About Seoul (South Korea)
Information | Shopping | Eating Out | Nightlife | Places of interest
With over ten million people, Seoul is South Korea's largest city and one of the most populous cities in the world. When you arrive make sure you have filled out all the necessary documentation as failure could result in an heated exchange with the customs which could see you getting fined.
Several choices available for transportation in Seoul: taxis, buses, and the subway. The subway, with eight lines, covers the entire area of Seoul including surrounding areas. Subway trains arrive on average about every five minutes, although during rush hour you can expect one to arrive about every two minutes. Service is available from 5:30 a.m. to 12 a.m. on most lines. Subway signs are generally in Korean and English, but keeping a small subway map makes it much easier to get around. Prices are very cheap approx 500-1000 depending on your journey. It's a good idea to avoid the rush hour, which is from 7 - 9 in the morning and from 4 - 7 in the evening. Buses can be very confusing to a foreigner, so better to avoid them. Taxis are more expensive, however relatively inexpensive in comparison to other major cities and can be quicker to get from A-Z depending on the traffic.
Rodeo Street is not far from the crew hotel (Dubai Based). Koreans usually chill out in the area. There are many cafes with unique interior design, as well as many Korean, Thai and Japanese restaurants. Beauty clinics are clustered on the streets and due to this atmosphere, Rodeo Street attracts many youngsters.
Recently, many theaters have moved from Chungmuro to the vicinity of ‘Rodeo Street’, and is emerging into a new theater space as well. Along with the opening of Multi-Plex Cine-City, more theaters such as Cinehouse, Cineplus, and Nanta Theater and If you get lucky, you may meet famous Korean celebrities here. Little more expensive compared to other areas.
At Exit No. 1 of Apgujeong Subway Station (Seoul Subway Line 3), walk 10 minutes, (Hanyang Apt. & Galleria Department Store area).
Taxi 10-15mins from crew hotel (Dubai Based)
Insa-dong art and antique district has dozens of art galleries and shops selling art supplies, antiques, and handicrafts along one main street (Insadong-gil) and many side alleys. Excellent place to find Korean traditional goods, it also contains many traditional tea and coffee shops. Explore the side alleys for the best ones. On weekends, the main street is blocked to traffic, allowing the throngs of people to mingle without fear of being run down.
Subway line 1, Jonggak Station, exit 3
Subway line 5, Jongno 3 (sam)-ga Station, exit 1
COEX Mall leisure complex in the heart of Seoul the area contains over 85,000 square meters of underground dining, shopping, and family entertainment facilities. Offers everything from international foods to the latest books and CDs
16-screen cinema complex, an aquarium, game rooms and a disco, the COEX Mall provides leisure activities for all ages.
Subway line 2, Samseong Station, exits 5 & 6
Myeong-dong is Korea's trendiest shopping area, plenty of shops including many department stores selling clothes, shoes, handbags, accessories, and cosmetics. Explore and you will come across good quality inexpensive items. Day or night, young people always crowd into the numerous restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, and night clubs in the area. This area also has an annual street festival.
Subway line 4, Myeong-dong Station
Dongdaemun Market is located near its namesake of Dongdaemun (Great East Gate). Korea's largest wholesale and retail shopping district, open 24hrs this is the place to find the cheapest prices in all Korea. 26 shopping malls, 30,000 specialty shops, and 50,000 manufacturers. Within the ten blocks of the market area, you can find silks, clothes, shoes, sporting goods, plumbing and electrical supplies, electronics, office supplies, toys and just about everything else imaginable. Be warned it can be very crowded.
Doosan Tower and Migliore, hottest shopping areas for college students and the young. Here you can find the latest clothing, shoes, bags, colored wigs, CDs, inexpensive jewelry, and other fashion accessories. Many young designers have opened up their own stores, so you are sure to find weird and wonderful one offs.
Subway lines 1 & 4, Dongdaemun Station; or Subway lines 2 &, 4, Dongdaemun Stadium Station and 10 minutes towards Cheonggye 5
Want something electrical? Then head for Techno Mart which is a 38-story building, of which seven floors are devoted to the electronics. It is the second biggest electronics market in Seoul after Yongsan and the largest contained in a single building. Techno Mart’s biggest advantage is its convenient and pleasant shopping atmosphere. Each floor is devoted to a different type of product such as domestic electronics, imports, communications equipment and computers. The stores are arranged in the style of a department store, which makes shopping easy and convenient.
