[First trip to Seoul] Just know this and you'll have fun!
#SeoulConquest
📅【Travel Itinerary】
*Day 1
Arrived at Gimpo Airport✈️
I took the train to the closest station to the hotel and left my luggage there first~
After leaving my luggage, I took the train to Seongsu!
At that moment, I lost my T-money card that I had bought before...
I didn't have any cash on hand so I took a taxi to Seongsu🚕
The taxi was cheap but I felt rich somehow (lol)
I had chicken for lunch and went shopping!
Even things that don't seem spicy are usually a little spicy😂
While my friend was getting her eyebrows done, I went to Byulmadang Library📚
On the way there, I had no idea which train to take, so I asked a passerby who turned out to be a British person who kindly told me.
Izakaya hopping at night!
A Korean friend of mine who used to work part-time with me invited me out to dinner, and we had soju while eating samgyeopsal⭐️
The second place was a nearby izakaya, where I had makgeolli for the first time in my life.
It was sweet and delicious^-^
After that, I went to karaoke for a bit and returned to the hotel.
I didn't feel like the security was bad at night either!
*Day 2
I bought souvenirs at Olive Young near the hotel!
They gave me tax-free⭐️
My flight was before 4pm, so I had a snack before going to the airport.
I was able to eat the potato buns I've been longing for🩵
(They were so delicious I wanted to import them.)
They sell them at a chain called Mega Coffee, and I recommend their hazelnut latte!
I took the train to Incheon Airport and returned home safely.
After moving from Jeju Island, I went on a two-day trip to Seoul, but since it was my first time touring Seoul, I had a lot of troubles and two days wasn't enough🥹
🏨【Recommended Hotels】
I stayed at "urbanstay"!
It's about a 5-minute walk from the nearest Kyodai Station, and it's in a great location for sightseeing◎
There are no staff, and all procedures are completed online, so it's very smooth!
The room was as clean as a new building, and even a coffee machine was provided☕️
🚇【Transportation Information You Should Know】
Transportation is almost the same as in Japan, and I traveled 90% by subway and 10% by bus.
Gimpo Airport → City, City → Incheon Airport was also by subway.
This was also about 500 yen. It's cheap... (lol)
I got the transportation IC card "T-money" at a convenience store for about 400 yen, and it was easy to charge it.
However, one thing to note is that "charges are only cash!"
I recommend bringing about 10,000 yen in cash from Japan.
Like me, you might lose your T-money even though you charged it, so it might be a good idea to bring more than enough as a backup.
I didn't do enough research and brought very little cash with me, so I ended up wandering around the city by myself for about an hour because there were many places where I couldn't use the ATMs. 😭
If you want to withdraw cash, you can use your Japanese card at the Lotte ATM at 7-Eleven.
The fee was about 480 yen, but if you need it, go to a nearby 7-Eleven!
🎯【Essential apps】
The following three apps were very useful for getting around Seoul:
① Naver Map
This is a more mainstream map app than Google Maps, and I downloaded it before my trip to Korea.
You can search in Japanese, and it was easier to use than I thought!
② Subway Korea
You can see an overview of the subway in Seoul and easily check the timetable and fares.
I was able to change the language to Japanese, which was very helpful when I was checking the time to go to the airport and when I was charging my T-money!
③Uber
For some reason, taxis in Korea are super cheap!!!
Actually, I once lost my T-money card during my trip and had no cash so I couldn't travel by train, but even a drive of more than 30 minutes only cost about 1300 yen😃
💰【First time tax-free】
I only had two days, so I didn't do any big purchases, but most stores, such as Oliveyoung, accessory shops, and souvenir shops, offered tax-free shopping on the spot.
If you spend more than 15,000 won, you'll be tax-free, so it's recommended that you always carry your passport with you!