SEOUL, KOREA TRAVEL GUIDE: KOREA TRIP ITINERARY & TIPS - FOR FIRST-TIMERS

Hey bunnies!!! I'm back from my Korea trip and I have so much to share with y'all!

Traveling to Korea has been on my bucket list ever since I was introduced to the world of Kpop. I adore Korean's fashion and makeup, I enjoy watching Korean dramas (DOTS is my fav!!), listening to K-pop songs (Big Bang, in particular), not forgetting to mention the exotic Korean food! And these are only a slice of the pile of reasons why I longed to travel to Korea!

Well, I'm so glad that I finally made it to Seoul for the 1st time in my life with my mom and my BFF, Joanne! We booked our flight tickets from AirAsia back in March, and unfortunately the rate wasn't the best at that point of time. We still went for it anyway, considering how difficult it is for Joanne and I to find a perfect timing to travel together. Since the both of us were on holidays, we happily embarked on a 10D9N trip to Seoul, lasting from 14th May to 23rd May.

In this post, I'm going to share my itinerary in Korea with y'all in the shoes of a first-timer. It's my first trip to this beautiful place, and I really hope this post will benefit those of you who wish to / will be travelling to Korea for the first time!!

ACCOMMODATION ✓

During our trip, we stayed in an airbnb studio in Gangnam, and I must say that the place have far exceeded my expectations. The stay was literally worth every penny! I mean, just look at the photos!

The studio is equipped with all the basic amenities, such as wifi, air-conditioner, shampoo, hair dryer, 2 super comfortable Queen-sized beds, kitchenware, TV and more! And there is even a washing machine right outside your room! 

Most importantly, the studio was IMMACULATE. The bed sheets were in brilliant white and the toilet was squeaky clean!

Plus, the MRT station was just 3 mins walk away from the apartment, which puts you in a super strategic location!

Now, the most important question: THE RATE?
It's only RM797 per person for 9 nights, which is pretty reasonable I think!

On a side note, Lucy, the host of the apartment, was extremely helpful! She replied my messages instantly and even recommended us some of the nice restaurants nearby the apartment. 

(And if you are wondering if I was being sponsored, the answer is NO. Joanne found this apartment and we honestly felt that this place deserves to be recommended to anyone who seeks for a lovely stay in Seoul).

Here's the link if you wanna check out the listing: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/5961079
Now that you're here, I'm sending each and everyone of you RM62 traveling credits on Airbnb!! All you need to do is just register yourself through THIS link!

HOW MUCH MONEY TO BRING? ✓

It's obvious, but I have to mention that this actually varies depending on your spending habits. For me, I spent about RM5k on clothes, cosmetics, shoes and skin care products, RM1.1k on food, and RM120 for transportation (over the course of 10D9N).

If you are planning to hop on a shopping adventure, RM3k-5k is enough to afford you a ton of locally manufactured clothes, shoes and makeup (most of the clothes are 10,000 won per piece, which approximately translates to only RM35!)

On the other hand, if your target is locked on local food and some lightweight shopping, RM1.2-1.5k per person should be ample for 10 days, and with this amount of money, you can indulge on various delicious street food, Korean BBQ, Bulgogi and even a scrumptious seafood dinner in Noryanjin Fish Market. Food in Korea is actually inexpensive, unless you are the likes of a daily Dior Cafe patron hahaha!

Pro tip: DO NOT enter restaurants that do not state the price of the food on their menu, because they usually tend to overcharge.

HOW TO GET CONNECTED IN SEOUL? ✓

You may purchase a local SIM card from the airport or in Korea itself. However, I would suggest you to rent pocket wifi from Travelrecommends.com, as it's more affordable than its competitors, and it can be shared between multiple devices, so you don't have to bear the cost alone!

Travelrecommends.com offers overseas wifi router rental service to several countries, including Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, Europe, US, etc.

The best part of the deal? You read it - UNLIMITED WIFI, from only RM19/day!! Remember how I could update my Instagram and Snapchat all the time when I was in Seoul? :p

Not forgetting to mention, the connection was pretty stable and the speed was consistently fast throughout our trip, which made browsing on-the-go easy and hassle-free!

OUR 10D9N ITINERARY ✓

DAY 1: Arrival at airport, hotel check-in, Gangnam Station Underground Shopping Centre

DAY 2: Coex Mall, SM Town, Sinsa-dong, Express Bus Terminal Underground Shopping

DAY 3: Gyeongbukgung Palace, Bukchon Hanok Village, Myeongdong

DAY 4: N Seoul Tower, Dongdaemun, Hong Dae, Stylenanda, Korean BBQ @ Hong Dae

DAY 5: Everland Theme Park 

DAY 6: Common Ground @ Konkuk University, Dongwha Duty Free Shopping at Gwanghwamun, Dior Cafe at Apgujeong, Gwangjang market

DAY 7: Nami Island, Petite France

DAY 8: Ewha University, Ewha University Shopping Street, Noryanjin Fish Market 

DAY 9: Raccoon Cafe @ Hyehwa, Myeongdong (final round shopping!), Korean BBQ @ YangJae

DAY 10: Hotel check-out, airport shopping


TRANSPORTATION ✓
I mostly rely on the subway to travel from one point to another. The subway in Korea is just as efficient as Japan's, as each subway station has a specific name, number, and each subway lines are marked with different colours. Prior to heading anywhere, be sure to do a little research to find out the station where you should disembark, and the correct exit to take in each station in order to find your way to the destination.

In Japan, using Google Map to get around is very reliable. HOWEVER, in Korea, I wouldn't suggest you to use Google Map because it occasionally gave us the wrong information and directions. T_T

So, instead of using Google Map, I would suggest you to download this app called SEOUL METRO SUBWAY MAP & ROUTE PLANNER.

It's a bilingual app which shows you the Seoul subway map. Besides, it will show you all the directions, such as which station to get down, when to transfer to another line, and the estimated time needed to travel from one place to another.

Since we were in Seoul for so many days, we bought a T-money transportation card too, and it is reloadable just like your Touch-N-Go card. You may get this card from any machine in the subway stations (English version is available)! For us, we spent around 35,000 won (per person) for transportation throughout the 10D9N.

OK, so that's about it!

I will be blogging about each tourist attraction in Seoul and the photos I took there, so look out for my upcoming blog posts!!

Stay tuned!! ♥

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