Open 10am - 8pm
Exit No. 1 and No. 2 of Gangbyeon Subway Station (Seoul Subway Line No. 2) are connected to B1 Floor of Techno Mart.
Seoul has so many great eating places as Koreans love to eat, some of their famous dishes is Sam-Kyeob-Sal (porkbelly), Bul-Go-Ki which is pork or beef marinated.
Try the street food if you feel brave enough. DDeok-Bok-Ki, spicy rice cake with fish ball very popular with the locals. Ho-DDeok, Korean sweet pan cake very popular during the colder months.
Seoul is city that boasts of a vibrant nightlife, however it can be very expensive with cover charges. Some of the best nightclubs are listed below.
JJ Mahoney's at the Hayatt Hotel is 'the' place to be seen. The drinks are outrageously overpriced so if you`re out with a group of aircrew colleagues, then buy a bottle as it works out alot cheaper.
The "NB" in Seoul's Club NB stands for "noise basement." The popular hip hop dance club, in the Gangnam area. The cover charge is approx 15,000 won.
A trip to a night club in a hotel or other up scale club will set you back a minimum of W100,000 for a table, going to a rock cafe will only cost about half as much. Korean clubs expect you to buy a minimum amount of drinks and food when you sit at a table. If you want to dance cheaply, it is much better to frequent clubs near U.S. military installations which just charge you for what you drink.
Soju (a potato-based liquor) and makgeolli and dongdongju (rice-based liquors) are popular among Koreans, usually drunk while eating anju (finger food side dishes, such as peanuts, popcorn, or dried squid and fish).
Juicy Bars found near U.S. military camps. These cater mostly to foreigners, with clients buying overpriced drinks (8,000- 10,000 won or more for a drink that usually contains little or no alcohol) for the girls.
Itaewon is very popular and attracts thousands of foreign shoppers. The area has a vibrant night life scene with many bars and nightclubs. Many street vendors selling shirts, jackets, and caps (can find fake items as well) also stay up late to cater to nocturnal shoppers. Most vendors speak some English and Japanese, and most will take Won, Dollars, or Yen for transactions.
The Hongdae area is one of the most popular night life spots for Koreans and foreigners. The area has a thriving underground music, with many clubs showcasing live bands on weekends. Mostly HipHop, House etc is played in the clubs with lots of karoke bars as well.
Subway line 2, Hongik University Station
Gangnam is one of the busiest areas of Seoul. One main reason is that the subway station is at the junction of the green (#2) and blue (#4) lines, making it a convenient meeting place from almost any place in Seoul. Huge area which is crowded most of the time with many of the beer halls and clubs staying open until 2:00 or 4:00 a.m. A few of the restaurants also stay open 24 hours. (Note this is the area that the crew hotel is DXB)
Subway line 2 & 4.
Very close to the crew hotel (Dubai Based) walking distance 10-15min
Jjim Jil Bang If you go you will be surprised as it's very different but fun and little strange at first. It's mainly a public sauna which is mixed. There is three rooms: an 80-degree C room with salt rocks, a 50-degree C room with clay balls, and a FREEZER room. Also inside is a karaoke restaurant and a tv theatre.
As most aircrew have limited time in Seoul, we recommend if you want to go sightseeing then book one of the many half-day tours. This can be easily arranged via your hotel concierge, however remember most tours booked must be done before 22:00 the night before.
Did you know? Korea is the only divided country in the world. After the Korean War (June 25, 1950), South Korea and North Korea negotiated and then designated the DMZ [demilitarized zone] 2km away from the truce line on each side of the border. Interesting as you can see how people live in North Korea via telescopes. Many tours available with prices ranging from W40,000 - W90,000 check the your hotel concierge for more details.
Kyeong-bok-kung. The Korean word “kung” or “gung” (kung) means palace. It is open to tourists every day except Tuesday, and admission costs only W700.