremony at 10am that day.
Restaurants we went…
In Myeongdong area
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The best restaurant we went is Mutton BBQ Restaurant
– highly recommended. It was too delicious and I was too hungry, then I forgot to snap the photo of the menu
and the meals. haha
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There are there (3) Busanjib restaurants at
the very same aisle. Which one you prefer? Chicken or Seafood or KBBQ (Beef)? I tried
the Busanjib Chicken on 1st day of arrival. I highly recommend the
Garlic Chicken at 30,000 won per set, and it is suitable for 2-3 pax. We also
tried Busanjib Seafood on the 2nd last day in Seoul. Must try the
Squid Chili (35,000 won) and the seafood chive pancake (20,000 won). The restaurants are opens from 12noon
to 9pm.
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We also tried Kampungku Restaurant, near
to Mutton BBQ Restaurant. Quite cheap compared to another restaurant. The Bulgogi
with rice at 10,000 won only. And the restaurant has a Surau for prayer.
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We heard that Kimseri belongs to
Malaysian. Yeap, they served Halal Malaysian cuisine but not something we are
looking for. We prefer local delicacies, but we still want to support Malaysia
people in Seoul. So, we tried their popiah (spring rolls) at 6,000 won. The
restaurant is near to Myeongdong Station – exit #1. You can try their Ayam
Masak Merah with plain rice at 12,900 won.
In Itaewon area
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My husband was craving for the Fried Chicken, so
we went to Korean Halal Restaurant for the best and cheap Halal Chicken –
most recommended! We also tried their Bulgogi Hansang.
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Another best Bulgogi is at EID Restaurant.
The restaurant is on the same road to Seoul Central Mosque. And they also have
the best topokki ever (for me) because it is a fried topokki. A lot of other Halal restaurants near to EID, such as Itaewon Kitchen and Kervan Cafe.
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There’s a lot of Kebab restaurants in Itaewon. I
went to Taksim Kebab, because it is just in front of the hotel we stayed. The mix (chicken & lamb)
kebab is at 8,900 won.
As in Nami Island, we went to Asian Family Restaurant
Dongmoon for the 13,000 won Fried Chicken Karaage, 15,000 won Bulgogi and
15,000 won Spicy Stir-fried small octopus. The restaurant is quite big, with
nice set-up and nice view, and what I love most is they served free-flow kimchi
(no need to ask the server each time you want to refill, just have it on your
own).
Some tips that might be useful for you…
- Apply for k-ETA before travelling to South Korea for 10,000 won and it’s valid for 3 years
- Public trains are very punctual, safe, reliable, and cheap. Way cheaper if you are using Tmoney card – the card is available for 3,000 won at most convenience store (especially CU or GS25, and you can use the balance credit for shopping at CU or GS25 too), plus the Tmoney has no expiry date. Tmoney card can be use to all train services including A’REX (Airport Express), Seoul Metro, KORAIL etc.. For better travel planning, please download the Seoul Subway apps. It helps you to save time, to use which train line (the interconnection), how far you need to walk, it shows the train fares (so that you can plan in advance how much you want to topup the Tmoney), it shows how many station before you reach your destination and the estimate time arrival. And the best part is the “Realtime” feature. There are lot of English signages at the train stations and inside the coach. Trust me, you won’t get lost.
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At first, we got confused with the location of
the NANTA show. We went to Myeongdong Theatre, but the actual location
is actually at the UNESCO building opposite of the Myeongdong Theatre.
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It’s been 10 years since my previous visit,
right. So, I barely remember which shopping area for which product. Here’s for
my future reference:
o
Myeongdong Street – for skincare and cosmetic
products. I noticed that Olive Young offer cheaper prices that other shops. We
can get some K-pop or K-drama stuff too such as the album, poster, light stick
and the best shop for these items is K-Mecca. This street is more happening at
night with more people and hawker stalls – including some halal stalls such as kebab.
o
Namdaemun Market – The place is really huge,
so look for 2nd floor Daedo Jewelry Wholesale Market for high
quality brooch and women’s accessories. We also bought a high-quality bedsheet set
for my husband’s friend for 200,000 won. And souvenirs also cheaper here; for
example, Korean spoon (5pcs) here at 4,500 won only, whereas at Myeongdong sells
at 10,000 won and Dongdaemon Street sells at 8,000 won. You do the calculation.
o
Plenty of Underground Shopping Center (similar
in Jeju) and it’s everywhere. To name a few - Myeongdong Underground Shopping
Center, Sogong Underground Shopping Center, Dongdaemun Underground Shopping
Center etc etc etc. I bought some idol’s poster, sticker & calendar for my
beloved sister at Myeongdong subway station.
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For me, it’s not worth to go to these places:
o
Dongdaemun area is famous for clothing and all
kind of textile, material, suits, Korean cotton, Korean silk for hanbok etc. and
I guess this area is more suitable for those fashion designer and those who
want to do business. From Kwang Jang Market, DFWM – Dongdaemun Fashion
Wholesale Market, Dongdaemun Shopping Complex, Pyounghwa Market, Dongmun
Market, Dongdaemun Shoes Market, ShinPyungHwa Fashion Town, Nampyeonghwa Market,
Jeil Pyeonghwa Market, up to Kwanghee Fashion Mall… market after market.
o I wasn’t amused with Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), although the building is huge and modern. Or perhaps, my expectation was too high after watching it in someone’s TikTok. To make the things worst, I got lost and confused with the layout and maps. I circled the place for few times (the area is too big to circle for few times) until I finally found the entrance of the Art Hall (it’s quite hidden and we really need to explore the whole building to find the hall). Since I’ve spent a lot of time and walked for thousand steps, I decided to enter the Art Hall for the “Cartier,Crystallization of Time” exhibition for 18,000 won. To make my 'treasure hunting' worth.
o
No wonder the tour guide didn’t bring us to the Cheonggyecheon
Stream 10years ago. The stream looks nice in the K-drama but actually... nothing interesting.
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Things or places I might be going or doing in future:
o
Seoul City Tour Bus available in front of DDP.
20,000 per pax (day tour) 15,000 (night tour)
o
Gapyeong Tour Bus available in front of Gapyeong
Station. Only 8,000 won per day. It includes Petite France and Garden of Morning
Calms etc, but not the admission fees. If I'm not mistaken, the entrance fees around 11,000-12,000 won.
In a nutshell, our total expenses around RM 6,000 only for 2 person. Not bad, huh!
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Air Asia X very cheap during Summer. I spent
only at RM489 per way. But for flight back to KL, I’m taking Malaysia Airlines and
it cost me almost RM 1,400 per way. It’s because my husband is taking Economy
Flex, he upgraded my seat for 70,000 won. But still, it is a good bargain - very comfortable
because the Economy Flex zone is just behind to Business Class.
- For the first few nights, we stayed at the Lotte City Hotel Myeongdong. The cost was covered by my husband’s company due to his official mission. It's a nice hotel, friendly staff, good breakfast, with self-service laundry at 10,000 won and most importantly - a very strategic location where it's really close to subway station and near to Myeongdong street and Dongdaemun. We stayed the remaining nights at Hamilton Itaewon. We got a good rate at RM 455 per night. Not only the subway station in front of the hotel, but there are also Hamilton Shopping Mall, Olive Young, Kebab, and the police station. Luckily our room is on the 8th floor, so we can see the Seoul Central Mosque from my room, and less noise pollution from the bar and pub on the street that opens until 4-5am. For that, I love hotel's initiative when they provides the earplug. And they also provide the phone charger for all types of mobile phone and I like the toilet functions too. But I quite surprise when they charging for swimming pool usage – 11,000 won (weekdays) to 14,000 won (weekend) per person. It's OK to charge for Sauna. But swimming pool??? seriously?
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We spent less than RM 1,000 for meals. However,
we do spend a lot for beverages due to hot weather and because we love to try
their local coffee and other signature drinks. Most recommended café are A Twosome
Place, Paik’s Coffee, Café Deli artisee, and Mega Coffee…
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Travelling using public transportation is cheap. In total, we spent less than RM 200. I still can’t believe I travelled all the way from the airport to
the city on my own, carrying my 10kg luggage. And I noticed that I was the
only foreigner who have done that in every coach I've been.
- Another less than RM 1,000 is for the attractions, admission fees and hanbok rental. The most expensive ones were actually the NANTA show ticket. And the rest are affordable and reasonable.
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